The Stanford Graduate School of Business will offer its Stanford Ignite program in innovation and entrepreneurship for the second time in China this September.
Stanford Ignite-Beijing will continue its collaboration with Zhongguancun High Tech Park (Z-Park) as part of Z-Park’s ongoing initiative to support the growth of innovation and entrepreneurship in China. The program is aimed at nonbusiness technical professionals — engineers, scientists, and graduate students — who want to bring entrepreneurial thinking to their current role, and for those who planning to start a new venture.
Launched last year with 30 participants selected from disciplines as diverse as technology and telecommunications to education and medicine, the Stanford Ignite-Beijing program teaches exceptional individuals with innovation and leadership potential to formulate, evaluate, develop, and commercialize their ideas into viable business plans.
“In 2014, we had a great group of people who graduated Stanford Ignite-Beijing with plans to move ahead on products and services such as solar panels, medical tourism to improve access to health care, and social media fundraising,” said Stanford Ignite Faculty Director Yossi Feinberg. “I am looking forward to another group of passionate entrepreneurs who will leverage business fundamentals to take their ideas to the next level.”
Z-Park, widely recognized as a network of technology and innovation in China, hopes its collaboration with Stanford Graduate School of Business will help drive the program forward and enable more passionate individuals to pursue entrepreneurship and develop socially beneficial products and services. As the first national innovation model in China, Z-Park encompasses more than 20,000 high-tech enterprises.
The program will draw on the same world-class business faculty who teach in Stanford’s MBA Program, which is infused with the innovative culture of Silicon Valley. Furthermore, Z-Park will enrich the program by working with Stanford to bring leading Chinese executives, investors, legal experts, and other practitioners to the program as guest speakers and mentors to provide practical feedback on team projects.
The Stanford Ignite-Beijing program is one of seven Stanford Ignite programs now offered in Bangalore, London, New York, Santiago, Chile, and Sao Paulo, Brazil, as well as at Stanford. It enables pioneers outside of Silicon Valley to tap into Stanford’s distinctive approach to teaching entrepreneurship and management. In aggregate, Stanford Ignite participants have started more than 100 successful companies since the program was introduced on the Stanford campus in 2006.
Intended for individuals who do not have graduate business training, applicants must be currently enrolled students in a master’s, Ph.D., M.D., or post-doctoral program studying nonbusiness fields; or must be working professionals with a minimum of a bachelor’s (B.A. or B.S.) degree from a regionally accredited institution, with advanced degrees preferred.
Conducted in English, the program will provide approximately 100 hours of instruction, including class lectures, coaching sessions, advising sessions with the faculty director and panels. In addition, the program requires about 100 to 150 hours of preparation for class sessions and teamwork on venture projects. Upon successful completion participants will receive a Stanford Ignite certificate and become a part of the Stanford Ignite global network.
The certificate program will run between September 11 and November 15, for 10 weeks in total. Participants will meet for seven weekends on Friday evenings, Saturdays, and Sundays, excluding holiday weekends. The courses will be located at Stanford Center at Peking University using state-of-the-art high-definition classroom technology.
The online application is open until May 20, 2015. Due to high demand, 30 to 50 highly qualified applicants will be admitted. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit all materials as soon as possible. A complete application will contain a completed online application, a resume, three short essays, and two recommendations. For more information about the program, contact Stanford Ignite.
Media contact in Beijing: Rachel Wu
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–Barbara Buell
