2nd Edition
The 2nd Edition of the Platform Co-operatives Now Course, 26th October 2020 – 29th January 2021 is running now. It follows the wildly successful 1st Edition
What’s the investment?
Digitally interested people wanting a thorough intellectual, academic and theory-based understanding of platform co-operativism should pull up at the end of Part 1. This costs just 130 EURO. These fees go Mondragon Team Academy
Part 2. gets practical and hands-on as we work in teams to take a business idea through 10-stages of development. The graduates of this section would usually have a specific business idea they are investigating. This costs and additional $250 per student. Students can decide to join this part 2 of the program during Part 1. These fees go to incubator.coop
Part 1 is a pre-requisite to Part 2.
What does “success” look like for this course
Graduates will receive a certificate of recognition.
To successfully graduate, participants will submit the following material.
● Researchers, interested policymakers, and people with other, non-entrepreneurial backgrounds submit a 3000-word paper at the end of Part 1. They cannot participate in Part 2, which is focused on the mechanics of building platform co-ops.
● Novice entrepreneurs produce a 500-word essay in Part 1 and 3-minute video for Part 2.
● Experienced entrepreneurs produce a 1500-word essay for Part 1 and a 3 minute video about their project for Part 2.
Program
Part 1 (October 26th – November 6th)
|
Session 1 |
Inequality, Big Tech, the Gig Economy, & Possible Alternatives |
2 hours |
|
Session 2 |
The Cooperative Advantage |
2 hours |
|
Session 3 |
Scaling the Worker Co-op Model: Platform Cooperatives -Introduction |
2 hours |
|
Session 4 |
Scaling the Worker Co-op Model: Platform Cooperatives – Case Studies |
2 hours |
Part 2 (November 9th – January 29th)
The second part of this course is run by incubator.coop in Australia, you will start work on incubating a cooperative digital project.
|
Session 1 |
Introduction & Basic Team Tools |
3 hours |
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Session 2 |
The Need, Opportunities, & Idea Market |
3 hours |
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Session 3 |
The Creation & Business Idea Generation |
3 hours |
|
Session 4 |
Analysis Business Idea Environment & Value Proposition |
3 hours |
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Session 5 |
Customer Validation, Testing, Prototype, & First Minimum Viable Product |
3 hours |
|
Session 6 |
Platform Co-Op Business Model Generation |
3 hours |
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Session 7 |
Technology Frame, User Stories, & Technological Pathways |
3 hours |
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Session 8 |
Financial Frame, Business Plan Feasibility, Impact Investment Strategy |
3 hours |
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Session 9 |
Communication Strategy & Pitching |
3 hours |
|
Session 10 |
Public Online Presentation, Platform Co-Op Teams Challenge & Feedback |
3 hours |
What’s in It for Me and My Community?
● Learn about platform capitalism, the gig economy, and the cooperative digital economy
● Understand the process of building a platform co-op
● Familiarize yourself with the ecosystem of platform co-ops
● Connect with hundreds of people in this global community
● Develop a business plan and deck for your project
● Learn new skills
● Work with local partner organizations
● Share your existing knowledge and experience
● Join our post-course alumni network
How Does It Work?
● This is a pass/fail certificate course
● Duration: 3 months
● Time commitment 12 lectures over 3 months
● Total hours including discussion and prep time: 66 hours
● Lectures are offered asynchronously; you can access them flexibly on any device
● Downloadable resources
● Live discussions
● Inspiring, thoughtful speakers
Instructors
About R. Trebor Scholz
Trebor Scholz is a scholar-activist and founding director of the Institute for the Cooperative Digital Economy at The New School in New York City. Learn more at: http://platform.coop
About Jose Mari Luzarraga
Monasterio Social entrepreneur from MONDRAGON devoted to Human centre globalization through “teampreneurship.” Co-founder of Mondragon Team Academy (MTA world) building an international community of teampreneurs and young leading change makers through the definition and implementation of a new vision of education. (ASHOKA fellow since 2015).