We extend to you a warm and exciting welcome to the Big Idea Accelerator. This program is designed to teach aspiring entrepreneurs how to more intelligently start, fund, and grow a successful new venture. It will not only introduce you to cutting-edge academic thought in the fields of innovation and entrepreneurship, but also share best practices of founders, investors, and innovators from all over the world as they share their inspiring stories of both entrepreneurial success and failure.

The accelerator curriculum is based on the popular startup book, Nail It Then Scale It, by Dr. Nathan Furr and Paul Ahlstrom, and will show you how to take your innovative idea all the way to a successful company launch. It covers the essential processes and skills to be successful as an entrepreneur. Specifically, we will teach you how to tackle the right things in the right order, validate ideas and solutions with customers, and properly authenticate a repeatable business model. By carefully following the method outlined in this program, we're confident that you will improve your chances of achieving successful outcomes with your startup and increase your opportunities to obtain funding in the future.

Nathan Furr earned his PhD from the Stanford Technology Ventures Program at Stanford University and is an Assistant Professor of Strategy at INSEAD. Nathan is a recognized expert in innovation, entrepreneurship and change, co-authoring The Innovator's Method and Nail It then Scale It: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Creating and Managing Breakthrough Innovation. To learn more about Dr. Furr, check out his full bio on the instructor page for this program.