Ventures
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Financial institutions are a pillar of civilized society, supporting people in their productive ventures and managing the economic risks they take on. The workings of these institutions are important to comprehend if we are to predict their actions today and their evolution in the coming information age. The course strives to offer understanding of the theory of finance and its relation to the history, strengths and imperfections of such...more
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Inspired by Charles Lindberg's Spirit of St. Louis, X PRIZE founder and space entrepreneur Peter Diamandis explains to interviewer George Zachary of Charles River Ventures that offering a high profile cash reward can often be more financially advantageous - and more aggressive in moving forward a societal push - than simply funding a good idea. Diamandis describes his incredible quest for funding, pitching hundreds of potential...more
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Smith explains that venture philanthropy means investing in ventures that lead to greater changes in the overall system to improve education for kids. The entrepreneur is a part of a much larger system and the aim is to leverage the investments to provide the greatest possible impact. This strategy has led to three key activities at New Schools: the creation of a network to generate more hybrid leaders and inform policy makers, a charter...more
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The numbers are stacked against the inspired business owner-to-be. Seasoned angel investors Ron Conway and Mike Maples talk about how many ideas they receive, how many executive summaries they peruse, how many meetings they call, and the shockingly few ventures - roughly one out of 150 - that end up receiving their investment of time and money. Also, Conway points out that investing is a risky business, with an even split between those...more
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Nick Earl, General Manager of Electronic Arts Redwood Shores Studio, talks about how the General Manager's job is to run one of EA's six studios, which are the places where they actually build the product. The GM administers and manages the portfolio of products at the site. Each product is then run by an executive producer. The executive producers are entrepreneurs in their own right and the products are managed almost like independent...more
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Michael Goldberg, General Partner at Mohr Davidow Ventures and Founder of Axion Inc., discusses his transition from being a venture capitalist to an entrepreneur. He left the venture capital industry to found a company. As a sole founder, he encourages everybody to start a company with at least one co-founder because it entails a difficult and lonely path.
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Komisar talks about how many traditional companies like Kleiner Perkins are involved in making significant social differences. He believes that the entreprenuerial spirit and pursuit of innovation of these companies is consistent to the model of many social ventures in the market.
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New School Ventures is a non-profit public charity with the sole purpose of creating better opportunities for children who are not currently being served by public education, says Smith. They are unique in that they feel it is important to be able to invest in both for-profit and non-profit entrepreneurs, depending on the situation. Any returns are folded back into the fund and reused.
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In conversation with Charles River Ventures' George Zachary, Peter Diamandis, founder of the X PRIZE, describes how prizes for great, global, revolutionary achievement are a new form of philanthropy. He funds the X PRIZE with both private gifts and corporate funds, and outlines how prizes can be an efficient investment in new technologies with tremendous returns.
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Tom Friel, Chairman of Heidrick and Struggles, suggests that frequently in entrepreneurial ventures replacing the founder CEO with an experienced CEO is needed for the venture to scale and grow. Friel argues that perhaps the hardest experience for a founder is to recognize that their company might do better if they were to take a different role than CEO which often determines whether the venture stays small and successful or scales to...more
