An open-ended, discussion based class teaching the basics of idea generation, product development, and starting, and running a company. We will cover everything from how and why to start a company to funding, business types, business plans, marketing, and product design/assembly/production chains. The focus will be on mechanical and software startups. We will also talk about different types of funding, bootstrapping, Y-Combinator, the MIT Technology Licensing Office, incorporation, basic principles (i.e. making things people want), well-known startup successes and failures, and provide feedback from brainstorming sessions.