Entrepreneurship and innovation are vital to the economy. Entrepreneurs who start and grow their own businesses create job opportunities, often by uniquely utilizing existing resources or introducing new technologies, products, and services to market. The process promotes research and development by forcing established brands to create innovations that compete with emerging ones. Those results can lead to new divisions or departments, spurring even more job opportunities.
By studying entrepreneurship and innovation, you can contribute to that growth and equip yourself with the characteristics needed for success. Yet, what “success” looks like depends on your career aspirations. You might want to start your own business or drive growth within an existing organization. Either way, entrepreneurship and innovation skills are essential to helping you take the next step in your career.
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If you’re interested in developing those skills, Harvard Business School Online offers nine courses as part of its Entrepreneurship and Innovation Learning Track that enable you to assess new business opportunities, negotiate deals, harness innovation, and transform your ideas into viable ventures:
To dive deeper into entrepreneurship and innovation, consider completing three courses within 18 months to earn a Certificate of Specialization in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Earning this advanced certificate will enhance your resume and demonstrate your dedication to continued professional development.
Here’s an overview of how HBS Online courses can help you achieve your goals, whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or want to drive innovation within your organization.
Which Entrepreneurship and Innovation Course Is Right for You?
If You Aspire to Start or Grow Your Own Business
For new or seasoned entrepreneurs seeking to launch and expand their businesses, start by building the foundational knowledge needed to develop a growth mindset.
Succeed in the Startup World
Entrepreneurship Essentials
There are several skills entrepreneurs need to succeed, depending on where they are in their entrepreneurial journey. If you’re just starting with a kernel of an idea but don’t know how to validate it, Entrepreneurship Essentials is right for you.
Entrepreneurship Essentials is a four-week online course led by HBS Professor William Sahlman that will teach you the language of the startup world. You’ll explore how entrepreneurs validate concepts through structured experiments, refine their business strategies, and raise the capital necessary to grow their organizations.
Course Summary:
Earn Your Seat at the Negotiation Table
Negotiation Mastery
If you’re already at the fundraising stage and want to secure maximum value and financing from investors and stakeholders, explore Negotiation Mastery.
Taught by HBS Professor Michael Wheeler, this eight-week online course will equip you with the skills to close deals that might otherwise be deadlocked, craft agile strategies, and resolve differences before they escalate into costly conflicts.
Course Summary:
Create Winning Strategies for Your Organization
Disruptive Strategy
As you grow your business, it’s vital to understand what causes customers to buy your product or service and how to assess new opportunities and potential threats.
Our six-week online course, Disruptive Strategy, taught by HBS professors Clayton Christensen and Rory McDonald, will help you discover customer jobs to be done—a framework that uncovers the underlying motivations that influence the buying process—enabling you to create products and services people actually want.
Course Summary:
Build a Viable, Valuable Tech Venture That Can Profitably Scale
Launching Tech Ventures
In just five weeks, HBS Professor Jeffrey Bussgang will guide you through the essential frameworks and tools to execute a successful, high-quality business model.
Launching Tech Ventures will teach you how to create an effective value proposition, define your go-to-market strategy, and leverage strategic experimentation to launch a tech venture that can scale profitability and attract venture capital.
Course Summary
Explore the Art and Science of Launching Something New
Entrepreneurial Marketing
Whether you’re starting a new venture or introducing a product or service within an existing company, Entrepreneurial Marketing offers actionable strategies to grow effectively—even with limited data, resources, and budget.
Taught HBS Professor Christina Wallace, this four-week course delves into how entrepreneurial marketing differs from traditional approaches. You’ll develop a powerful entrepreneurial mindset and gain essential tools to transform your innovative ideas into a thriving business.
Course Summary
If You Aspire to Drive Innovation Within Your Organization
If you want to gain strategic insights on fostering innovation within your organization, consider enrolling in one of the above courses, which will help you strengthen your change management skills, build foundational and specialized knowledge, and integrate innovative ideas into your workflow—all while gaining fresh perspectives from HBS faculty and industry leaders.
If your goal is to harness your creative thinking to uncover growth opportunities and tackle business challenges, explore one of our other four courses:
Uncover Creative Solutions to Your Business Problems
Design Thinking and Innovation
To further ensure you create innovative products and services that resonate with your audience, explore Design Thinking and Innovation.
The seven-week online course, led by HBS Dean Srikant Datar, will teach you how to leverage fundamental design thinking principles and innovative problem-solving tools to address business challenges. You’ll learn how to apply human-centered design and heighten your organization’s approach to innovation.
Course Summary
Thrive in the Age of Digital Platforms
Winning With Digital Platforms
If you’re looking to harness the power of digital platforms to create long-term, scalable strategies for your business, Winning with Digital Platforms is an ideal choice.
This five-week course taught by HBS Professor Feng Zhu offers in-depth insights into platform-based strategies. Throughout the course, you’ll learn how to effectively manage a platform, leverage network effects for viable growth, tackle common operational challenges, and transition a traditional product or service into a platform model to boost your competitive advantage.
Course Summary
Lead Your Organization Through Transformational Change
Leading Change and Organizational Renewal
If you aim to drive impactful, large-scale change within your organization, this six-week course offers the foundation you need for long-term success.
Leading Change and Organizational Renewal, led by HBS Professor Michael Tushman and Stanford Graduate School of Business Professor Charles O’Reilly, provides proven frameworks and practical strategies to help you build an ambidextrous organization that can excel today while adapting to future market disruptions.
Course Summary
Deliver Exceptional Experiences that Build Customer Loyalty
Transforming Customer Experiences
Tailored for leaders across the service industry, Transforming Customer Experiences, taught by HBS Professor Ryan Buell, introduces a systematic approach to delivering standout service.
Over four weeks, you’ll learn customer-centric tactics that give your organization a competitive edge, equip you to cultivate lasting customer loyalty, and prepare you for the challenges and opportunities of scaling your business.
Course Summary
If You’re Interested in a Six-Month Program and Ready to Become a Confident Digital Innovator
Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy
Our Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy is one of our most dynamic offerings, designed to help you build the skills and mindset to advance in the digital world.
Throughout this six-month program, you’ll immerse yourself in four courses—Leading in the Digital World, Design Thinking and Innovation, Digital Marketing Strategy, and Winning with Digital Platforms—and a capstone project, equipping you to lead and innovate in today’s rapidly evolving business environment.
You’ll collaborate in interactive team activities, gain insights from industry-leading experts, and develop a future-focused mindset to navigate digital transformation. You’ll also gain confidence in using digital tools and frameworks to implement business strategies that can adapt to whatever the future market brings.
Program Summary:
The HBS Online Learning Experience
No matter which course you take, you’ll experience what makes HBS Online unique, including:
- World-class faculty
- Self-paced online coursework with deadlines
- Engaging, interactive content
- Social interaction with fellow learners
- Real examples of business challenges faced by experts
- The HBS Online Community, a global network of business professionals
- Career growth and a positive return on investment
Finding the Right Course for You
Whether you’re interested in starting your own business or driving innovation within your organization, an online course can help you develop the skills, strategies, and tools to succeed.
If you still aren’t sure which entrepreneurship and innovation course is the right fit, download our free course flowchart to determine which program aligns best with your goals. Or, if multiple programs interest you, consider pursuing a Learning Track, which enables you to take three courses within the entrepreneurship and innovation subject area.
This post was updated on May 1, 2025. It was originally published on July 12, 2022.
