OREANDA-NEWS. June 5, 2012. The Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO is glad to announce the launch of the first class of the unique educational programme for entrepreneurs and those who are planning to start their own business – the SKOLKOVO Startup Academy.

The SKOLKOVO Startup Academy is a two-month programme, participants of which walk the path from a business idea to a business start with an opportunity to receive “smart” seed financing on the final stage of studies. The module, part-time, structure of the programme allows to combine it with a job.

21 students have been enrolled into the first class of the Startup Academy. They have a diverse experience in various fields of business - IT, construction, human resources, and see themselves in entrepreneurship. “Our Academy is for young entrepreneurs, who need help putting together their ideas with practical knowledge and expertise. The course is also for those who already have a work experience, but feel tired of the corporate world and want to try something new and believe that environment is a part of success of any business. The programme is open for business angels who have assets and are willing to invest in new teams and their startups”, says Lawrence Wright, Director of the SKOLKOVO Startup Academy and a person who has initiated its launch.

While studying at the Startup Academy the students will get acquainted with the best practices, including the Business model generation and Customer development concepts by Alexander Osterwalder and Steve Blank; they will have courses on Sales and Marketing, Financials of start-ups, Law and Strategy, and also complete a two-week educational module in the USA, where they learn how startups are built in a unique ecosystem of Silicon Valley, test their concepts and develop them further.

One of the key features of the programme is mentoring and coaching with leading international entrepreneurs, which helps embody an individual approach to each student and their project development. Thus, the SKOLKOVO Startup Academy will deliver a practical learning of entrepreneurship and build a platform where startups develop and grow.

The Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO congratulates the team of the Startup Academy on the beginning of classes and wishes its students success at the programme!