What you'll learn

Just like a business, a cluster needs a business model and a financial model. Most clusters have neither. In 30 minutes, this course maps how money actually flows through a cluster.

  • Why every cluster needs both a business model and a financial model

  • The five building blocks where money flows out: operations, projects, research, equity funds and CapEx

  • The three sources where money flows in: private, public and project (PPP) financing

  • Real examples from Energy Cluster Denmark, Maritime Blue in Seattle, Germany, Stavanger and Canada

Course curriculum

    1. Why clusters need a business model and a financial model

    2. What you'll learn and who this course is for

    1. From 3-year budgets to €600 million capital stacks

    2. Business models that evolve over time

    3. A note on PPP: private, public and project

    1. The cluster management organisation's operating budget

    2. Cluster projects

    3. Cluster research

    4. Equity investment funds

    5. CapEx: infrastructure, buildings and real estate

    6. Quick check: Money out

    1. Private income

    2. Public income

    3. Project income

    4. Quick check: Money in

    1. Map your own cluster's money flows

    2. Final quiz

    3. Further reading

About this course

  • Free
  • 18 lessons
  • 0 hours of video content

Your instructor

Christian Rangen

Christian has over 15 years experience as business school faculty, having designed and taught over 20 different programs and classes across strategy, innovation, entrepreneurship, and energy transformation.

He has extensive experience designing and running executive education programs and online learning programs. His previous programs have had participants from more than 60 countries around the world.

Christian is also an internationally renowned expert on Innovation Clusters and Superclusters and is the author of Building Innovation Superclusters - Economic Development for the 21st Century.

Questions about the course

  • Is the course really free?

    Yes. The course is completely free. Enrol and get instant access to all lessons and quizzes.

  • How long does it take?

    About 30 minutes, including three short quizzes and a reflection exercise. You can pause and come back at any time.

  • Who is this course for?

    Cluster managers and boards, new clusters that are just forming, established clusters approaching the end of their public financing period, and national and regional cluster programmes.

  • Where can I learn more?

    The course builds on the Strategy Tools Cluster Business Models report by Victor Haze and Christian Rangen. You will find links to further reading in the final lesson.

Map the money flows of your cluster in 30 minutes

Free, self-paced, and built on years of work with clusters in Europe, the Nordics and North America.

Enroll for free