Mark is a Senior Fellow, Faculty Director and Lecturer at UC Berkeley. He holds appointments at the Haas School of Business, The Goldman School of Public Policy, and the College of Engineering, where he teaches entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship, innovation and change leadership to graduate students and executives from around the world.

Graduate Education at UC Berkeley:

 

An award-winning entrepreneurship professor, Mark teaches the Workshop for Startups course at Haas from which many new ventures have been launched, ranging from heathcare to energy, social media to travel, and fashion to medical devices.

Mark is also the Founder, Faculty Director and Primary Instructor for the Learn2Launch@Berkeley intensive entrepreneurship program which welcomes grad students from around the world to spend an intensive semester in Berkeley, exploring entrepreneurship, product/market fit, business models, new venture finance, and teamwork and leadership. This program has produced dozens of startups that continue to grow globally.

Student feedback:

“This is the best class I've ever taken in ALL my years of education. Life-changing. Thank you so much Mark - for everything. I'll really miss this!”

“This course was the favorite course I have ever taken at Berkeley. The class was incredibly engaging and taught me SO much about launching a startup. It truly inspired me when it comes to entrepreneurship, and leading positive change in general.”

With international students in the Learn2Launch@Berkeley program

With teams of grad students focused on societal, social and environmental missions in Cal’s Masters of Development Program, in the Goldman School of Public Policy.

 

Mark and his co-author John Danner created the pioneering course “The Other ‘F’ Word” which investigates how a more productive relationship with failure can drive innovation, growth and long-term success. This course produced insights which were incorporated in the John Wiley and Sons book “The Other ‘F’ Word”

Mark also mentors aspiring student entrepreneurs and teams in programs such as Nasdaq’s “Milestone Makers” and UC Berkeley’s SkyDeck.

Feedback:

“Mark designed and taught a course that was interactive, inclusive, and welcoming to students from all backgrounds - culturally, professionally and geographically. His intentionality in structuring the course created a strong foundation for peer collaboration, active engagement, and diverse perspectives to emerge organically. He was also approachable and generous with his time offering thoughtful feedback and guidance. The experience was not only intellectually stimulating but also human-centered, immersive and well-facilitated from end to end.”

Praise for Mark’s Graduate Education Classes:

“Learning entrepreneurship shouldn’t have you stuck in a classroom listening to lectures and discussing cases and business plans; it is truly about giving ideas a chance to succeed or fail quickly, and learning from that. That’s exactly what Professor Coopersmith taught me!”          

– Learn2Launch international student

“I am coming back to San Francisco to pursue my dream.  I hope you keep being just as passionate about everything you do, and keep infecting the rest of us like you infected me.  That’s a remarkable feature about you!”  

– International grad student (and yes, he came back to San Francisco!)

“Professor Coopersmith was extremely effective at challenging us, guiding discussions and providing insights and advice about our work and projects. He created a class atmosphere that was open, collaborative and supportive. We learned from one another in addition to his lectures and workshop activities, and the amazing guests he brought into the classroom.” 

– Haas MBA student

Image: Mark’s Classroom at UC Berkeley

Executive Education

In addition to his work with graduate students at Berkeley and around the world, Mark is highly sought after as a faculty director and leader of executive education programs ranging from one day to two weeks and longer.

Feedback:

“Exceptional content and practical insights taught and shared by professor Coopersmith who himself is a very accomplished entrepreneur and leader.”

“The program was very comprehensive, covering all aspects of starting a startup. Mark Coopersmith is a brilliant professor - one of the best I've ever had. He's incredibly passionate and understands perfectly how startups work or fail, and provided tons of insights and great examples.”

Representative seminars and executive education programs Mark runs include:

  • What is it really like to launch a startup? This program provides corporate executives with hands-on experience and first-person insights into launching a startup: learning entrepreneurial skills and techniques such as “customer discovery” to test product market fit; employing tools such as the “Business Model Canvas;” and investigating what the entrepreneurial mindset is really all about in areas such as managing risks.

  • How can you successfully bring entrepreneurial thinking, action and value creation into a large enterprise? This program introduces an integrated three stage model – with examples from Mark’s years doing just this – to help ensure strategic, alignment, stakeholder management and effective execution. Can be combined with other programs, including Startup Bootcamp, for a deeper, more immersive and comprehensive program.

  • The most successful leaders understand that – in spite of our efforts to the contrary – failures occur often and can often be turned into a resource that can help drive innovation, growth and high-performing teams. They understand how to limit failure’s damage, react effectively when it occurs, and extract insights to create even bigger successes. This program unlocks the secrets of such leaders, including sharing a pioneering 7-stage “Failure Value Cycle,” helping participants learn how to “put failure to work.”

  • Take a venture from idea through launch (from 2 weeks to 4 months, depending on program) through an intensive, immersive, and hands-on approach to the study of innovation and entrepreneurship. Learn more here.

At Google with executives from SE Asia (note Stan the Dinosaur in the background serving as a reminder what happens if you don’t innovate and evolve)

Plus shorter programs and talks on the following topics (see “Speaking” for more)

  • Launching Successful Startups: The Silicon Valley Perspective

  • The Mystique and Reality of the Entrepreneurial MindsetAt Cal, with executives from Brazil.

  • Can Entrepreneurship be Taught? (Hint: you bet it can!)

  • An Insider’s History of Silicon Valley

  • Building Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

  • Connecting Innovation with Value Creation

  • Leading Innovation: From the R&D Center to Open Innovation

  • Innovating Your Business Model

Highlighted praise for Mark’s Executive Education courses:

“I attended the ‘Startup Mindset’ course at UC Berkeley. I wanted to let you know how surprised and pleased I was, as this turned out to be the most engaging and practical learning experience I’ve ever had on this complex and esoteric subject of Entrepreneurship’.    

– Exec Ed Program Attendee 

“The  knowledge and the experience Mark shared with our leadership team was invaluable. We applied the recommendations as soon as we got back to the office and the results are amazing. Part of our success belongs to Mark.”  

– President, Canadian energy utility

 

“Mark’s Corporate Entrepreneurship course was fantastic . It helped me understand what I need to do to move my organization and team away from old habits and move towards best practices of an entrepreneurial company. An  insightful, and highly collaborative experience.”  

– CEO, multinational professional services and consulting company

Image: With students and co-author and fellow teacher John Danner at UC Berkeley

Contact Mark here for more about Executive Education programs.