Strengthening entrepreneurial skills

L2B-FASA Trains Agricultural Engineers to Become Entrepreneurs

Dschang, UDs/SIC 01/09/26. The Biotechnology and Bio-Informatics Research Unit (L2B) of the Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences (FASA) of the University of Dschang is strengthening the entrepreneurial skills of its engineering students through an intensive training programme designed to transform agricultural innovations into viable businesses.

Titled “From Engineer to Entrepreneur,” the 2-days masterclass (one day per week), led by Dr. Meka Zibi II Martin Arthur (Eng., Ph.D., MBA based in USA), focuses on helping students move beyond technical solutions and understand how to create commercial value from their projects. The training combines MBA-level concepts with practical tools used by venture capitalists and accelerators.

The programme addresses a key challenge facing engineering students: the ability to connect technical innovation with market demand. While students may be capable of designing and analysing agricultural projects, the training equips them with skills to identify customers, determine prices, develop sustainable business models and attract financing. The great lesson here is about the reliability and relevance of data. It was made clear that good data matter a lot!

Across eight modules, participants explore entrepreneurial mindset, Problem-Customer-Value analysis, market sizing, business models, go-to-market strategies, investor indicators, venture capital tools and pitching.

A major focus is the TAM-SAM-SOM market-sizing framework, which enables entrepreneurs to distinguish between the total market opportunity, the market they can realistically serve and the portion they can capture within a defined period. The training also introduces top-down and bottom-up approaches to producing credible market estimates.

Using agricultural examples, including smart irrigation, participants are encouraged to base their business propositions on reliable data and realistic assumptions. They are also reminded that investors assess not only the quality of an innovation but the size and accessibility of its market.

By the end of the programme next week, each participant is expected to develop a Project-to-Market Canvas and an investor pitch deck for their own project.

The initiative ultimately seeks to nurture a new generation of agricultural engineers capable of turning ideas into sustainable, market-oriented and potentially fundable enterprises. The initiative is moderated and chaired by the Head of L2B, Prof. Félix Meutchieye, also Head of Department of Animal Science.