SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Udacity, a company offering free online courses and aiming to bring higher education to the world, will participate in a new global entrepreneurship training program beginning in November. The company will partner with Startup Weekend, TechStars, Startup America and startup guru, Steve Blank, and others to create Startup Weekend Next.

The innovative program, which blends free online courses and face-to-face education, aims to inspire, educate and empower some 30,000 entrepreneurs from 10,000 early-stage startups in over 350 cities worldwide. In a four-week class, founders will learn how to build a successful startup, using the basics of Business Model Design from Alexander Osterwalder and Customer Development from Steve Blank, delivered via Udacitys online classes and coached in live sessions by seasoned startup veterans.

Udacitys online courses will be delivered in a flipped classroom model by Startup Weekend, the global non-profit thats hosted more than 800 such events worldwide. Steve Blank provided the course content; his Lean LaunchPad class has been taken by more than 50,000 entrepreneurs online on Udacity.com. Startup America will leverage its network of 30 Startup Regions to engage entrepreneurial leaders throughout the country. TechStars will provide experienced startup mentors to coach the entrepreneurs.

Pilot tested in major cities from Athens to San Francisco, the program combines Startup Weekends experiential approach with the best of mentor and cohort-based accelerators. Startup Weekends Next program turns Blanks online class into an experiential hands-on class with face-to-face feedback, discussion and coaching from seasoned entrepreneurs. Upon graduation, participants will have a common startup language and understand the process needed to jump-start their startup ideas and turn them into successful, sustainable businesses.

The first four-week Startup Weekend Next teams start work on Nov. 28, in more than 25 cities worldwide. Visit swnext.org for more details.

Udacity's mission is to bring accessible, engaging and effective higher education to the world. We believe that higher education is a basic human right, and we seek to empower our students to develop their skills in order to advance their careers. Webridge education and employable skills with courses in Computer Science, Mathematics, Programming, General Sciences and Entrepreneurship at http://www.Udacity.com.

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Udacity Blends Online Course with Offline Education