Information Technology, Design, and Startups

Become an entrepreneur and turn your business idea into a reality.

If you’ve got a world-changing  business idea, it’s time to do something about it.  The iSchool’s minor in Information Technology, Design, and Startups (IDS) will guide you through turning your idea into a viable venture, and it’s available to all undergraduate students regardless of their primary college or major.

As an IDS student, you’ll take three courses covering the ideation and team-building process, developing and launching a product, and accelerating your growth — all from professors who are successful entrepreneurs and experts in the field.

In the end you’ll be equipped with the skills required to listen to the needs of your community, bring your ideas into the world, and grow and sustain a successful startup enterprise.

IDS 301 – What’s the big idea?

This introductory course focuses on idea exploration, discovery, and focus. IST 301 helps you identify both problems and solutions that you are passionate about.

IDS 302 – Idea2Startup

IDS 302 takes the idea you developed in IST 301 and establishes an actionable plan for launching your venture. Students will have a venture ready to go—including legal documents, financial plan, marketing, proof-of-concept and website—by the end of the course.

IDS 403 – iLaunchPad

Students launch their business from the iLaunchPad. While in the iLaunchPad, students focus their ventures, refine their team, explore financing, and adopt or invent a business model. Finally, students fine-tune marketing strategies and create a proof of concept, service, or website.

Want to know more about the IDS curriculum?

View Curriculum in Course Catalog

  • Innovate: Design new ideas, products, or services in business, government or society.
  • Create: Develop a business or nonprofit organization including customers, clients or users.
  • Explore: Expand their business or nonprofit organization by acquiring customers, clients, users or attracting funding.

Get in touch.

Your future, starting now. Get it touch to learn more. Apply. And join us. We can’t wait to welcome you.