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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Beyond Silicon Valley: Growing Entrepreneurship in Transitioning Economies by Case Western Reserve University

4.4
stars
123 ratings

About the Course

The path for entrepreneurs to grow their companies outside of well-developed entrepreneurial ecosystems like Silicon Valley is challenging. Most markets around the world do not look like Silicon Valley, and they never will. But there are other models to support new businesses. In transitioning markets (where entrepreneurs do not have much access to private sector financing), government officials, donors, and business leaders are experimenting with creative approaches to support the growth of entrepreneurs. Northeast Ohio, whose largest city is Cleveland, is one such community. During our time together in this course, we will be exploring some of these innovative approaches. A massive intervention of government and donor resources in Northeast Ohio has been in place for over ten years. In that time, Northeast Ohio has experienced success (including job creation and follow-on funding) with alternative methods of financing startups, but it has not been easy. Yes, some progress has been made, but whether or not they've hit on ultimate success has yet to be determined. A dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem takes many years, even decades, to develop. Government officials and donors typically are looking for shorter term success with their support programs which makes long-term support for entrepreneurship challenging. During this course, we will hear from entrepreneurs who have launched products and services ranging from medical devices to LED lights to whiskey. You will learn how these entrepreneurs engaged with resources made available to them through a variety of programs and intermediary organizations. We have chosen to talk with many business people that are still in the process of developing their companies and whose ultimate success or failure is still to be determined. In addition to learning about Cleveland's attempts to support entrepreneurship, you will also be hearing in the lectures from leaders in selected markets around the world including Greece, Vietnam, Tunisia, Argentina, Rwanda and China about how they are working to support the growth of start-up companies. One of our goals is to learn from you how different communities around the world are approaching implementing strategies and methods to support businesses. Taking what we've learned from our examples in class, I will ask you to reflect on how to best grow entrepreneurship where you live. I am excited to use this global platform to create a dialogue where information flows in multiple directions. Most MOOCs rebroadcast professors’ lectures, but this course will be different. Don’t expect to see me standing in front of the camera, talking and lecturing every module. Instead, the lectures will be relatively short in length and will have more of the feel of an engaging documentary than a static classroom setting....

Top reviews

GB

Sep 24, 2015

Interesting course! Strongly opened my mind further on understanding entrepreneurship success, its impact on business and communities development as well as jobs creation.

Thanks

MI

Apr 24, 2019

Review classmate assignment or work some times make me difficulties due to not found it properly. Need easy to searching.

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1 - 25 of 38 Reviews for Beyond Silicon Valley: Growing Entrepreneurship in Transitioning Economies

By Theresa D

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Apr 5, 2016

This was a fascinating course on how to revive a failing business area by use of government financing of primarily tech start-ups. It was a place in the country that is very different than Silicon Valley. The knowledge to finance a new startup was very limited and had to be set up in government funded groups that could mentor all the new businesses. There was a quick tour to other countries such as Greece which showed that even the EU had set up a Fund for Greek startups. The one they were working on was a company that was trying to produce an app. They did say that due to the lack of tech knowledge in their country the EU Fund was still full of money and could fund other startups. The main course went back to Cleveland, where most of the effort was made to use a government approach. They set up their own foundations, extended loans, made contacts with Venture Capitalists that participated in Silicon Valley and in this new type of gov approach. After 10 years of working with this, they had some very good companies with great ideas. The only drawback was that they didn't employ enough people to revitalize the entire area of Cleveland. They were just beginning to do something that used the actual resources of the area. There was a well known Cleveland Medical Center and some of the Professors there had done research which was new. For some reason, again the lack of business resources, they had never created any companies from what they knew. They did begin to create companies from the medical researchers in the area. The main one had to do with maintaining cardiac health. And

By Antonio O S

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Feb 7, 2019

This is more than just contents, has valuable materials and testimonials on how to create and develop an entrepreneurship ecosystem through bringing the critical elements and their expected roles in order to make it work, based on the experience of NEO. Professor Michael Goldberg and his team has created a custom made course toward those actors in the field commited with it.

By Arjan T

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Oct 28, 2015

Very inspiring course, focusing on building and strengthening entrepreneurial ecosystems. Very well made, fast paced, and the assignments ask you to go out and act.

I enjoyed the course so much, and found Professor Goldberg so inspiring, that I'm very proud to be one of the community mentors on it now.

Come join us, and learn how to enable entrepreneurs in your region!

By Joe M

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May 24, 2018

This is one of the best courses on the subject of Entrepreneurship; after going through this course I got an appreciable understanding of the ecosystem necessary to spur entrepreneurship in developing economies. The fact that entrepreneurs from several transitioning economies were given a platform to tell their business journey, made the course engaging.

By Ini A O

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Oct 8, 2015

A really insightful class giving new perspectives on entrepreneurship in growing economies.

I personally took the class looking for a few ideas for my entrepreneurship oriented association. And I ended up with a renewed energy on which steps to take and which doors to knock on.

I definitely recommend!

By Maritza E A R

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Sep 21, 2022

The course helps to learn basic concepts related with entrepreneurship but most of all, to identify the specific aspects of how has to be the entrepreneurial ecosystem in a transitioning economy. I recommend the course to all who wants to reinforce or learn about entrepreneurship.

By sarvjeet w

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Aug 24, 2020

A quintessential course that offers a framework to see what is needed for building an entrepreneurial ecosystem from ground up . And if you're in one thats up & running already , you might just find what's the missing ingredient !

By Gilles R B

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Sep 25, 2015

Interesting course! Strongly opened my mind further on understanding entrepreneurship success, its impact on business and communities development as well as jobs creation.

Thanks

By Mamunul I

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Apr 25, 2019

Review classmate assignment or work some times make me difficulties due to not found it properly. Need easy to searching.

By Mohamad S A

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Nov 30, 2015

great course with excellent teacher and very effortful videod! Really enjoyed it and learned a lot

By Nick C

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Dec 10, 2023

Loved it! Amazing for understanding local entrepreneurial ecosystems and how to build upon them.

By John H

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Aug 12, 2015

Course helped to reinforce my knowledge and give support to others in other countries.

By Herval J d S N

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Jan 26, 2016

It has been a great pleasure and satisfaction to have participated in this course!

By Abdurrahman K

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Jun 29, 2019

Such a great course, it was a great experience for me !!!

By Donna-Luisa E

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Sep 4, 2020

Excellent course every business student should do.

By Shellon B

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Jul 25, 2019

ONE word: Excellent, Excellent, Excellent!!!!!!

By José d J D L C G

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Oct 27, 2015

Excellent teacher and courser.Congratulations!!

By sixtus u o

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Nov 23, 2015

A must have. Very inspiring...

By Harris C

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Aug 7, 2015

very practical and interesting

By Cassio H K

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Mar 3, 2017

great! recommended!

By li w

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May 15, 2016

welldonewelldone

By Débora A M

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Dec 13, 2019

Very helpful

By TRAN A C

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Oct 12, 2021

ok

By Nguyen T H

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Feb 16, 2016

:)

By Athina S

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Dec 23, 2016

A