Before You Build: Idea Validation for Startups and Innovation Teams

Most startup ideas don't fail in the market—they fail long before, in the gap between initial excitement and honest scrutiny.

This course closes that gap.

Drawing on behavioral research, innovation theory, and battle-tested startup methodology, you’ll build a rigorous, repeatable process for generating high-potential ideas, validating core assumptions, and stress-testing opportunities before committing real resources.

Through case studies, live experiments, and structured critique, you'll learn to distinguish signal from noise at the earliest stages of opportunity and develop the judgment to know when to push forward and when to walk away.

You'll also explore AI tools that can accelerate ideation and validation, from generating a wider pool of ideas to testing assumptions faster.

Designed for entrepreneurs deciding what to build, as well as corporate leaders charged with driving new growth, this course delivers practical frameworks you can put to work immediately.

This course is the first in a three-course sequence on startups and innovation.

The subsequent courses, BUS 217: “Accelerate Your Startup Idea” and BUS 219: “Startup Escape Velocity: From Early Idea to Mainstream Success,” build on the ideas and methods introduced here.

However, each course may also be taken independently.