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.

Student performance in this course will be evaluated through three components:

• Group work (60%): Development of a strategic marketing plan based on a real-world engineering case. Assessment will consider the quality of analysis, creativity, application of course concepts, and clarity of presentation.

• Individual reflection report (30%): A final report summarizing key insights, reflections, and takeaways from the course, including a personal perspective on potential future strategies that organizations should consider in light of emerging marketing trends. Assessment will focus on depth of reflection, integration of theory and practice, and clarity of argumentation.

• In-class activity and group participation (10%): Active involvement in exercises and group-based tasks during lecture sessions. Assessment will emphasize constructive contribution, engagement, and collaboration.

Detailed rubrics for each component will be provided during Lecture 1 and will be uploaded to the course's Brightspace.