In Silicon Valley with Liuc university.

Liuc University of Castellanza, from 13th July to 1st August, has organised a summer school in the core of Silicon Valley and of thousands of start-ups which are working there. The mornings will be committed to lessons taught by entrepreneurs, professionals and managers who work in the Valley, interchanging academic and industrial activities. They will make students understand how business is made in the USA, that it is completely different from our method to make business, because there is only one Silicon Valley and start-ups keep arising there. They will explain also how to build a start-up and the most important things to keep in mind and the mistakes to avoid. They will discuss business plans, forming a team, collaboration with universities in the success of start-ups, of market assessment and go-to-market, business incubators and accelerators and working space, angels and venture capitalist, of term sheet negotiation, important legal aspects (such as how you make an enterprise in the USA, the intellectual property and all the related topic), banking system and networking framework.

            In the afternoons students will visit some leader companies of social networking (Google and LinkedIn), some gurus of Silicon Valley, a prestigious law office, the Italian consul general in San Francisco, some incubators, accelerators and working space (to understand the sacrifices that the young start-uppers are ready to stand in order to try their business venture).

            “This initiative,” explains Marco Astuti lecturer of Liuc, “Doesn’t intend to encourage students of Liuc to escape there, but to gather the absolutely innovative aspects that characterised the Valley and its start-ups in order to try something similar here or to take cues for the moment in which they will enter in the business world.”

            Specific attention will be given to the so-called exit strategies, ways to capitalise a start-up that are direct presence or through agreements with big firms in the market, divestiture of the enterprise and aqui-hiring. If it is possible there will be also a pitching and between a meeting and another it will be possible to visit the beautiful city of San Francisco.

            During the week students will work hard, but in the two weekends it will be possible to relax and enjoy the numerous natural beauties of California and of the nearby states (Arizona, Utah and Nevada), in fact, there are exclusive tours that will allow visits to the Yosemite and Sequoia National Park during the first weekend, and Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion and Monterrey.

            At the end there will be an exam, because the attendance with positive result will give academic credits.

            The summer school is also open for professionals and entrepreneurs interested in examining in depth problems or, it will be better to say, in finding new ideas on how to make business.