Startup Finance and Strategy

Format: Babson On-Demand™

Self-Paced/Remote

Gain the financial skill sets you need to set your business on a path toward lasting financial success. In this certificate program, you will explore business model basics, venture economics and accounting, and receive an introduction to capital.

Equip yourself with the skills you need to accurately assess your business’s overall health, evaluate your profitability, and make sustainable and informed business decisions. You will learn how to read and interpret key financial statements, including balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements. Plus, you will become familiar with common financial metrics, such as your Consumer Lifetime Value (CLV) Consumer Acquisition Cost (CAC), and financial ratios.

This certificate program, which includes three distinct badge courses, will guide you through real-world examples as you explore the various types of capital, their impacts on your balance sheet, and how you can determine the right types of capital for your current goals. Taught by educators with real-world expertise, you will also become fluent in the different components that come together to create a sustainable business model, from revenues and entry strategies to costs and differentiation.

What you will learn Who should attend What is included Credential Earned

Learn to read and interpret the balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows to understand your business’s financial health
Analyze cost behavior and determine the point at which your business becomes profitable
Understand how to measure Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) and Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) to assess the long-term viability of your customer base
Develop the skills to leverage financial data for strategic decision-making, helping you drive growth and long-term success
Analyze your business’s consumer value proposition
Identify target customers and total available market
Create an execution strategy to bring your business to life and operate successfully going forward
Evaluate the impact of leverage on the return to equity in your business
Evaluate which source of capital is a better fit for you by comparing your (and your venture’s) profile to capital holders’ expectations

Aspiring entrepreneurs with a new venture entrepreneurship idea
Entrepreneurs who want to take their business to the next level
Executives looking to grow their entrepreneurial mindset to innovate in their current role
Professionals looking to expand their skill set across industries and functionalities

Recognition and Credentialing: A digital certificate that serves as verifiable proof of learning and achievement, which can be displayed on platforms such as LinkedIn and included on your resume and portfolio
Course Content and Learning Outcomes: You gain industry-relevant knowledge, practical skills, and frameworks designed for professionals seeking career advancement or specialization
Flexibility: Our self-paced digital courses allow flexibility for busy executives and professionals
Expert Instruction: Experienced faculty, industry leaders, and professionals with real-world expertise teach our courses
Networking Opportunities: You gain access to a network of peers, alumni, and industry professionals.
Assessments and Engagement: To earn a credential for completing this course, you must complete assignments, quizzes, case studies, and/or interactive projects

Upon completion of this series of courses you will earn a digital certificate.

What you need to know

Course Structure

Costs & Program Discounts

Course Leaders

Alisa Jno-Charles

Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship

Professor Alisa Jno-Charles has more than a decade of finance and entrepreneurship experience. Her research centers on parenting future entrepreneurs, family business, and entrepreneurial communication. Her professional career spans private equity investment, hedge fund trading, real estate financing, and business intelligence systems design and product management. Alisa's entrepreneurial experience ranges from building ventures in the peer-to-peer to business software spaces.

Peter Wilson

Professor of Accounting & Law

Professor Peter Wilson teaches financial reporting and financial statement analysis at Babson College. He previously served as executive director of Babson’s Graduate Blended Learning Programs, overseeing the Blended Learning MBA. With over 25 years of experience in business education, Wilson spent 19 years as a faculty member at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. He has designed and delivered corporate education programs worldwide, focusing on financial analysis, cost management, and corporate strategy.

Andrew Zacharakis

John H. Muller, Jr. Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies

Professor Andrew (Zach) Zacharakis is the director of the Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference and the former president of the Entrepreneurship Division of the Academy of Management. He is the author of five books, and his work has been published in numerous academic journals. Prior to his work at Babson, he held investment banking/venture capital positions with The Cambridge Companies, a Los Angeles firm that invested in retail concepts and movie partnerships. Today, Zacharakis is an active angel investor in seed stage deals.

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Professional & Executive Education

Professional & Executive Education