BUS 332 Start-up LawMEF UniversityDegree Programs Electrical and Electronics EngineeringGeneral Information For StudentsDiploma SupplementErasmus Policy Statement
Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Bachelor Length of the Programme: 4 Number of Credits: 240 TR-NQF-HE: Level 6 QF-EHEA: First Cycle EQF: Level 6

ECTS Course Information Package

School/Faculty/Institute Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences
Course Code BUS 332
Course Title in English Start-up Law
Course Title in Turkish Girişimcilik Hukuku
Language of Instruction EN
Type of Course Flipped Classroom
Level of Course Intermediate
Semester Fall
Contact Hours per Week
Lecture: 3 Recitation: Lab: Other:
Estimated Student Workload 127 hours per semester
Number of Credits 5 ECTS
Grading Mode Standard Letter Grade
Pre-requisites None
Co-requisites None
Expected Prior Knowledge None
Registration Restrictions Only Undergraduate Students
Overall Educational Objective To acquire the ability to understand legal issues and potential solutions both during and prior to the initiation of a startup in today’s global business world together with the relevant applicable laws.
Course Description The course aims to develop a vision and understanding of the legal issues involved in starting an entrepreneurial venture with a focus on areas often overlooked or misunderstood by first-time founders. During the course, key areas to be explored include term sheets, legal structure and choice of entity, corporate maintenance, capitalization and dilution, transactions documents, founder/investor relationship issues including responsibility allocation and shareholders agreements; employee engagements and stock options, and intellectual property protection. To that end, the course will also place a strong emphasis on the investment exit strategies, pre-actions to be taken avoiding paying your lawyer a large sum to “clean-up a mess” and expectations of the investors to invest.

Course Learning Outcomes and Competences

Upon successful completion of the course, the learner is expected to be able to:
1) comprehend the legal aspects of the investment procedures for entrepreneurs
2) understand the basic principles of laws particularly affecting venture operations
3) discover critical issues while reviewing, negotiating, and/or drafting transaction documents
4) summarize the different interests and legal mechanisms relating to ventures;
5) appreciate ethics and compliance rules involved in entrepreneurship ecosystem;
6) relate legal principles to economic, political and social circumstances that may arise in the venture business.
Program Learning Outcomes/Course Learning Outcomes 1 2 3 4 5 6
1) An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
2) An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
3) An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
4) An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
5) An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
6) An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
7) An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies

Relation to Program Outcomes and Competences

N None S Supportive H Highly Related
     
Program Outcomes and Competences Level Assessed by
1) An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics S Participation
2) An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors S Participation
3) An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences S Participation
4) An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts S Participation
5) An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives S Participation
6) An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions S Participation
7) An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies S Participation
Prepared by and Date HANDE KARADAĞ , May 2023
Course Coordinator CEYHAN MUTLU
Semester Fall
Name of Instructor

Course Contents

Week Subject
1) • General Overview of Entrepreneurship Ecosystem o Introduction to Entrepreneurship o Term Sheet & Non-Disclosure Agreement: Content, Legal Nature and Binding
2) • Company Formation o When necessary? o Choice of entity o Structuring the incorporation documents
3) Individual Labor Law
4) Individual Labor Law
5) •Due Diligence on the Target Company o Corporate documents o Financing, Share Capital & Shareholders o Licenses & Compliance o Employment o Disputes & Cases o Real Property o Contracts o Information Technologies o Intellectual Property o Competition o Insurance o Other Issues
6) Midterm Test
7) • Drafting and Negotiating the Transaction Documents o Articles of Association o Shareholders’ Agreement o Share Subscription Agreement o Stock Option Agreement o Escrow Agreement o Board Resolutions o General Assembly Documents o Intellectual Property Transfer/Licensing Agreements
8) • Drafting and Negotiating the Transaction Documents o Articles of Association o Shareholders’ Agreement o Share Subscription Agreement o Stock Option Agreement o Escrow Agreement o Board Resolutions o General Assembly Documents o Intellectual Property Transfer/Licensing Agreements
9) • Interpretation of Contracts o Shareholders’ Agreement o Stock Option Agreement
10) • Interpretation of Contracts o Shareholders’ Agreement o Stock Option Agreement
11) • Signing o Just signatures? o Gathering all parties o Challenges to be resolved
12) • Application to Governmental Bodies & Closing Conditions o Competition Authority o Information and Communication Technologies Authority o Other relevant authorities o Fulfillment of the Conditions Precedent o Closing
13) • Cooperation between the Entrepreneurs and the Consultants o Necessity of the Consultants: Financial Advisor and Legal Advisor o How should work with the legal advisor? o Asking accurate questions at the right time • Expectations of Investors to Invest o Fundamental elements seeking by the investors pre-investment o Tips for pitching an entrepreneurial idea o Effective presentations
14) • Sharing Experiences o Stepping stone to learning from mistakes o Pitfalls on the way to create a successful venture o Suggestions to avoid failure o Exit strategies
15) Final Examination Period
16) Final Examination Period
Required/Recommended ReadingsA reading list for this course will be provided to students during the semester. Other helpful readings (but not required) are as follows: • The Lean Startup – Eric Ries • Outliers – Malcolm Gladwell • Zero to One – Peter Thiel • The Hard Thing About Hard Things – Ben Horowitz • Mor İnek Farklılaştırarak İşinizi Dönüştürün – Seth Odin
Teaching MethodsThis course was developed from an active and collaborative learning perception. The active learning perspective is based on collaborative, inquiry-based, student–centered approach for teaching, in which students are actively involved in their current knowledge accumulation. The course will cover basic terminology and theoretical structure together with the associated practical implications. The methods to be used are introduction to legal concepts in general, case studies and in-class discussions.
Homework and ProjectsNone
Laboratory WorkNone
Computer UsePersonal Notebook
Other ActivitiesNone
Assessment Methods
Assessment Tools Count Weight
Attendance 1 % 20
Midterm(s) 1 % 40
Final Examination 1 % 40
TOTAL % 100
Course Administration ozsevincb@mef.edu.tr

The instructor may act as facilitator for class/group discussions and observe how each student contributes / adds value to the discussed topic. The topic may either cover previous material or assigned new material from videos and book chapters. Homework, if assigned, must be submitted on time and in the requested format. Late submission will not be accepted. This is a flipped course where each student is expected to read assigned material and watch videos in advance, follow class and Blackboard, and actively participate. If you are sick on the day of the exam you need to submit a legitimate doctor’s report explicitly stating that your excuse prevents you from taking the exam in line with university regulations. Academic dishonesty and plagiarism will be subject to the YÖK disciplinary regulation.

ECTS Student Workload Estimation

Activity No/Weeks Hours Calculation
No/Weeks per Semester Preparing for the Activity Spent in the Activity Itself Completing the Activity Requirements
Course Hours 14 2 3 1 84
Presentations / Seminar 3 8 3 33
Final Examination 1 8 2 10
Total Workload 127
Total Workload/25 5.1
ECTS 5