Entrepreneurial University

Genesis, one of the largest product IT companies with more than 2000 people in 5 countries, create products for 200 million monthly users. Genesis is a full-cycle company: we creates all our projects from the idea and the first drafts to realization and getting the best positions in the market or our niche.

Genesis’s mission is to develop the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Ukraine. We strive to create more high-tech products that will change the lives of millions of people around the world.

The development of the IT product line is another priority, so we invest a lot of time, effort, and resources in education: we share expertise and knowledge, creating educational opportunities that are available to anyone who wants to develop in the field of IT.

With the Entrepreneurship University project, we have set an ambitious goal, namely: the development of entrepreneurial culture in Ukrainian higher education institutions and the demonstration of the own business as an alternative to hired work. In particular, the development of entrepreneurship education at several levels: spreading the trend of creating startups among students; professional development of teachers; and active involvement of university administration in creating systemic changes.

PROBLEM SOLUTION:

Together with Youth Entrepreneurial Partnership (YEP) and experts of the initiative: USAID, Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, Ministry of Digital Transformation, and Ukrainian Startup Fund, the discipline “Innovative Entrepreneurship and Startup Project Management” was introduced at universities. The pilot semester took place from September to December 2020, on September 2021 – we officially launched the discipline and scaled it, involving more universities.

«We are happy to be a part of the Entrepreneurial University because we share the values of entrepreneurship. Thanks to the project, we can support universities and students. As well as give advice and case studies to provide a better understanding of the practical side of building a business» COO of Genesis, Artem Kopanyev

Within the curriculum, Genesis provides students with case studies of IT holding projects, the primary value of which is practice and expertise. 

With such cases, we also show that the success of IT products depends on the joint work of specialists in completely different areas – developers and testers, analysts, marketers, designers, financiers. The main task of the project participants is to create an MVP.

In addition, within the initiative:

• University management and teachers participate in in-service training programs with international experts from the United States, Estonia, Israel, and Ukraine.

• students create startups in class and have the opportunity to present their projects at a national competition.

• the university receives mentoring support for research and development and startup projects.

The discipline “Innovative entrepreneurship and management of startup projects” consists of two modules:

Module 1

Innovative entrepreneurship and startup ecosystem. Problem-solving and business model search. Customer Discovery phase

• Startup ecosystem

• Basic principles of team building, role in the team of 19 startups

• Design thinking. Identification of problems, empathy

• Design thinking. Search and selection of ideas

• Validation of a startup idea

• Canvas business model. Introduction, issue, and solution, portrait of the client, value proposition

• Customer research. Preliminary market research. Validation

• Presentations of ideas for startups

Module 2

Business model validation. Customer Validation phase. Introduction to the essential tools for managing startups

• Team dynamics

• Minimum viable product – MVP

• Market assessment. Competitors analysis. Unfair competitors

• Marketing basics for startups

• Fundamentals of investment, finance, and legal features of startups

• Presentation of the startup. Pitch Deck

The best students will be able to continue their studies at the main incubation program, YEP! Starter.

RESULTS OF THE DECISION

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 76 universities, 170 teachers, and almost 4,500 students joined the initiative. 

In the 2021-2022 academic year, 85 higher education institutions from all regions of Ukraine have involved in the project.

This confirms the potential of university entrepreneurship in Ukraine.

Apart from quantitative results, we were able to:

• Significantly increase Genesis’s visibility and trust of the company among the target audience.

• positively affect the reputation of both the holding company and individual projects.

• strengthen relationships with all partners and involve them in other joint projects.