Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
Entrepreneurship: Law and Finance
Develop the skills to navigate the legal and financial complexities of starting a new business.
Start date
01 September 2021
Enroll by 24 August 2021
Course duration
8 weeks
Excluding orientation
Language
English
Access resources from start date
Effort
6–8 hours per week
Self-paced learning online
Course overview
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Duration: 8 weeks
For entrepreneurs, starting a business holds the promise of endless opportunity. But it also holds challenges that can stifle a new venture before it can realize its full potential. Understanding the challenges that a young business may face offers the best chance of building a sustainable company.
The Entrepreneurship: Law and Finance online short course from Northwestern Pritzker Law offers you the tools to establish a new venture. Designed to follow the natural life cycle of a new business, this course offers vital skills through a detailed, ongoing case study. You’ll engage with the legal aspects of entrepreneurship, learning to understand and select types of business entities, and navigate founders’ agreements, contract drafts, and trademark law. You’ll also learn to build a team based around clear business roles, and manage employment relationships. Finally, you’ll gain insights into financing your venture’s growth, including how to secure funding or future venture capital, in order to secure the long-term success of your business.
Is this course for you?
If you’re an executive or senior manager interested in launching a new venture, this course will augment your management skills with an understanding of the legal and financial aspects of entrepreneurship. If you’re a seasoned professional, the course will offer you these same skills, while providing you with an understanding of people management as it relates to new businesses. The fundamental nature of this course makes it ideal across a broad range of industries: if you work in information technology, finance and banking, manufacturing, retail, and biotech and healthcare, this course will offer you new skills to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities. If you’re in the legal profession, the course will give you an overview of the financial and management knowledge needed to build a thriving business.
Course overview
Introduction
Duration: 8 weeks
For entrepreneurs, starting a business holds the promise of endless opportunity. But it also holds challenges that can stifle a new venture before it can realize its full potential. Understanding the challenges that a young business may face offers the best chance of building a sustainable company.
The Entrepreneurship: Law and Finance online short course from Northwestern Pritzker Law offers you the tools to establish a new venture. Designed to follow the natural life cycle of a new business, this course offers vital skills through a detailed, ongoing case study. You’ll engage with the legal aspects of entrepreneurship, learning to understand and select types of business entities, and navigate founders’ agreements, contract drafts, and trademark law. You’ll also learn to build a team based around clear business roles, and manage employment relationships. Finally, you’ll gain insights into financing your venture’s growth, including how to secure funding or future venture capital, in order to secure the long-term success of your business.
Is this course for you?
If you’re an executive or senior manager interested in launching a new venture, this course will augment your management skills with an understanding of the legal and financial aspects of entrepreneurship. If you’re a seasoned professional, the course will offer you these same skills, while providing you with an understanding of people management as it relates to new businesses. The fundamental nature of this course makes it ideal across a broad range of industries: if you work in information technology, finance and banking, manufacturing, retail, and biotech and healthcare, this course will offer you new skills to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities. If you’re in the legal profession, the course will give you an overview of the financial and management knowledge needed to build a thriving business.
What will set you apart
The skills and knowledge to embrace entrepreneurship and launch a new venture.
An understanding of new business financing, including how to secure funding or future venture capital.
The confidence to navigate the legal obligations of a new business, such as choosing the right business entity, determining founders’ agreements, and understanding contract drafts and trademark law.
The knowledge to build an effective team by understanding the intricacies of employment relationships, and assign worker roles within your organization to meet business needs.Course curriculum
Orientation module
Welcome to your Online Campus
Module 1
Leaving an employer to start a new venture
Module 2
Entity selection
Module 3
Founders' agreements
Module 4
Trademark law and branding
Module 5
Employment relationships, worker classification, and team building
Module 6
Contract drafting and review for start-ups
Module 7
Seed and early stage financing
Module 8
Venture capital financing and exits
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Academic Directors
Who you'll learn from
Steve Reed
Clinical Professor of Law, Assistant Director of the Donald Pritzker Entrepreneurship Law Center, and Co-Director of the JD-MBA Program, Northwestern Pritzker Law
Esther Barron
Clinical Professor of Law, and Director of the Donald Pritzker Entrepreneurship Law Center, Northwestern Pritzker Law
Darren Green
Professor of Entrepreneurship, Venture Capital and Practice, Northwestern Pritzker Law
About the certificate
Learn about the legal and financial aspects of entrepreneurship, and earn an official certificate of completion from Northwestern Pritzker Law.
Assessment is continuous and based on a series of practical assignments completed online. In order to be issued with a certificate, you'll need to meet the requirements outlined in the course handbook. The handbook will be made available to you as soon as you begin the course.
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Why choose GetSmarter?
GetSmarter, powered by 2U, is an online learning expert with over 10 years' experience in developing premium online short courses from the world’s leading universities and institutions. We are powered by 2U to support you in unlocking your potential through life-changing learning with an immersive and high-touch experience.
We deliver market-led courses that equip working professionals with the expertise required to upskill, reskill or kickstart a completely new career. Through a data-driven approach, we analyze future skills requirements and ensure all courses address this need. We ensure that leading universities and institutions are your expert guides and our people, technology, and resources are your engine – together we power more than just education, we power your potential.
Find out more about GetSmarter’s approach to digital learning, course design, and online delivery here.
Payment options
You can pay your course fees before the course starts, or you may opt for a split payment plan on courses that are nine weeks and shorter. For courses 10 weeks and longer, there is a three-part payment plan available. To find out more about payment options please visit our Payment and Financing page, or contact an Enrollment Adviser, to find out which option you qualify for.
Manage your time
GetSmarter's learning model is designed to help you, as a working professional, improve your skills without compromising on work and family responsibilities. The course work is broken up into weekly, manageable bite-sized modules, with incremental deadlines, designed to help you pace yourself over the duration of the course and allow you the legroom to work when it suits you best.
At the beginning of each module you'll be presented with the course content and assignments necessary for completion. You also have access to your Success Adviser who will help you manage your time, and support you with any administrative or technical queries you might have.
Seek employer assistance
By improving your skills and industry knowledge, you'll have an influence on the success of your organization. Why wouldn't you ask your boss to help you fund your studies if it's going to have an impact on the way you do business?
Of our past students, 37 percent have received financial assistance from their employers. You can ask for help, too. Here is a guide to show you how to request financial assistance from your employer.
If you are a Learning & Development (L&D) manager, or involved in training and upskilling for an organization, you can request information regarding our corporate offering on our GetSmarter for business page.
How to change your start date
As part of our commitment to your professional development, GetSmarter offers you a two-week period to change your course start date or request your money back if you’re not fully satisfied.
To qualify for a deferral of your course start date, or to cancel your enrollment and receive a refund of your course fee, your request would need to reach our Success Advisers before the release of Module 2. For more information, please read our Terms and Conditions.
Discover the Online Campus
The Online Campus will be your virtual classroom for the duration of your course. Through its easy-to-use interface you'll have access to a diverse variety of course content formats including: interactive videos, module notes, practice quizzes, presentations, assignment briefs, and additional web resources.
On the Online Campus, you'll also be able to ask questions and interact with your fellow students and teaching team through the discussion forums. If you are looking for your Online Campus login, please see the list of university partner login pages here.
