Skills and Tools for
High-Tech
entrepreneurs wannabe

November 2011 – January 2012
Skills and tools for entrepreneurship and technology management

Alberto and Andrea Piccaluga offered a new course designed to introduce PhD students to the fundamental skills and tools regarding technology management in general and high-tech entrepreneurship in particular.

Both management and S&T students were invited to participate, and the classes have taken place in Sant’Anna Engineering labs in Pontedera. This facility is located in a former factory of Piaggio, that was donated by the famous scooter manufacturing company to the Scuola, and transformed into an hotbed of science and innovation.

What a better environment to stimulate a truly multidisciplinary approach? Management students benefitted from knowing the scientific literature and from interaction with their S&T colleagues who will bring real experiences.
The goal of the course was to help S&T students to enhance their skills and learn new tools that will be useful for their research and/or managerial and/or entrepreneurial careers.
The course included some “traditional” one-way teaching but was mostly based on students’ presentations and case study analysis.

External speakers (in order of appearance) were:
– Riccardo Pietrabissa: Director of one of the CNR Research Centers on ICT
– Riccardo Fontanelli: Founder and CEO of Synapsis, a spin-off company of Sant’Anna
– Roberto Siagri: Founder and CEO of Eurotech
– Giancarlo Michellone: former CEO of Fiat Research Center (CRF) and Area Science Park
– Nicolar Redi: VC, Senior Partner of Fondamenta SGR.

Take a look here at the syllabus of the course and let us know your comments.