The concept of an incubator has been around for several decades. And I'll admit, I've always liked the idea. An incubator makes it easier for young companies to get started and grow. The businesses can share resources, ideas and expertise.
Yesterday, the New York Times ran an article about a technology incubator in New York City called Betaworks. It played a role in nurturing the growth of TweetDeck, one of the cool applications people can use with Twitter to help manage Tweets and other social networking. According to the article, Betaworks provides access to expertise, which is a much needed resource that is very hard to find. It also provides access to funding. I found the article to be quite fascinating because this model of incubator seemed different than the ones I'm familiar with in Connecticut. Worth reading...
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/technology/start-ups/03betaworks.html
Showing posts with label high-tech start-ups. Show all posts
Showing posts with label high-tech start-ups. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Friday, July 10, 2009
Start-Up Tip: Execute Your Plan
One of the start-up companies I've done plans for just died after three years of existence. I am really sad. When I was talking to the former CEO who had hired me to write their plan, he lamented that they had deviated from their plan just before execution. That was the beginning of their end.
One board member got cold feet because of a comment from a social media expert. He suddenly lost sight of his passion and his vision. What a pity. The vision had been great. They had raised several million dollars to execute it. Then, two weeks before the national roll out, they deviated from the plan and the vision. It was chaos from then on. I helped rewrite their plans, but they kept not executing. They kept changing things or not executing as well as they could have.
Eventually, professional managers took over from the founding entrepreneurs. That was the true death knell.
You've seen it on a national scale. Jobs had to return to Apple to get the company back on track. But Bezos never left Amazon or Gates, Microsoft, while he was building the business. The visionary has to see the dream through to fruition. He or she has to keep that focus and execute the plan.
So get a great plan that has focus, vision and passion. Then, execute it. Don't lose heart. Don't listen to the naysayers.
One board member got cold feet because of a comment from a social media expert. He suddenly lost sight of his passion and his vision. What a pity. The vision had been great. They had raised several million dollars to execute it. Then, two weeks before the national roll out, they deviated from the plan and the vision. It was chaos from then on. I helped rewrite their plans, but they kept not executing. They kept changing things or not executing as well as they could have.
Eventually, professional managers took over from the founding entrepreneurs. That was the true death knell.
You've seen it on a national scale. Jobs had to return to Apple to get the company back on track. But Bezos never left Amazon or Gates, Microsoft, while he was building the business. The visionary has to see the dream through to fruition. He or she has to keep that focus and execute the plan.
So get a great plan that has focus, vision and passion. Then, execute it. Don't lose heart. Don't listen to the naysayers.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Women Entrepreneurs - High Tech Conference
This just in from the Inventors Association of Connecticut (IACT) --
The MIT Enterprise Forum of Connecticut is proud to present our next Global Broadcast:
“Pathways to Entrepreneurship” - Tuesday, September 23rd, 20086:00 - 8:30 pm (6:00 - 7:00 networking and hors d'oeuvres and 7:00 - 8:30 WEBCAST program)
At University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT (directions) Register online
For anyone, launching a high-tech startup is hard work, with many paths to success. But female entrepreneurs face unique challenges on each of the roads they may follow. Hear our panel discuss the unique paths they took:· Candida G. Brush (moderator), Division Chair in Entrepreneurship, Babson College· Robin Chase SM ’86, Founder of ZipCar, GoLoco.org, and Meadow Networks · Priya Iyer MBA ’05, President, Anaqua· Christina Lampe-Onnerud, Founder and CEO, Boston-Power· Susan Lindquist, Professor of Biology, MIT, Scientific Founder, FoldRx Pharma.This broadcast is presented in association with Technology Review’s EmTech08 Conference. Complete details may be found at www.mitenterpriseforum.org
The MIT Enterprise Forum of Connecticut is proud to present our next Global Broadcast:
“Pathways to Entrepreneurship” - Tuesday, September 23rd, 20086:00 - 8:30 pm (6:00 - 7:00 networking and hors d'oeuvres and 7:00 - 8:30 WEBCAST program)
At University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT (directions) Register online
For anyone, launching a high-tech startup is hard work, with many paths to success. But female entrepreneurs face unique challenges on each of the roads they may follow. Hear our panel discuss the unique paths they took:· Candida G. Brush (moderator), Division Chair in Entrepreneurship, Babson College· Robin Chase SM ’86, Founder of ZipCar, GoLoco.org, and Meadow Networks · Priya Iyer MBA ’05, President, Anaqua· Christina Lampe-Onnerud, Founder and CEO, Boston-Power· Susan Lindquist, Professor of Biology, MIT, Scientific Founder, FoldRx Pharma.This broadcast is presented in association with Technology Review’s EmTech08 Conference. Complete details may be found at www.mitenterpriseforum.org
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