The 15th annual Lean LaunchPad class at Stanford was recently completed, offering an intensive entrepreneurial education with students dedicating 15-20 hours per week.
The class aimed to shift focus from traditional business plan writing to teaching startups how to search for a viable business model.
The Lean LaunchPad class model has been adopted by various government-funded programs and universities globally, fostering entrepreneurship and innovation.
The program has been instrumental in launching successful startups, with over $4 billion in venture capital raised by I-Corps teams.
Multiple variations of the Lean LaunchPad curriculum have emerged over the years, with a continued evolution at Stanford to adapt to modern entrepreneurial challenges.
The class leverages tools like the Business Model Canvas and AI technology to guide students in customer discovery and business model development.
Mission-driven entrepreneurship courses like Hacking for Defense and Hacking for Diplomacy have also been introduced alongside Lean LaunchPad at Stanford.
The structured Design of the Class provides continual guidance and structure to students, aiding in the validation of hypotheses and the development of innovative solutions.
AI integration played a significant role, helping teams in creating business models, MVPs, generating customer questions, and analyzing interviews in the 2025 class.
Dedicated volunteers, mentors, and teaching assistants contribute significantly to the success of the Lean LaunchPad program at Stanford.
The continuous evolution of entrepreneurial education and the impact of AI signal a promising future for innovative business model development in the field.