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Entrepreneurs identify and evaluate opportunities while striving to find one that fits their capabilities, interests, and resources. Examining social, technological, and economic trends can lead to the identification of important emerging needs. Entrepreneurs seek to build new ventures and act on a good opportunity when it has the potential to provide independence and a good economic return while requiring a reasonable work effort and modest risk. The entrepreneur must make a difficult decision to act or not act on a good potential opportunity. The choice of an opportunity and the decision to act is a critical juncture in the life of an entrepreneur. With the decision to act, the entrepreneur prepares a business summary for the venture that is used to test the new venture with potential investors, employees, and customers. |
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Biodiesel Inc.
Biodiesel Inc. is a mini-case study that involves three UC Davis students exploring an opportunity in biodiesel, an renewable organic product that can replace or complement original diesel fuel. The students come up with a business model starting with local producer’s cooperatives.
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Dr. John's Products Ltd.
Describes an entrepreneur's attempts to invent, manufacture, and distribute an inexpensive electric toothbrush. Students are expected to advise the entrepreneur how to finance the venture, how to exploit the opportunity, and how to work with a large corporate partner. Teaching Purpose: To gain insights into innovation, entrepreneurship, intellectual property, and corporate partnering. |
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(DVD Section 2.2) Judy Estrin: Technology Cycles Start with a Breakthrough Innovation
Judy declares that technology cycles have to start with a break-through innovation, something significantly disruptive. When it happens we don't know it is a break-through technology. In time applications are built around this technology. |
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(DVD Section 2.4) John Doerr: Disruptive Technologies
John gives his list of what he feels are the important new disruptive technologies. His first choice is wireless, and his second is services for enterprises. |
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(DVD Section 2.7) Pam Marrone: The Founding of AgraQuest
Pam talks about how she turned her childhood passion and love for bugs into a lifelong commitment and it is this passion that led her to get to founding AgraQuest.
A podcast of Mrs. Marrone's full lecture at Stanford is available at EdCorner Podcasts. |
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Guy Kawasaki: Ideas: What makes them successful?
What is the difference between a brilliant idea that is successful and a brilliant idea that is not successful? Kawasaki believes that luck, timing and karma are the keys to success. Karma has to do with whether your product will ultimately make the world a better place, and he believes that the best technologies really do survive.
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Vinod Khosla: Any Big Problem is a Big Opportunity
Any big problem is a big opportunity. I there is no problem, there is no solution, and no reason for a company. No one will pay you to solve a non-problem. |
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Vinod Khosla: Envisioning the Future
Envisioning the future: what will the trends be? Nanotechnologies, nanotechnologies, wireless, security, biology, genetics, optical ... |
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Ann Winblad: Drivers for Software Innovation
Ann argues that, contrary to popular rumor, there has been a steady flow of activity in venture capital over the last two years (lecture in 2004). The software sector is still the big leader, though bio-tech is catching up. Though she doesn't discuss outsourcing, Ann emphasizes that a company must consider where they can get the best intellectual capital. Today, company strategy starts global. She also discusses the trends in the software market including: open source material, Moore's Law (storage is free) and Metcalf's Law, and mergers and acquisitions. |
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The New Business Road Test - John W. Mullins
This book shows how to assess market opportunities. Building on lessons learned by studying numerous entrepreneurs, the book details the author's seven domains model for assessing new business ideas. The model is comprised of four market and industry domains and three related to the entrepreneurial team. These seven domains address the central questions in the assessment of any market opportunity: Are the market and industry attractive? Does the opportunity offer compelling customer benefits as well as distinct advantage over other solutions to the customer's needs? Can the team deliver the results they seek and promise to others? The book is practical and sets out how to run a customer-driven feasibility study that will guide the assessment of any new business idea or opportunity before any investment or time has been spent on the project. Chapter 1 Book Excerpt (1e).
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Stanford EdCorner: Agraquest
Additional video clips of Pam Maronne, founding CEO of AgraQuest, are available at EdCorner. Mrs. Maronne discussses the vision that drove her to found AgraQuest and many of the challenges encountered. |
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Cornell eClips : AgraQuest
Additional video clips of Pam Maronne, founding CEO of AgraQuest. In addition, a transcript and spaker slides are provided for a interview/lecture conducted at Cornell. |
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Po Bronson: What should I do with my life?
An article extracted from Po Bronson's book 'What should I do with my life', written after the dotcom bust. Bronson defines a new era and presents his perspective on the real meaning of success and how to find it. At the root of success are those dedicated to answering a life question that has great meaning to them. |
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