Scaling and Growth Strategies

This unit guides students through strategic choices and practical steps for growing an entrepreneurial venture, including financing, protecting intellectual property, marketing, and organizational change. Learners will synthesize earlier concepts to produce investor-ready plans, evaluate scaling pathways, and prepare for leadership transitions or exit strategies.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze and compare growth pathways (e.g., incubators, accelerators, bootstrapping, venture financing, SPACs, nonprofit models, and global expansion) using criteria of cost, speed, control, and fit to venture stage.
• Apply financial planning tools to assess funding needs and evaluate financing options, and calculate customer acquisition costs (CAC) to forecast profitability and break-even timelines.
• Demonstrate the ability to prepare an investor-ready business plan and presentation that integrates IP protection strategies, market benchmarking, go-to-market (including internet and international) tactics, and key performance metrics.
• Evaluate organizational and leadership transition options (founder-led to professional management, hiring experienced CEOs, succession and family-business scenarios) and propose a legally and ethically sound action plan to support scalable operations.