Entrepreneurship Program in Santa Clara University
California Program for Entrepreneurship (CAPE)
The California Program for Entrepreneurship, an initiative of the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University, provides education and mentoring to emerging entrepreneurs to help them develop and implement business plans that will contribute to the growth and well-being of the California economy.
- Now held over 7 weekends to accommodate busy schedules
- Bronson Scholar designations
- Virtual exercises, readings & case studies
- Mentor placement and meetings
- Focused and personalized education on all aspects of a professional business plan
- Preparation of professional pitches
- Expert business advisors and panelists
- Networking opportunities
- $5,000 pitch competition
- All on-site classes held at the historical Santa Clara University campus here in the heart of Silicon Valley
The Entrepreneurs:
The CAPE’s emerging entrepreneurs will be selected from candidates nominated by University affiliates, financial institutions including micro-lenders, and other organizations that support entrepreneurship. Our focus is on entrepreneurs who will start and build businesses that contribute to the economic growth of California. Candidates are selected based on their potential for success, development stage of their business idea, experience and potential contribution to our community and the California economy. Candidates must complete an online application that includ es multiple exercises designed to refine the candidate’s business idea and reveal the potential for success.
The Curriculum:
The CAPE curriculum is designed to remove the barriers facing emerging entrepreneurs. Faculty use a combination of virtual exercises, classroom instruction, case studies, group work, and experiential learning to develop conceptual skills and build a mutually-supportive community. Participants develop specific functional expertise in marketing, finance, and operations as well as skills in organizational dynamics, strategic management and communication. At the end of the coursework, participants prepare a business plan pitch for a competition to be reviewed by a panel judges including venture capitalists and angel investors with $5,000 awarded to the best presentation.
Mentors
One of the most important components of the CAPE program is mentorship. Each emerging entrepreneur is matched with at least one strategically-chosen mentor. Mentors work closely with the emerging entrepreneurs throughout the program sharing their expertise, insights, assessments and recommendations.
Mentors will assist the emerging entrepreneurs in a variety of areas including, but not limited to:
- Defining value propositions and offerings
- Offering feedback on target markets, market sizing and competition
- Providing insight in to company formation and structuring
- Assessing business models and strategies
- Developing financial assumptions and models
- Identifying appropriate funding sources
- Sharing presentation feedback
Mentors expect to spend between 8 to 12 hours with emerging entrepreneurs over the six-month program. Some of these hours may involve meeting in person, but a significant amount of mentorship can take place remotely between the emerging entrepreneur and their mentor.
Email scu-cape@scu.edu for information on mentoring in CAPE.
Faculty
The California Program for Entrepreneurship is an initiative of the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University. CAPE provides education and mentoring to emerging entrepreneurs to help them develop and implement business plans that will contribute to the growth and well-being of the California economy.
