Four years have come and gone since the last World Cup, which I enjoyed in Switzerland. This is my first time really following the action in the US, which is – of course – a different experience. One side effect of having attended such a global school as IMD is that I have friends andContinue reading “World Cup in the USA”
Monthly Archives: June 2014
A Visit to OwlSpark
Last week I was in Houston and took advantage of the opportunity to spend some time at OwlSpark. OwlSpark is Rice University’s tech startup accelerator, providing funding, space, connections, and mentorship to budding Rice entrepreneurs. It actually began as a project in the lean startup course I taught during my tenure as EIR and I’mContinue reading “A Visit to OwlSpark”
When to Listen to Investors
One of the best – and worst – aspects of being a startup founder is being inundated with a nearly constant stream of advice. Advice comes from everyone – friends, business partners, professors, customers, competitors, journalists, employees – but especially from investors. This makes sense as investors have a lot riding on the outcome ofContinue reading “When to Listen to Investors”
Entrepreneurship at Rice
As I wrapped up my role as the inaugural Entrepreneur In Residence at Rice, I was asked to summarize what we accomplished during my time there in this article, published in the trade journal of the Society of Petroleum Engineers. The article is on pages 29-31 of the journal but, for those who don’t wishContinue reading “Entrepreneurship at Rice”
Startups Should Never Pay to Pitch
Several times a week my startup is solicited to participate in pay-to-pitch events at which we are promised access to a smorgasbord of wealthy, capable investors who are just chomping at the bit to invest in companies like mine. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, it is. This has been covered by manyContinue reading “Startups Should Never Pay to Pitch”
The Vibram Five Fingers Lawsuit
Last month it was reported that Vibram, the company that makes the Five Fingers minimalist footwear in which I run, decided to settle a class action lawsuit against it rather than take it to trial. Many of my Facebook friends posted incendiary, sensational articles about it on my wall as if to say, “I toldContinue reading “The Vibram Five Fingers Lawsuit”
Moving Pains
For 10 months I have been meaning to write about our move from Houston to Chapel Hill, which was filled with both [surprising] highs and [expected] lows. As always seems to be the case, we A. were moving during the hottest, most miserable part of the year, and B. found ourselves with way too muchContinue reading “Moving Pains”