Creating a Design Startup equips designers with the tools and methods to create their own startups. Students learn how to develop and evaluate product/service concepts, establish a rapid iterative prototyping process and use the human-centred design process to create and test minimum viable versions of their products and initiatives.

The course was augmented by the Discovery Foundation Art, Design, Business Speaker Series produced by Shumka Centre for Creative Entrepreneurship at Emily Carr. The series brought six public guest lectures from entrepreneurs, designers and tech pioneers who’ve put together wildly successful startups, worked with top companies and developed new and incredible products and business models. These lectures were followed by hands-on workshops, which gave the students the opportunity to apply their knowledge to their own projects. Guests and topics include:

Haig Armen, Associate Professor, Emily Carr University: Value Proposition Design
4:30 pm, Monday, September 16, 2019

Joanna Buczkowska-McCumber, Executive Director, League of Innovators: Business Model Canvas
4:30 pm, Monday, September 23, 2019

Ian Bell, Founder & CEO, Rosterbot: Pitching
4:30 pm, Monday, October 21, 2019

Amanda Downs, Director of Communications, 1QBit: Brand Storytelling
4:30 pm, Monday, November 4, 2019

Hussein Hallak, Founder & CEO, Next Decentrum: Validation
4:30 pm, Monday, November 25, 2019

Paulina Cameron, CEO, Forum For Women Entrepreneurs: Funding
4:30 pm, Monday, December 2, 2019