Coursera’s Specialization in Entrepreneurship, offered by the University of Maryland, has announced a partnership with Silicon Valley venture accelerator, 500 Startups, who will be involved in the capstone course, which involves creating a business plan and pitch deck. 500 Startups may then invite promising projects to interview for a 500 Startups cohort.

The entrepreneurship specialization consists of a series of three courses, plus a capstone course:

1. Developing Innovative Ideas for New Companies: The First Step in Entrepreneurship
2. Innovation for Entrepreneurs: From Idea to Marketplace
3. New Venture Finance: Startup Funding for Entrepreneurs
4. A Capstone Project

Starting in 2015, Coursera will offer these courses every month, in a self-paced format, so that scheduling should not be a barrier.

500 Startups is a startup accelerator started by tech entrepreneur Dave McClure which selects promising startups and hosts them for four months in one of three locations (Mountain View, CA, San Francisco, CA, and Mexico City, Mexico). 500 Startups invests $100,000 USD in each startup selected, in exchange for a 7% stake (plus a program fee). You can also apply to 500 Startups directly here.

Source: Coursera Blog