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02 / RAVI IOWA — TEACHING

THE
CLASSROOM

For students pursuing uncommon ambition. A different kind of entrepreneurship classroom built around real-world decisions, exceptional guests, self-awareness, and the inner and outer work required to build something meaningful.

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UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
02.1 / RECOGNIZED

RECOGNIZED IN THE CLASSROOM

R1
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · CLASS OF 2026

Recognized by graduating students as a professor who made a positive difference in their lives.

R2
TIPPIE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Commencement Speaker

R3
JOHN PAPPAJOHN ENTREPRENEURIAL CENTER

Alumni of the Year

THE CLASSROOM
CLASS IN SESSIONTHE CLASSROOM — RAVIIOWA.COM
02.2 / FROM THE ROOM

FROM THE ROOM

The measure of the classroom is what students carry with them after it ends.

“Professor Patel was hands down the best professor I’ve had at Iowa. He draws from real experience in entrepreneurship and is genuinely invested in our ambitions. The entrepreneurial mindset I developed in his class continues to shape how I approach opportunities across business and engineering.”
LIZZY KORCZAKALL-AMERICAN · IOWA JAVELIN RECORD HOLDER
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA TRACK & FIELD
“Professor Patel is truly one of one. As my business began to take off, I faced one of the hardest decisions of my life: stay in school or fully pursue my passion. Ravi regularly stayed after class to help me think it through when I didn’t know where else to turn. His support went far beyond the classroom and made a lasting impact on both my business and my life.”
SEAN MARTINFOUNDER · ELEV8TOR
02.3 / THE GAME

THE INNER GAME + THE OUTER GAME

Building a company requires more than strategy.

The outer game is opportunity, capital, sales, leadership, incentives, markets, and execution.

The inner game is self-awareness, emotional intelligence, resilience, relationships, identity, and learning to lead yourself before trying to lead others.

The classroom treats both as essential.

KNOW YOURSELF·UNDERSTAND PEOPLE·MAKE BETTER DECISIONS·BUILD SOMETHING THAT MATTERS
02.4 / FORMAT

HOW THE CLASS WORKS

This is not a lecture-and-exam course.

Students move between frameworks, case studies, books, candid guest conversations, and real decisions drawn from decades of operating, investing, and building.

01
LEARN THE FRAMEWORK

Ideas around leadership, power laws, capital, psychology, incentives, and decision-making.

02
HEAR THE REAL STORY

Founders, investors, athletes, artists, and leaders discuss what actually happened, not the polished version.

03
APPLY IT

Students wrestle with real decisions, defend their thinking, and connect the lessons to their own ambitions.

04
DO THE INNER WORK

Self-awareness, relationships, resilience, identity, and the emotional realities of building are treated as seriously as strategy.

02.5 / WHO

WHO BELONGS HERE

You do not need to have started a company.

You do need to care deeply about becoming better at something.

The classroom is built for founders, athletes, creators, leaders, and students willing to challenge themselves — people with curiosity, ambition, and the discipline to pursue something difficult.

AMBITION OVER RESUME.·CURIOSITY OVER CERTAINTY.
LECTURE HALL — SECTION VIEWTIPPIE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
FIG. 02 — LECTURE HALL, SECTION VIEWTHE CLASSROOM — RAVIIOWA.COM
02.6 / IN THE ROOM

IN THE ROOM

Some lessons are better learned from the people who lived them.

The classroom brings students into candid conversations with founders, investors, athletes, artists, executives, and public leaders focused less on biography and more on the decisions, failures, tradeoffs, and inflection points behind exceptional careers.

NO KEYNOTES.·NO POLISHED ORIGIN STORIES.·REAL CONVERSATIONS.
02.7 / ON THE SHELF

ON THE SHELF

FEATURED
REBOOT

Jerry Colonna

FEATURED
THE HARD THING ABOUT HARD THINGS

Ben Horowitz

MORE
FULL SHELF — INCOMING

The other core books once finalized.

02.8 / CLASSROOM DATA

CLASSROOM DATA

INSTITUTIONUNIVERSITY OF IOWA
COLLEGETIPPIE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
DISCIPLINEMANAGEMENT & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
COURSEENTREPRENEURSHIP & INNOVATION
FORMAT8-WEEK INTENSIVE
METHODFRAMEWORKS · CONVERSATIONS · APPLIED LEARNING
GUESTSFOUNDERS · INVESTORS · ATHLETES · ARTISTS · LEADERS
LOCATIONIOWA CITY