Jim Morris's Thought of the Week (or month, or year, ...)
Monday, August 21, 2006
Silicon Valley 101
This week, I have a question.
Many people come to Silicon Valley to learn the magic of entrepreneurship and innovation. If we hosted a person here for a period of time, what could we do to maximize his or her learning and the likelihood that he or she would absorb the “magic”?
- Have the students work in a start-up
- Have successful entrepreneurs speak
- Have venture capitalists speak
- Listen to a business plan pitch
- Have students attend public seminars such as the:
- SD Forum
- Churchill Club
- Computer History Museum
- PARC
- Take a course in entrepreneurship from a well-respected university
- Read Tom Byer’s book, Technology Ventures: From Idea to Enterprise
- Learn from fellow students
- Provide company visits
- Provide networking opportunities with individuals working at small companies
How would we select the best applicants to the program?
- Previous start-up experience
- Academic performance
- A written statement
- A proposal for a new enterprise
- Extracurricular activities in college
How short or long should such a course be?
Can a simulated start-up experience be created that is as effective as a real one?
posted by Jim Morris @ 2:09 PM
1 Comments:
Previous Posts
Simply Googling "Silicon Valley 101" reveals some interesting material, including one from the Stanford Technology Ventures program.