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10.07.07

Money Quote on Entrepreneurs…
Entrepreneurship
by Andreessen and a great exclamation point for my most recent post about the personalities of the new tech nerds: Entrepreneurs? Smoking dope. What are they thinking? Why aren't they all working for Apple, helping to build a fatter Nano? What's wrong with them? Potsmoking, mussed-hair, rooftop party-going, trendy glasses-wearing, sandal-clad, Red Bull-snorting, laid-getting wankers, the lot of 'em. The sooner they realize the world never changes and there are no new opportunities to pursue, the better.
09.25.07

Does Gender Matter When You Start a Company?
Entrepreneurship
The Small Business Administration recently released a report titled: "Are Male and Female Entrepreneurs Really That Different?" The study's main conclusion is that, when other factors are controlled, gender does not affect a new ventures performance. However, the approach and type of business started is impacted by the gender of the entrepreneur. For example, women and men often decide to become entrepreneurs for different reasons: men are more likely to start a technology business and to start a business with a primary objective of making money. Women are more likely to operate in low risk and non-profit business sectors. Interestingly, ...
09.14.07

I’ve Got a Clush on Entourage
Entrepreneurship
I finally managed to get caught up on Entourage the other day. The most recent episode was hysterical as per usual, but it also got me thinking of all the entrepreneurial undertones of the show. For example, the boys recently struck out on their own to produce the high-risk independent film, Medellin. Eric is now his own agent, balancing friendships, learning to trust his gut, and trying to sell clients (Anna Faris). Even Ari has his own firm. I think it's great that an exceedingly popular television show is really, at its core, about best friends making their own way ...
08.18.07

House Sitting Love
Entrepreneurship
I'm just thinking how cool it would be for entrepreneurs who need space cheaply to be able to quickly find places to "house-sit" at ski resorts. I have been blown away by the availability of high-speed internet all over the west - even in the spots I would least expect it. I have also been blown away by the number of "house-sitter needed" fliers up at local grocery stores. Sounds like a match made in heaven.
06.06.07

Young Professionals & Entrepreneurs: The Similarities Abound
Campus Chatter, Entrepreneurship
My sister is currently looking a job and she’s two years out of college. My other sister will be graduating from college next year and she’s already thinking about her impending job search... It got me thinking that there is a lot in common between entrepreneurs looking for funding and recent college graduates looking for jobs. As an analogy, think of a recent graduate (and his or her resume) as a business plan ’“ a potential gamble or risk for some company looking to hire. The recent graduate, like the entrepreneur, must sell themselves and show how his or her skills ...
05.17.07

It’s Connections Not Age that Counts
Entrepreneurship, Venture Capital
Bloggers have gone off on a tangent this week over several posts concerning the age of VC backed entrepreneurs. Valleywag put out the following graphic suggesting the optimal age for a ’homerun-level’ idea to be 26. I think it is important to note several points. These points should help to reassure any readers over 30 whose hopes for acquiring venture financing were discouraged. -Type of business. The Valleywag list primarily features disruptive technology companies. Of course youth will have an edge here since they are the ’early adopters’ and tend to have more time’ -Time. How many 40 year olds with a ...
01.25.07

Immigration, Startups, Economics
Entrepreneurship, Tech'nomics
Watching the State of the Union last night, I couldn’t help but disagree with the majority opinion on immigration. While President Bush has been widely criticized by his own party for his ’liberal’ views on immigration policy, I can’t help but think how much of the economy’s recent success is directly attributable to immigration. Several recent reports have come out with numbers that are shocking to many people. During 2005-2006 it is estimated that 52% of US startups were founded by immigrants. Amazingly 39% of startups were started by Indians who account for less than 1% of the entire US population. ...
10.14.06

Playing the ‘UnderDog’ Role
Entrepreneurship
So yesterday I had had the opportunity to talk about IntelliGrad in front of some venture capitalists (’VCs’). These are guys who have lots of money and use it to start companies that they hope to sell, thereby adding more money to their current millions. Now don't get me wrong - some VCs are amazing and truly are heroes, others, well, they're just not that cool. So why did I agree to present? Well, I am in no way interested in selling IntelliGrad. However, I thought the experience of talking about our company and getting some exposure and feedback was a ...
09.21.06

Women Entrepreneurs Are Gaining Steam…
Entrepreneurship
According to a recent report by the US Small Business Administration and a separate report from the Center for Women's Business Research, entrepreneurship among women is ’booming.’ The reports state that nationwide there are currently approximately 7.7 million majority women-owned businesses. Overall women-owned businesses have increased 42% over the past five years (compared to an overall growth rate of only 24%). One of IntelliGrad's favorite Blogs and favorite Websites is LadiesWhoLaunch.com. LadiesWhoLaunch was founded by Victoria Colligan and Beth Schoenfeldt with the intention of providing the two C's: content & community in order to help women start and expand their business ventures. LadiesWhoLaunch ...

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