Customer Discovery and Opportunity Validation

About this course

Customer Discovery and Opportunity Validation (ENT 401) is an applied elective in the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital concentration. Founder-grade customer discovery: problem interviews, hypothesis testing, market sizing, and disciplined go/no-go decisions before you build.

Prerequisites: ENT 301 recommended. Length: 6 weeks. Assessment: 50% applied project, 30% case work, 20% knowledge checks.

What you will be able to do

• Run problem and solution interviews that produce actionable evidence
• Translate interview data into testable opportunity hypotheses
• Size markets with bottom-up and top-down logic
• Map competition and differentiation without wishful positioning
• Produce a validated opportunity brief with explicit kill criteria
• Connect discovery work to a venture portfolio artifact

How the course is organized

Six units, 24 lessons (four per unit). Work in order.

Unit	Topic	Lessons	You will
1	Opportunity Selection and Problem Framing	Foundations of Opportunity Selection and Problem Framing · Key Concepts and Vocabulary in Opportunity Selection and Problem Framing · Frameworks for Analyzing Opportunity Selection and Problem Framing · Opportunity Selection and Problem Framing: Applied Business Decisions	Apply opportunity selection and problem framing to your venture
2	Customer Segments and Jobs to Be Done	Understanding Customer Segments and Jobs to Be Done · How Customer Segments and Jobs to Be Done Works in Practice · Evaluating Trade-offs in Customer Segments and Jobs to Be Done · Customer Segments and Jobs to Be Done: Case Analysis and Recommendations	Apply customer segments and jobs to be done to your venture
3	Interview Design and Field Research	The Strategic Logic of Interview Design and Field Research · Methods and Models for Interview Design and Field Research · Evidence, Metrics and Assumptions in Interview Design and Field Research · Interview Design and Field Research: From Analysis to Action	Apply interview design and field research to your venture
4	Evidence Synthesis and Insight Formation	Core Principles of Evidence Synthesis and Insight Formation · Designing an Approach to Evidence Synthesis and Insight Formation · Common Risks and Failure Modes in Evidence Synthesis and Insight Formation · Evidence Synthesis and Insight Formation: Practical Decision Exercise	Apply evidence synthesis and insight formation to your venture
5	Market Sizing and Opportunity Attractiveness	The Business Context for Market Sizing and Opportunity Attractiveness · Tools and Techniques for Market Sizing and Opportunity Attractiveness · Managing Complexity in Market Sizing and Opportunity Attractiveness · Market Sizing and Opportunity Attractiveness: Executive Synthesis	Apply market sizing and opportunity attractiveness to your venture
6	Validation Decisions and Venture Theses	Integrating the Elements of Validation Decisions and Venture Theses · Advanced Questions in Validation Decisions and Venture Theses · Implementation and Measurement in Validation Decisions and Venture Theses · Validation Decisions and Venture Theses: Final Applied Review	Apply validation decisions and venture theses to your venture

Applied work

• Interview repository (20+ conversations)
• Opportunity validation memo
• Market sizing workbook
• Go/no-go decision brief