Course Catalogue

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This course integrates two interconnected themes essential for technology entrepreneurship in a global context. The first equips students to analyse how cultural context shapes user needs, technology adoption, and product expectations across different national markets, with particular focus on Chinese and Western contexts. The second develops students' understanding of how ventures are financed, structured, and scaled through venture capital, giving them the frameworks and vocabulary to engage credibly with investors and evaluate funding strategies for technology start-ups.

The course is delivered over 12 weeks in three phases. Phase 1 (Weeks 1-4): Foundations: intensive lecture-based introduction to cross-cultural frameworks and venture capital fundamentals, delivered as two substantive workshops at the start of semester. Phase 2 (Weeks 5-8): Application: lectures on technology commercialisation and cross-border venture strategy, interspersed with group case study tutorials; students work in groups to analyse real market entry scenarios. Phase 3 (Weeks 9-12): Integration: industrial visits to technology companies and startup ecosystems, followed by tutorials in which student groups present findings from the visits, culminating in assessed pitch presentations. All teaching and facilities are provided by UESTC in China.

Room will be provided by UESTC in China

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ILO

This course has two integrated aims. First, it aims to develop students' ability to analyse how cultural values, communication norms, and social context shape user behaviour and technology adoption across different national markets, enabling them to identify culturally embedded opportunities and adapt solutions for global audiences. Second, it aims to equip students with an introductory but practically grounded understanding of venture capital and entrepreneurial finance, covering how technology start-ups are valued, funded, and structured through angel investment, VC, and alternative financing mechanisms. A third integrated theme addresses the technology commercialisation pathway itself from identifying exploitable research outcomes and validating market fit, to managing the legal, cultural, and operational risks of cross-border venture collaboration. Together, these themes prepare students to operate as technically credible techpreneurs who can navigate the cultural complexity, financial reality, and commercialisation challenges of launching and scaling technology ventures internationally.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

1. Critically analyse how cultural values, communication norms, and social context shape user behaviour and technology adoption across different national markets, with a focus on Chinese and Western contexts.

2. Demonstrate understanding of the sources, structures, and key mechanisms of entrepreneurial finance-including angel investment, venture capital, and alternative funding-and apply this knowledge to assess financing options appropriate to different stages of technology venture development.

3. Synthesise cross-cultural user insights with engineering knowledge to identify market opportunities and develop globally scalable technology propositions suitable for investor evaluation.

4. Construct and present a culturally informed techpreneurship pitch that integrates market insight, a financing strategy, and a viable business proposition to a range of stakeholder audiences, demonstrating the communication skills required in investor-facing contexts.

5. Evaluate the risks and governance challenges of cross-border technology ventures, and design practical strategies for cross-cultural team collaboration and sustainable venture development in international startup ecosystems.