Product-Market Fit and Startup Experimentation

About this course

Product-Market Fit and Startup Experimentation (ENT 402) is an applied elective in the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital concentration. Design MVPs and experiments, read retention and cohort signals, and decide when you have enough product-market fit to scale.

Prerequisites: ENT 401 recommended. Length: 6 weeks. Assessment: 50% applied project, 30% case work, 20% knowledge checks.

What you will be able to do

• Scope an MVP that tests riskiest assumptions, not feature completeness
• Design experiments with clear success and kill metrics
• Analyze cohorts, retention, and activation funnels
• Run disciplined pivot vs persevere decisions
• Apply PMF heuristics with skepticism
• Build a pre-scale experimentation playbook

How the course is organized

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

Unit	Topic	Lessons	You will
1	MVP Strategy and Assumption Mapping	Foundations of MVP Strategy and Assumption Mapping · Key Concepts and Vocabulary in MVP Strategy and Assumption Mapping · Frameworks for Analyzing MVP Strategy and Assumption Mapping · MVP Strategy and Assumption Mapping: Applied Business Decisions	Apply mvp strategy and assumption mapping to your venture
2	Experiment Design and Learning Loops	Understanding Experiment Design and Learning Loops · How Experiment Design and Learning Loops Works in Practice · Evaluating Trade-offs in Experiment Design and Learning Loops · Experiment Design and Learning Loops: Case Analysis and Recommendations	Apply experiment design and learning loops to your venture
3	Activation, Engagement and Retention	The Strategic Logic of Activation, Engagement and Retention · Methods and Models for Activation, Engagement and Retention · Evidence, Metrics and Assumptions in Activation, Engagement and Retention · Activation, Engagement and Retention: From Analysis to Action	Apply activation, engagement and retention to your venture
4	Product-Market Fit Signals and Measurement	Core Principles of Product-Market Fit Signals and Measurement · Designing an Approach to Product-Market Fit Signals and Measurement · Common Risks and Failure Modes in Product-Market Fit Signals and Measurement · Product-Market Fit Signals and Measurement: Practical Decision Exercise	Apply product-market fit signals and measurement to your venture
5	Pivots, Iteration and Roadmap Decisions	The Business Context for Pivots, Iteration and Roadmap Decisions · Tools and Techniques for Pivots, Iteration and Roadmap Decisions · Managing Complexity in Pivots, Iteration and Roadmap Decisions · Pivots, Iteration and Roadmap Decisions: Executive Synthesis	Apply pivots, iteration and roadmap decisions to your venture
6	Scaling Evidence into Repeatable Growth	Integrating the Elements of Scaling Evidence into Repeatable Growth · Advanced Questions in Scaling Evidence into Repeatable Growth · Implementation and Measurement in Scaling Evidence into Repeatable Growth · Scaling Evidence into Repeatable Growth: Final Applied Review	Apply scaling evidence into repeatable growth to your venture

Applied work

• MVP experiment log
• Cohort analysis dashboard
• PMF assessment memo
• Pre-scale experimentation plan