Troy Henikoff is managing director of MATH Venture Partners. Additionally, Troy is also an active mentor with Techstars. Troy was a co-founder of Excelerate Labs, which became Techstars Chicago in 2013. He also helps manage the FireStarter Fund, teaches entrepreneurship at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and is on the board of the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center. Prior to Techstars Chicago, Troy was the CEO of OneWed.com, President of Amacai and co-founder and CEO of SurePayroll.com. Troy built the technology for Jellyvision (creators of “You Don’t Know Jack!”), was the President of Systemetrics, and his first company was Specialized Systems and Software. Troy has an undergraduate degree in Engineering from Brown University and a Master's Degree in Project Management from Northwestern.

• Masters of Project Management, 2008, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University
• Bachelors of Science, 1986, Mechanical Engineering/Design, Brown University

• Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, 2012-present
• Faculty Coach - New Venture Challenge, Booth School of Business, University of Chicago, 2011-present
• Adjunt Professor of Entrepreneurship, Business Institutions , Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University, 2004-2011
• Visiting Professor, Croma Business Academy, Crioma Business Academy, 2004-2005
• Guest Lecturer, Entrepreneurship, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, 1993-2009

• Co-Founder and CEO, Excelerate, LLC, 2010-present
• Administrative Member, FireStarter Fund, 2012-present
• CEO, OneWed.com, 2007-2010
• President, Amacai Information Corporation, 2005-2007
• Founder, AuctionScience, 2003-2004
• Co-Founder and President, SurePayroll, 1999-2002
• Director of Technology, Jellyvision, Inc., 1998-1999
• President, Systemetrics, a division of Medline Industries, 1992-1997
• Founder and President, Specialized Systems and Software, Inc., 1986-1992

Entrepreneurial Tools for Digital Marketing (MKTG-961-5)
This course was formerly known as MKTG 961-A/MKTG 961-B
In this course, we discuss the strategies and tactics smart startups use to get traction online. You will learn dozens of strategies for acquiring new customers and when to use them, what matters when optimizing your site for search engines, how to get early PR, how to leverage social media to build your brand, how to use paid channels to drive growth at scale, how to optimize your site so customers are compelled to take action, how to maximize your retention rate, how to architect a referral loop that works, what data to focus on and what to ignore, and much more. Plan on fast-paced lectures and hands-on group project work.

Field Study (KIEI-498-0)
Field Studies include those opportunities outside of the regular curriculum in which a student is working with an outside company or non-profit organization to address a real-world business challenge for course credit under the oversight of a faculty member.

New Venture Launch (KIEI-466-0)

**This course was formerly known as KIEI-942-5**

This experiential course is targeted to students who have business concepts that have been tested to determine that there is a compelling product-market fit. New Venture Launch will focus on fine-tuning the business model, building out financial projections and preparing investor pitches. A significant portion of the workload for this course will occur outside of the classroom. Students must be prepared to test and validate their business model hypotheses by engaging with potential customers and industry experts. Within the classroom, students will be encouraged to share learning experiences and help other student teams. The course work will be supplemented by guest speakers who are experts in functional areas related to the business model canvas. In addition, students will have access to a pool of alumni and local mentors who can assist in the development of their businesses.
Student teams can be composed of students from other parts of the university, but at least one member of the team must be enrolled at Kellogg.
Acceptance into the course is by application only.

If you are not currently registered for New Venture Development, KIEI 940-0 and you are interested in this class, please contact Linda Darragh

New Venture Development (KIEI-464-0)

**This course was formerly known as KIEI-940-0**

New Venture Development is the logical continuation of New Venture Discovery (KIEI 462). Students that have completed initial testing and market research and have determined that there appears to be a product-market fit for a customer base of a significant size, can apply to this course. This course is focused on testing and validating product-market fit, user interfaces and experience and advancing to the development of a refined MVP concept. There is an emphasis on using digital tools to test customer acquisition and messaging.
Teams are not expected to have programmers at this point in time as the focus is on using a variety of free ware to test the product/service. A significant portion of the workload for this course will occur outside of the classroom. Students must be prepared to engage with potential customers and industry experts. Within the classroom, students will be encouraged to share learning experiences and help other student teams. The course work will be supplemented by guest speakers who are experts in specific industries as well as functional areas and a pool of alumni and local mentors who can assist in the development of their businesses.
New Venture Development will be offered in the winter and spring quarters. Upon the completion of New Venture Development, student teams and faculty will determine whether a team should move to New Venture Launch. Other courses that are beneficial to take in advance of this course are: MKTG 961: Entrepreneurial Tools for Digital Marketing and MORS 952: Building Innovation, Teams, and Cultures. Admittance to New Venture Development is by application only. The application is available here. If a student wants to by-pass KIEI 462, they must identify that they are well versed in the process of design thinking and have already conducted significant market research to validate their business concept.