A Classroom Approach to Pivoting a Lean Startup

Abstract

This learning innovation provides an approach to entrepreneurship instruction related specifically to the process of pivoting a lean startup by leveraging a classroom-based exercise built around the examination of a real-world case study. By incorporating “pivotal thinking,” entrepreneurship students are given the opportunity to assess the startup, CaringBand, which offers wearable devices that aim to provide emotional healing during difficult times by utilizing social interaction. Students are also tasked with uncovering potential pivot options for CaringBand through an exercise that simulates cash burn and runway length. Following the exercise, a debrief allows students to reflect as a group on how their choices could have been more effective and vote on the pivot option most likely to succeed. Our manuscript aims to fill an existing gap in entrepreneurship education literature related to learning innovations by focusing on the instruction of lean startup pivots through a real-world case coupled with a relevant classroom exercise.