Startup Planning and Launch Strategy

Aims of the course

• To provide a comprehensive understanding of the essential components of business planning, from concept development to a fully structured plan ready for presentation to investors and stakeholders.
• To gain practical skills in market research, financial forecasting, and operational planning, enabling the design and implementation of effective, evidence-based business strategies.
• To develop entrepreneurial behaviours, such as adaptability, resourcefulness, and resilience, required to translate business ideas into actionable ventures through lean and agile launch processes.

Course content overview

The course takes learners step-by-step through the process of designing and presenting a professional business plan. 

It begins with an overview of how business plans communicate value to investors and funding bodies, then moves through the key analytical and planning stages required to bring a venture to market. 

By the end of the course, learners will have developed a complete, investor-ready business plan and an implementation strategy for turning that plan into a real-world enterprise.

Target audience

This course is designed for aspiring entrepreneurs, start-up founders, and professionals seeking to strengthen their ability to plan, finance, and execute new business ventures. It will appeal to those preparing to present business ideas to investors or wishing to refine existing business plans. The course is equally suitable for intrapreneurs aiming to apply business-planning skills within established organisations. No prior experience in entrepreneurship is required, though a curiosity about building and launching ventures will be beneficial.

Welcome week (Week 0)

Purpose:

• personal introductions
• introducing the course
• useful reading
• personal objectives

Learning outcomes:

By studying this week, the students should have: 

• become familiar with navigating around the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and from VLE to links and back
• test your ability to access files and the web conferencing software and sort out any problems with the help of the Technology Enhanced Learning team
• learn how to look for, assess and reference internet resources
• contribute to a discussion forum to introduce yourself to other students and discuss why you are interested in the course and what you hope to get out of your studies 

Teaching Week 1: Business Plan Fundamentals

Purpose:

This week introduces us to the essential components and purpose of a business plan:

• We will explore how a structured plan communicates a venture’s value proposition, strategy, and operational approach to investors, stakeholders, and internal teams.

Learning outcomes:

• Explained the key elements and structure of a comprehensive business plan.
• Demonstrated understanding of how a business plan supports venture planning and investment.
• Applied foundational principles to conceptualise a structured business plan for a chosen idea.

Teaching Week 2: Strategic Vision and Market Analysis

Purpose:

We will focus on defining the venture’s strategic vision and analysing the market context:

• The week covers industry research, competitor analysis, target market identification, and the development of a strategy that aligns with the venture’s goals.

Learning outcomes:

• Developed a strategic vision aligned with the venture’s objectives.
• Conducted market and competitor analysis to identify opportunities and threats.
• Applied insights from analysis to inform decision-making and strategic planning.

Teaching Week 3: Operational Excellence

Purpose:

This week covers the operational aspects necessary to implement a business plan effectively:

• We will learn about process design, resource management, logistics, and operational strategies that ensure efficiency and quality in venture execution.

Learning outcomes:

• Designed operational processes to support the venture’s objectives.
• Allocated resources effectively to optimise operational efficiency.
• Applied operational planning principles to anticipate challenges and improve delivery.

Teaching Week 4: Financial Planning

Purpose:

We will focus on financial management and planning essential for venture success: 

• Topics include budgeting, forecasting, cash flow analysis, funding requirements, and key financial indicators for assessing the venture’s viability and performance.

Learning outcomes:

• Developed financial projections and budgets aligned with venture goals.
• Assessed funding needs and potential sources of investment.
• Applied financial metrics to evaluate the viability and sustainability of the venture.

Teaching Week 5: Lean and Agile Launch Strategies

Purpose:

This final week emphasises agile approaches to launching a venture: 

• We will explore iterative planning, prototyping, rapid testing, and adaptive strategies that allow for quick adjustments based on market feedback and operational realities.

Learning outcomes:

• Applied lean and agile principles to plan and execute a venture launch.
• Developed strategies to test, iterate, and refine products or services quickly.
• Demonstrated the ability to respond to feedback and adapt plans to achieve venture success.

Week 6 - what next?

• assessment of student learning
• assessment of student satisfaction
• encouragement of further study

This course is open to everyone, and you don’t need any previous knowledge or experience of the subject to attend.  

Our short courses are designed especially for adult learners who want to advance their personal or professional development. They are taught by tutors who are expert in both their subjects and in teaching students of all ages and experiences. 

Please note that all teaching is in English. You should have near-native command of the English language to get the maximum benefit from the course. 

Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours of self-study time, for example, reading materials, although this will vary from person to person. 

While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material). 

Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the VLE so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (using discussion boards etc).

Fees

The course fee includes access to the course on our VLE, personal feedback on your work from an expert tutor, a certificate of participation (if you complete work and take part in discussions), and access to the class resources for two years after your course finishes. 

Concessions 

For more information, please see our concessions information page. 

Alison Fordham Bursary

University of Cambridge Professional and Continuing Education is proud to offer the Alison Fordham bursary, which is awarded to students who wish to study on one of our short online courses via our VLE, reducing the fee paid by 50%. The bursary is limited to a single award for each set of online courses. 

Application criteria:  

• applicants should set out their personal learning motivations since priority will be given to those who are returning to learning after an extended break, or have not previously engaged with fully online learning, or are seeking to use the online short course as a bridge towards undergraduate award-bearing study
• applicants who can demonstrate financial need 

For more information, please see our bursaries information page. 

A certificate of participation and a digital credential will be awarded to those who contribute constructively to weekly discussions, exercises and assignments for the duration of the course.