Overview
This course develops applied financial planning skills for startups, online businesses, platform ventures, and digitally enabled enterprises. Students examine business-model economics, revenue and pricing models, cost structures, contribution margins, unit economics, cash-flow forecasting, operating budgets, financial statements, break-even analysis, scenario planning, sensitivity analysis, working capital, capital requirements, fundraising options, investor expectations, and financial risk.
The course considers subscription, transaction, advertising, marketplace, freemium, licensing, and direct-to-consumer models, with particular attention to customer acquisition cost, customer lifetime value, churn, payback period, average revenue per user, gross margin, and burn rate. Students construct and validate spreadsheet-based financial models, document assumptions, design management dashboards, compare pricing alternatives, prepare cash budgets, evaluate financing choices, and communicate financial insights to non-financial stakeholders.
Students complete a multi-year financial model for a digital venture and present an investor-ready financial narrative. Emphasis is placed on defensible assumptions, integrated forecasting, liquidity assessment, model validation, scenario testing, and financially sound recommendations.
Learning Outcomes
- Translate a digital venture concept into documented financial, operating, and market assumptions.
- Construct integrated multi-year forecasts linking revenue, costs, operating budgets, financial statements, and cash flows.
- Evaluate revenue models, pricing alternatives, unit economics, contribution margins, and break-even performance.
- Assess venture viability, liquidity, working-capital requirements, capital needs, and financing alternatives.
- Perform sensitivity and scenario analyses to identify material financial risks and their implications.
- Validate spreadsheet models, diagnose inconsistencies, and design informative financial dashboards.
- Synthesize financial evidence into defensible recommendations for venture managers, investors, and other non-financial stakeholders.
- Present an investor-ready financial narrative supported by clear assumptions, analysis, and risk evaluation.
Timetable
| Type | Length | Frequency | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 2 hours | Weekly | All semester |
| Lab | 2 hours | Weekly | All semester |
| Tutorial | 1 hour | Fortnightly | All semester |
Assessment Schedule
| Type | Description | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment | Financial modeling assignment (1 × 20%) | 20.00% |
| Assignment | Digital venture case analyses (2 × 10%) | 20.00% |
| Test | Forecasting and cash-budget exercises (2 × 10%) | 20.00% |
| Deliverable | Integrated venture financial model (1 × 25%) | 25.00% |
| Capstone | Investor-ready venture finance presentation (1 × 15%) | 15.00% |
Prerequisites
Teaching Staff & Programs
This course is delivered jointly by faculty from the participating programs listed below. In line with the Douchewater Way, the University of Sexology tailors core instruction directly to each cohort's specific discipline — adapting curriculum to program needs rather than forcing students into a one-size-fits-all model. Learn more about our approach at The Douchewater Way.