Product and Marketing Skills for Founders introduces learners to foundational product and marketing skills that are relevant to building and launching a tech startup. This course builds on concepts of “Lean Startup” to enable learners to refine their business ideas by gathering reliable customer feedback. Learners are introduced to fundamental concepts in product design.

Next start date:

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Course level

Undergraduate

Course duration

max. 8 weeks

Estimated time per week

10-15 hours

Course prerequisites

None

Cost

$ -

Course credits

Relevant jobs

Entrepreneurs, Executives, Business Managers

What will I learn?

Determine the value and purpose of running a design sprint and how it can be used as a tool for brainstorming

Analyze opportunities where marketing and customer outreach prior to product development can be useful

Evaluate the difference between user experience and user interface design and the role each has in effective product design

Identify appropriate communication and language for branding and tone designed to help focus an offering from the customers’ perspective

Evaluate ways in which marketing can be used as a research tool as well as a customer acquisition strategy

Apply user experience research and design techniques to solve business challenges that arise during early product development

EntrepreneurshipProduct managementLean startupMarketing strategy

How will I learn?

Learning Experience

Your course starts on the first of the month. Each course consists of six modules, each module will take you one week to complete and each course is designed to take you eight weeks to complete. Nexford’s learning design team has purposefully created courses to equip you with competencies mapped to the skills employers are looking for. Each course has 5-7 learning outcomes based on the skills employers need. Everything you learn gives you measurable skills you will use to succeed in today’s world of work.

Nexford courses are not live or recorded lectures. Instead, they’re reading, videos, interactive elements, quizzes and relevant case studies. Programs include assessments, peer-to-peer discussions, and a final project to practice what you’ve learned in a real-world context. Program content is available 24/7 during the course, and you have opportunities for collaboration and networking with learners during and after your program. Our global community of learners work at top companies such as Microsoft, Deloitte, and Google.

You'll have 24/7 access to success advisors to support you. Faculty also provide you world-class support. Book appointments with them, get individual feedback, and attend regular optional webinars. Nexford courses are rigorous and they encourage critical thinking - because we care about what you know how to do not what you know you have regular hands-on assessments reflecting the business world.

Course Outline

Modules	Assignment Due Date
1: Design sprint	Day 10
2: Branding and tone	Day 17
3: Marketing for customer acquisition	Day 24
4: Using marketing for research	Day 31
5: User Experience vs User Interface	Day 38
6: The relationship between Product and Marketing	Day 45 (optional)
7: Final project	Day 51

How will I be graded?

Across the duration of the course, you will undertake five Formative Assessments and one Final Project.

The summative assessment is your final project and achieving a passing grade on this assessment is required to pass the course. The minimum passing grade at Nexford University is a C or above. (70% or above).

Grading Scale		Grading Weights
A	90%-100%	Module Assignments	30%
B	80%-89%	Final Project Milestones	30%
C	70-79%	Final Project	40%
F	< 70%	Final Project	40%
W	Withdrawn	Total	100%

What will I get after completing the course?

You'll get real skills you can use at work, straight away.

Once you've taken one course, you can take more. Using stacked credentials, you’re able to take enough courses to make a certificate, and take enough certificates to build a degree.

If you apply for a Nexford certificate or degree, you'll get credit for each course you take.

What support will I receive?

When you have a dedicated team on your side, you'll never be alone studying at Nexford. Hailing from many different countries and with online education expertise, our faculty provides you world-class support. Ask them questions during one-to-one office hours or live chat, email them any time, and get individual feedback on your assessments.

While you’re learning, you’ll also have full access to the Nexford online library, which includes access to millions of full-text articles, industry reports and key sources such as the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times and The Economist.

LinkedIn Learning: unlimited access with Nexford

Support your Nexford goals with access to LinkedIn Learning during your program, at no additional cost. Explore the learning hub of the globe’s biggest professional networking platform to:

Power your career: choose from over 16,000 expert-led courses, from remote working to data science
Show off your skills: earn a certificate when you complete a course
See what’s trending: LinkedIn Learning adds 25 new courses each week
Tailor your learning: choose relevant courses based on your experience, LinkedIn profile and goals
Test what you’ve learned: use LinkedIn Learning assessments

Questions? We’re here to help

Frequently asked questions

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My weekly reflective journal is my Nexford highlight. Thanks to faculty support, I continually apply principles to my enterprise – and I've been able to scale beyond considerable measure.

Siramene Teeh Ngbor

Current BBA learner

ENT2150

Product and Marketing Skills for Founders

What will I learn?

Key Skills

How will I learn?

What support will I receive?

LinkedIn Learning: unlimited access with Nexford

Questions? We’re here to help