Marketing voor Start-ups

This course introduces students to the fundamentals of marketing for early-stage ventures, with a specific focus on technology and healthcare-driven innovations. Students will explore how start-ups, particularly in fields such as medical technology, can understand customer needs, design value propositions, position themselves in the market, and develop effective go-to-market strategies.

The course takes a learner-led and practice-oriented approach. Students will work on real-world cases in groups, supported by lectures, case discussions, and in-class exercises. Emphasis is placed on the intersection of marketing, innovation, and systemic thinking, with examples from digital health and medical devices.

Topics covered:

Rather than teaching marketing as a static discipline, this course explores how it functions as a dynamic capability in start-ups. Topics include:

• Identifying customer problems and unmet needs: Understand how to define and segment markets, especially in entrepreneurial and innovation-driven contexts.

• Crafting compelling value propositions: Learn how to align your offering with the needs of users, buyers, and other stakeholders, particularly in healthcare settings.

• Strategic positioning and competitive differentiation: Explore how start-ups can differentiate themselves in crowded markets through clear strategy and effective communication.

• Designing customer journeys and go-to-market plans: Analyze routes to market, stakeholder engagement, and how to build trust in innovation ecosystems.

• Marketing in transition - from products to services and ecosystems: Reflect on digital transformation, sustainability, and platform-based models as they reshape start-up strategy, especially in the medtech space.