Brief Course Description
1. Course Title:
Entrepreneurial Finance
2. Language of Instruction:
English
3. Course Code:
FIN605048
4. Credits:
2
5. Course Objectives:
The Entrepreneurial Finance course aims to provide students with an advanced understanding of financial decision-making in startup ventures operating under high levels of uncertainty and growth potential. The course develops students’ ability to analyze the unique financial characteristics of entrepreneurial firms, evaluate strategic flexibility using real options reasoning, and incorporate uncertainty into financial forecasting and modelling. It further enables students to assess funding needs across different stages of venture development and critically examine alternative financing sources, including angel investment and venture capital. In addition, students learn to apply appropriate valuation methods tailored to startup firms and to design staged financing structures that align incentives and manage risk. Overall, the course equips students with both conceptual foundations and applied analytical skills necessary to make informed financial decisions throughout the lifecycle of a new venture.
6. Brief Description of Course Content:
The Entrepreneurial Finance course examines the distinctive financial challenges faced by startup ventures operating in environments characterized by high risk and uncertainty. The course analyzes the interaction between business strategy, financing structure, and firm valuation across different stages of venture development. Key topics include opportunity assessment, the application of real options in strategic decision-making, methods for estimating and incorporating uncertainty into financial forecasting and modelling, and the evaluation of funding needs at various phases of a startup’s lifecycle. The course also presents and compares valuation approaches suited to entrepreneurial firms, including venture capital methods, comparable-based valuation, and adjusted cash flow techniques. Through case studies and applied discussions, students develop the analytical skills required to evaluate entrepreneurial opportunities and make sound financial decisions in dynamic and uncertain business environments.