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A podcast about work, the future and how they will go together
If everything is on the table when it comes to the future of work, should we be talking about having workers own the company – or at least own a bit of it? To talk about that, Linda Nazareth is joined on this episode by Elspeth Murray, Director of the Centre for Innovation and Social Impact and CIBC Faculty Fellow in Entrepreneurship at the Smith School of Business at Queen's University. They discuss why the benefits from employee ownership can go far beyond money and why this work model might be a good thing for workers and organizations and maybe for society as well. Guest: Elspeth Murray Director of the Centre for Innovation and Social Impact and CIBC Faculty Fellow in Entrepreneurship at the Smith School of Business at Queen's University Elspeth Murray has served as the Associate Dean – MBA and Master's Programs from 2012-2022 and has been a professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at Smith School of Business since 1996. She also holds the CIBC Fellowship in Entrepreneurship, and founded Smith's Centre for Business Venturing. She is the Director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Social Impact. Prior to joining Smith, she worked in industry for 7...
Host Steve Legler speaks with Professor Pramodita Sharma about sustainability and how family enterprises are uniquely placed to take advantage of business trends in this area. Pramodita shares inspiring stories based on her research, and points family businesses and their advisors into some promising directions. Welcome to Let's Talk Family Enterprise, a podcast that explores the ideas, concepts, and models that best serve Family Enterprise Advisors in supporting their clients. All views, information, and opinions expressed during this podcast are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of Family Enterprise Canada. Guest bio Pramodita Sharma is the Schlesinger-Grossman Chair of Family Business at the Grossman School of Business, University of Vermont. She is a Research Fellow at the Thomas Schmidheiny Center for Family Enterprise at the Indian School of Business, and an advisory board member of the Jönköping International Business School (JIBS), Sweden. Among the highest-cited scholars in family business studies, her research on succession, governance, innovation, next-generation commitment, entrepreneurial leadership, and sustainability in/by family enterprises has appeared in journals like the Academy of Management Learning & Education, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Family Business Review, Journal of Business Ethics, and Journal of Business Venturing, among others. Experiences and close interactions with her own family's enterprises help keep her professional work grounded in the realities and complex dynamics of these fascinating enterprises that dominate the economic and societal landscape around the world. You can learn more about Pramodita Sharma on the Grossman School of Business at the University of Vermont's website and LinkedIn. Key Takeaways [:26] Steve Legler welcomes Pramodita Sharma and asks her to share an overview of her upcoming lecture at the Family Business Symposium focusing on the meaning of sustainability and the paths we can take to action. [4:11] Sustainability is a journey that begins with awareness; Pramodita shares what phases come after. [6:10] Family enterprises have a unique advantage regarding sustainability; the key is in the upcoming generations. [9:09] Pramodita talks about the pioneering companies already taking advantage of their unique position. [12:43] Sustainability as an antidote to the pressures of succession. [15:04] The journey to a purpose-driven life through sustainability business practices. [16:45] Case studies have proven to be a formidable multi-tool; Pramodita explains how she uses them and where the experience has been richest. [19:35] Pramodita shares her hope for case studies in Canada and takes a moment to share a personal story. [23:21] Is there an age or gender to the sustainability charge? [27:39] The case competitions Pramodita organizes. [32:20] Pramodita's reading recommendation and advice for advisors. [34:33] Steve thanks Pramodita Sharma for sharing her research and knowledge and closes this episode by reminding listeners to rate and subscribe. If you enjoyed today's episode, you can subscribe to Let's Talk Family Enterprise on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other podcast apps. Please remember to share this episode with family, friends, and colleagues. Share your thoughts with us at fea@familyenterprise.ca. Mentioned in this episode The Circular Economy Handbook: Realizing the Circular Advantage, by Peter Lacy, Jessica Long, and Wesley Spindler Ellen MacArthur Foundation Museum of Science + Industry Chicago: Extreme Ice Exhibit The Family Business Symposium will take place on May 27‒29, 2024 in Calgary. More about Family Enterprise Canada Family Enterprise Canada FEC on Facebook FEC on Twitter FEC on LinkedIn
Sometimes the challenges facing humanity are beyond the scope or remit of just one person or indeed one organisation. Often termed “grand challenges”, these problems might be bigger, more impactful or simply require greater resources to resolve. Equally, their resolution might need more coordinated efforts and collaboration across a wider range of stakeholders to ensure that they are effectively addressed. In more recent times, and perhaps fitting with the times we live in, the term “grand innovation challenges” has also been used. To explore this further I am delighted by joined on the Brain for Business podcast by Professor Vera Rocha of Copenhagen Business School. About our guest...Vera Rocha is Associate Professor in Economics and Management of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Copenhagen Business School. Vera's research is at the intersection of entrepreneurship, strategic human capital, and labor market inequality.Among other questions, Vera has been studying the determinants of career transitions into entrepreneurship, the causes and implications of hiring strategies as firms emerge and mature, how entrepreneurial activity can affect both individual careers and society at large, and how organizations contribute to expand or reduce labor market inequalities. In addition, Vera is Co-Editor-in-Chief at Industry & Innovation and serves in the Editorial Review Board of Strategic Management Journal, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, Journal of Business Venturing, and Small Business Economics.You can find out more about Vera's research here:https://www.cbs.dk/en/research/departments-and-centres/department-of-strategy-and-innovation/staff/vrsi https://www.linkedin.com/in/vera-rocha-24a396136/The special issue of the journal Industry and Innovation which focuses on Grand Innovation Challenges can be accessed here: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/ciai20/31/1?nav=tocList Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Correction: In this podcast, I misspoke towards the end and referred to Eesley and Lee (2020) as Eesley and Wang (a 2017 paper I wrote about earlier here). Apologies to the authors.A lot of particularly interesting innovation happens at startups. Suppose we want more of this. One way we could try to get more is by giving entrepreneurship training to people who are likely to found innovative startups. Does that work? This post takes a look at some meta-analyses on the effects of entrepreneurship education, then zeroes in on a few studies focusing on entrepreneurship training for science and engineering students or which is focused on tech entrepreneurship.This podcast is an audio read through of the (initial draft) of Teaching Innovative Entrepreneurship, published on New Things Under the Sun.Articles mentionedMartin, Bruce C., Jeffrey J. McNally, and Michael J. Kay. 2013. Examining the formation of human capital in entrepreneurship: A meta-analysis of entrepreneurship education outcomes. Journal of Business Venturing 28(2): 211-224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2012.03.002Carpenter, Alex, and Rachel Wilson. 2022. A systematic review looking at the effect of entrepreneurship education on higher education students. The International Journal of Management Education 20(2): 100541. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2021.100541Souitaris, Vangelis, Stefania Zerbinati, and Andreas Al-Laham. 2007. Do entrepreneurship programs raise entrepreneurial intention of science and engineering students? The effect of learning, inspiration and resources. Journal of Business Venturing 22(4): 566-591. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2006.05.002Eesley, Charles E., and Yong Suk Lee. 2020. Do university entrepreneurship programs promote entrepreneurship? Strategic Management Journal 42(4): 833-861. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.3246Lyons, Elizabeth, and Lauren Zhang. 2017. Who does (not) benefit from entrepreneurship programs? Strategic Management Journal 39(1): 85-112. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2704Oster, Emily. 2016. Unobservable selection and coefficient stability: Theory and evidence. Journal of Business & Economic Statistics 37(2): 187-204. https://doi.org/10.1080/07350015.2016.1227711Wallskog, Melanie. 2022. Entrepreneurial Spillovers Across Coworkers. PhD job market paper.
Wed, 10 Jan 2024 06:30:00 +0000 https://tap.podigee.io/25-panos-constantinides 422936b8b903af0d2b42983089ebff6c The formation and evolution of digital platforms across ecosystems Panos' Bio: Panos Constantinides is a Professor of Digital Innovation and Digital Learning Lead for Executive Education at Alliance Manchester Business School. He holds a PhD from the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge and he is a Fellow of the Cambridge Digital Innovation Centre. Panos leads the Digital Transformation Research Group at Alliance Manchester Business School. Panos is also one of the co-founders of the European Digital Platforms Research Network (EUDPRN). His research investigates how organizations use digital technologies to co-create and capture value while facilitating strategic transformation. His recent work has shed light on the formation and evolution of digital platforms across ecosystems, including platforms built on generative AI technologies. He advises senior business leaders and policymakers on how to manage the transition to new technologies and new business models in the digital economy. His research has been published in FT50 journals such as Information Systems Research, MIS Quarterly, and the Journal of Business Venturing and Organisation Studies, among others. His research has also appeared in Concurrences, Competition Policy International, PYMNTS, Thinkers50, MIT Sloan Management Review, ZDnet, and other media outlets. Panos' Google Scholar page: https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=Erxikd8AAAAJ&hl=en Panos on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/panos-constantinides/?originalSubdomain=uk full The formation and evolution of digital platforms across ecosystems no Daniel Trabucchi, Tommaso Buganza and Philip Meier
SAUNAIE Presents 2024 Mindset According to a recent study by the National Institute of Mental Health, 1 in 3 entrepreneurs reports experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety, or both. The pressures of running a business, financial uncertainties, & the constant pursuit of success can take a toll on our mental well-being. Additionally, the high-stakes nature of entrepreneurship can lead to burnout, with studies showing that over 70% of entrepreneurs experience burnout at some point in their careers. it's crucial to recognize the signals that indicate our mental health may be at risk. Statistics from a recent Harvard Business Review article indicate that 50% of entrepreneurs regularly experience high levels of stress, which can be a precursor to burnout. a study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that entrepreneurs are 30% more likely to experience symptoms of depression than their non-entrepreneurial counterparts. Strategies for Mental Wellness Practical strategies to foster mental wellness throughout the year. These tips are designed to help you navigate the ups & downs of entrepreneurship while prioritizing your mental health." Mindful Practices: Incorporate mindfulness techniques such as meditation and deep breathing exercises into your daily routine. A study published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology found that regular mindfulness practice can reduce stress and improve overall mental well-being. Work-Life Balance: Establish clear boundaries between work and personal life. A survey by the Harvard Business Review found that entrepreneurs who maintained a healthy work-life balance reported higher levels of job satisfaction and overall well-being. Set realistic working hours, take breaks, and make time for activities that bring you joy outside of work. Social Connection: Entrepreneurship can be isolating, but social connections are vital for mental health. According to a study published in the Journal of Business Venturing, entrepreneurs who had a strong social support network reported lower levels of stress and higher levels of life satisfaction. Make an effort to maintain relationships with friends, family, and fellow entrepreneurs. Surrounding yourself with a supportive network can provide valuable emotional support. Professional Help: Don't hesitate to seek professional help when needed. Therapy and counseling can be powerful tools for managing stress and improving mental health. Statistics from the American Psychological Association indicate that therapy is effective for a wide range of mental health concerns, with over 80% of people who engage in therapy reporting significant improvement. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/saunaie/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/saunaie/support
Dr. Fernandez's research focuses on a wide range of risky behavior and mental health topics with a special focus on suicide and substance abuse, including opioid-related healthcare utilization. Dr. Fernandez has over 20 articles appearing in well-respected journals such as the the International Economic Review, The Journal of Economic Education, Journal of Business Venturing, Journal of Economic Perspectives, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, and Health Service Research Journal. He has appeared in over 100 local, regional, and national media interviews including NPR's Planet Money and the Indicator. Dr. Fernandez is a faculty scholar at the Commonwealth Institute of Kentucky, a member of the Statutory Committee Consensus Forecasting Group for the State of Kentucky, the former President of the American Society of Hispanic Economists, Member of the Committee on Status of Minority Groups in the Economics Profession, and the chair of the Economics Department at the University of Louisville.
University of Colorado-Boulder professors Jeff York and Brad Werner distill entrepreneurship research into actionable insights. CREATIVE DISTILLATION Jeff York | Associate Professor | Research Director jeffrey.york@colorado.edu Brad Werner | Instructor | Teaching Director walter.werner@colorado.edu Deming Center for Entrepreneurship | CU Leeds School of Business 303.492.9018 | deming@colorado.edu -- EPISODE 53: Ted Waldron (Texas Tech) on The Battle for Balcones Distilling Previously on Creative Distillation: Brad and Jeff conducted field research at Dry Land Distillers in Longmont, Colorado, speaking with Nels Wroe, founder and president of Dry Land. They discussed the challenges and successes of running a distillery, and what makes Dry Land unique among Colorado's many distillers. This time, we're still at Dry Land Distillers, with Brad and Jeff talking to the “whiskey academic,” Ted Waldron, Professor of Management and the Kent R. Hance Regents Chair in Entrepreneurship at Texas Tech University's Rawls College of Business. They discuss a number of topics and go off on several tangents, mostly related to Ted's recent paper, "Entrepreneur-investor rivalry over new venture control: The battle for Balcones Distilling," published in 2022 in the Journal of Business Venturing. Enjoy and cheers! We hope you enjoyed this episode of Creative Distillation, recorded on location at Dry Land Distillers in Longmont, Colorado. Learn more and order merch at drylanddistillers.com. Read Ted's paper, "Entrepreneur-investor rivalry over new venture control: The battle for Balcones Distilling," at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0883902622000374 Learn more about Ted Waldron at https://www.depts.ttu.edu/rawlsbusiness/people/faculty/management/ted-waldron/index.php. -- Learn more about CU's Deming Center for Entrepreneurship: https://deming.colorado.edu Comments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note at CDpodcast@colorado.edu. Thanks for listening. - An Analog Digital Arts Production for the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship Produced, recorded and edited by Joel Davis "Whiskey Before Breakfast" [Traditional] performed by Jeffrey York and Brad Werner. Recorded, mixed and mastered by George Figgs
Kudos' Chief Customer Officer Tom Short is an employees-first entrepreneur. In the last 25 years, he has founded several successful companies, all of which have employee experience as their cornerstone. In his current role, he is invested in advocating for employee recognition over rewards — favoring the long term effects of recognition on well-being and motivation over the short term “object perks” of rewards. Tom Short is the Founder of Kudos Inc., where he oversees business development, sales and marketing. Tom has founded numerous, highly successful, companies including Idea Machine, which was recognized as one of the top ten interactive agencies in Canada, which he later merged with Rare Method to create the largest independent interactive agency in Western Canada. Under Tom's direction Rare Method was ranked as one of the fastest growing organizations in the Canada by Profit 100 Magazine several years running and as one of the top 50 small to mid-sized employers in Canada by the Queen's School of Business, Queen's Centre for Business Venturing and Hewitt Associates. At each organization Tom built, employee engagement was front and center as the key to building effective teams and successful companies. Kudos was the direct result of this philosophy and was a systematic way to build a systemic culture of appreciation. Today Kudos is quickly becoming a leader in social recognition and changing how companies around the world engage their team's – one thank you at a time!Tom's Profilelinkedin.com/in/wtshortWebsitekudos.com (Company)TwitterKudosNowwtshortBuzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showRebel HR is a podcast for HR professionals and leaders of people who are ready to make some disruption in the world of work. Please connect to continue the conversation! https://twitter.com/rebelhrguyhttps://www.facebook.com/rebelhrpodcasthttp://www.kyleroed.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-roed/
University of Colorado-Boulder professors Jeff York and Brad Werner distill entrepreneurship research into actionable insights. CREATIVE DISTILLATION Jeff York | Associate Professor | Research Director jeffrey.york@colorado.edu Brad Werner | Instructor | Teaching Director walter.werner@colorado.edu Deming Center for Entrepreneurship | CU Leeds School of Business 303.492.9018 | deming@colorado.edu -- EPISODE 34: Tony Kong (CU-Boulder) on Venture Evaluation and Information Signaling This week on Creative Distillation, we're still at Liquid Mechanics Brewing in Lafayette, Colorado, where Brad and Jeff discuss academic research with Tony Kong, Associate Professor at CU's Leeds School of Business, to discuss his latest paper about the fascinating dynamics of venture evaluation. Learn more about our research guest, Tony Kong, on his faculty page at the Leeds School of Business. https://www.colorado.edu/business/leeds-directory/faculty/tony-kong His paper, “Will the startup succeed in your eyes? Venture evaluation of resource providers during entrepreneurs' informational signaling”, was published in the Journal of Business Venturing. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0883902622000416 Learn more about Liquid Mechanics and order merch at https://liquidmechanicsbrewing.com. Learn more about CU's Deming Center for Entrepreneurship: https://deming.colorado.edu Comments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note at CDpodcast@colorado.edu. Thanks for listening. - An Analog Digital Arts Production for the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship Produced, recorded and edited by Joel Davis "Whiskey Before Breakfast" [Traditional] performed by Jeffrey York and Brad Werner. Recorded, mixed and mastered by George Figgs.
Learning new things is hard - and we're talking about how we are trying to do it! Fun Paper Friday How is sleep tied to creativity? Weinberger, Eva, et al. "Having a creative day: Understanding entrepreneurs' daily idea generation through a recovery lens." Journal of Business Venturing 33.1 (2018): 1-19. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0883902616301641) Contact us: Show Support us on Patreon! (https://www.patreon.com/dontpanicgeo) www.dontpanicgeocast.com (http://www.dontpanicgeocast.com) SWUNG Slack (https://softwareunderground.org) @dontpanicgeo (https://twitter.com/dontpanicgeo) show@dontpanicgeocast.com John Leeman - www.johnrleeman.com (http://www.johnrleeman.com) - @geo_leeman (https://twitter.com/geo_leeman) Shannon Dulin - @ShannonDulin (https://twitter.com/ShannonDulin)
Dan Li is the L. Leslie Waters Chair and Professor of International Business at the Kelley Business School, Indiana University. She received her Ph.D. in Management from Texas A&M University. Her research and teaching focus on global strategy, particularly in the areas of international strategic alliances, and institutional influences on activities of both established multinational enterprises and international new ventures. Dan's work has been published in the Journal of International Business Studies, Academy of Management Journal, Strategic Management Journal, Organization Science, Journal of Management, Journal of World Business, Journal of Business Venturing, Management International Review, among others. She served as the Editor-in-Chief of Business Horizons and an Associate Editor and Special Issue Editor of Global Strategy Journal. She has also served on the editorial review boards of many journals, including the Academy of Management Journal and Journal of International Business Studies. Dan has been a longtime and active AIB member, serving as Track Chair/Co-Chair for the AIB annual conferences in Istanbul (2013) and in Minneapolis (2018), and on the Local Arrangements Committee for the AIB conference in Indianapolis (2007). She has also co-chaired doctoral consortia, organized panels/PDWs, and served as a panelist for many AIB events over the years. Being on the executive board of the Women in AIB (WAIB), Dan served WAIB in various roles including faculty-at-large and secretary-treasurer, between 2007 and 2015. Visit https://www.aib.world/frontline-ib/dan-li/ for the original video interview.
René Belderbos is full professor of Strategy at KU Leuven (Belgium) and part-time professor of International Corporate Strategy at Maastricht University and UNU-MERIT (The Netherlands). He received a doctoral degree in economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam. His research focuses on innovation strategies and international business strategies of multinational firms, including real option theory in international business, location strategies, global knowledge sourcing, top management teams and internationalization, international R&D collaboration, intellectual property rights and innovation, and knowledge spillovers. He has published widely in economics and management journals such as the European Economic Review, Review of Economics and Statistics, International Journal of Industrial Organization, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Management, Journal of Management Studies, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Research Policy, World Development, the Journal of International Business Studies, Global Strategy Journal, Journal of Business Venturing, Regional Studies, and Environment and Planning, among others. His work has received more than 10000 citations and he is on the Stanford University list of most cited scholars in the business and economics domain. He is an associate editor of the Global Strategy Journal, an editorial board member of the Strategic Management Journal and the Journal of International Business Studies (JIBS,) and serves as consulting editor to JIBS. He has been consultant to the European Commission, the OECD, the Flemish, Belgian and Dutch governments, and the National Institute of Science and Technology Policy (NISTEP, Japan). Visit https://www.aib.world/frontline-ib/rene-belderbos/ for the original video interview.
Giarte Podcast | Paul Iske is hoogleraar Open Innovation & Business Venturing aan de School of Business and Economics van de Universiteit Maastricht, alsmede extra-ordinary professor aan het Institute for Information Science aan de Stellenbosch University, Zuid-Afrika. Daarnaast is hij CFO (Chief Failure Officer) van het Instituut voor Briljante Mislukkingen, met als doel begrip te kweken voor het belang van experimenteren en leren in een veranderende en complexe wereld. Paul is auteur van het boek ‘Instituut voor Briljante Mislukkingen' en voorzitter van de Stichting PHC Catalyst, dat als missie heeft de transitie naar gepersonaliseerde, data-gedreven zorg te versnellen. Paul is van oorsprong theoretisch fysicus en heeft naast zijn consultancy-praktijk voor Shell en ABN AMRO (Chief Dialogues Officer & Senior Vice President Innovation) gewerkt. Luister! Marco Gianotten - Oprichter van Giarte In de wereld van IT zou het moeten gaan om de impact van technologie op mensen en business. Aan 'helaas pindakaas' heb je niets. Giarte ontwerpt, meet, verbeter en verankert klantbeleving en waardesturing. We zijn grondlegger en aanjager van XLA als mindset, skillset en toolset. Meer weten? Bezoek onze website, of volg onze LinkedIn pagina.
Garry D. Bruton is a Professor of Management at the Neeley School of Business, Texas Christian University. His research interests are at the intersection of entrepreneurship, international business, and strategy. He has published over 100 articles in leading journals such as the Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Business Venturing, Journal of International Business Studies, and Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice. In addition, he has co-authored three textbooks. He is currently an Associate Editor of the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal. Previously he was also President of the Asia Academy of Management and former General Editor of the Academy of Management Perspectives and Journal of Management Studies. Visit https://www.aib.world/frontline-ib/garry-bruton/ for the original video interview.
Hear about one of the fastest growing companies based in Kingston, Ontario. In this episode we interview MaxSold CEO Sushee Perumal (whom holds an MBA from Smith School of Business at Queen's). MaxSold, with operations across North America, is in the re-commerce space (for customers downsizing their home, for example, MaxSold will photograph contents to be sold via an on-line auction process).Sushee was an engaging interviewee whom shared the founding story of MaxSold, creation of a minimum viable product, finding product market fit through their recent $16M+ financing together together with plans to continue their corporate growth.For more information, please follow MaxSold and Sushee Perumal on Twitter (@maxsold and @susheeperumal, respectively).For Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Resources at Queen's, please see:- Queen's Partnerships and Innovation - link- Dunin-Deshpande Queen's Innovation Centre – link- Smith School of Business – Centre for Business Venturing- link
Watch this podcast in Video:➽ https://youtu.be/mQnDVYSlpsA Text: PODCAST to 201.281.9651 to get added to the distribution list Sit Down with Sid podcast is a podcast hosted by Sid Gandotra. The podcast is about people we encounter in our everyday lives - the people we can actually relate to. This podcast is about their lives, struggles, fears, experiences, failures and successes. Stay tuned for new episodes and guest appearances! About the Host:Sid Gandotra is a Founder, Digital Marketing and Branding Specialist, Creator of Sit Down with Sid podcast on YouTube, and Licensed Real Estate Salesperson in NYC. As a marketing professional, Sid has been instrumental in helping companies and entrepreneurs successfully grow their businesses with his laser-focused marketing strategies and exceptional customer service. Sid's worldly perspective and appreciation of cultural diversity fuels his genuine interest in people and learning about them. He hails from New Delhi, India, and speaks English and Hindi fluently. Sid also holds a Bachelors and a Master's Degree, with concentrations in marketing. His interests include reading books, exploring new places, weight training and going on adventures. ✿ Connect with Sid:▶Website: https://bit.ly/3l7V8tc ▶LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3GczqNg About the Guest:Dr. Ana Siqueira is an Associate Professor of Management and Director of the Center for Socially Responsible Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Judy Linder is the Director of Development & Planned Giving at William Paterson University. A specialist in entrepreneurship, strategic management, international business, and management of technology and innovation, Dr. Ana has published her research in the Journal of Business Ethics, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, and Journal of Business Venturing, among others listed on Google Scholar. She is a co-founder of Reframery, an online platform that empowers diverse individuals in various countries to develop socially and environmentally responsible organizations. Connect with the Guest:➽LinkedIn (Dr. Ana Siqueira) - https://bit.ly/3OkrZb7➽LinkedIn (Judy Linder) - https://bit.ly/36NB4Z8➽WPUNJ - https://bit.ly/3vv9Y12➽Center For Socially Responsible Entrepreneurship and Innovation @WPUNJ - https://bit.ly/3uSamYi➽Email: CSREI@wpunj.edu ----------------------------------------✽--------------------------------------------- To reach the team at Sit Down with Sid Podcast:➽Email: sitdownwithsidpodcast@gmail.com➽Website: https://bit.ly/3nkziTx➽Instagram: https://bit.ly/3kZWLJK➽Facebook: https://bit.ly/3miOobB #sitdownwithsidpodcast #williampatersonuniversity #Entrepreneurship #Innovation
Frontline IB: Conversations With International Business Scholars
Robert E. Hoskisson is the George R. Brown Emeritus Chair of Strategic Management at the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business, Rice University. Dr. Hoskisson received his Ph.D. from the University of California-Irvine. His research topics focus on corporate governance, acquisitions and divestitures, corporate and international diversification, and cooperative strategy. He has taught courses in corporate and international strategic management, and strategy consulting. He has co-authored over 30 books, including a recent book entitled Understanding and Managing Strategic Governance. Dr. Hoskisson has served on several editorial boards for such publications as the Strategic Management Journal (Associate Editor), Academy of Management Journal (Consulting Editor), Journal of International Business Studies (Consulting Editor), Journal of Management (Associate Editor), and Organization Science. His research has appeared in over 130 publications, including the Strategic Management Journal, Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Organization Science, Journal of Management, Academy of Management Perspective, Academy of Management Executive, Journal of Management Studies, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Business Venturing, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, California Management Review, and Journal of World Business. Dr. Hoskisson is a fellow of the Academy of Management and Strategic Management Society. He completed three years of service as a Representative-at-Large on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Management. He also served as President of the Strategic Management Society, and served on the Executive Committee of its Board of Directors for six years as well as another six years as a director prior to serving on the Executive Committee. Visit https://www.aib.world/frontline-ib/robert-hoskisson/ for the original video interview.
In this episode, we interview the founder and CEO of Fictionary - Kristina Stanley. Combining her degree in computer mathematics with her success as a best-selling author and fiction editor, Kristina is the creator and driving force behind Fictionary - a book editing software for writers and professional editors. To learn more about Fictionary, please visit their website or follow them on Twitter.Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Resources at Queen's: Queen's Partnerships and Innovation - link Dunin-Deshpande Queen's Innovation Centre – link Smith School of Business – Centre for Business Venturing- link
Frontline IB: Conversations With International Business Scholars
Arjen van Witteloostuijn is Professor of Business and Economics at the Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam and Dean of the VU School of Business and Economics in the Netherlands, as well as Research Professor in Business, Economics and Governance at the University of Antwerp and Antwerp Management School in Belgium. In the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s, he was affiliated with the University of Groningen, University Maastricht, Tilburg University and Utrecht University (all four the Netherlands), and Cardiff University and Durham University (both in the United Kingdom), and he visited New York University (the US) and Warwick Business School (the UK). He holds degrees in Business, Economics and Psychology. He is (former) member of the editorial board of, e.g., the, Academy Management Journal, Cross-Cultural and Strategic Management, British Journal of Management, Industrial and Corporate Change, Journal of International Business Studies, Organization Studies and Strategic Organization. He was/is member of the Economic Advisory Council of the Dutch Parliament and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences (KNAW), and Fellow of the Academy of International Business (AIB). He has published widely in such international journals as the Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Accounting, Organizations & Society, American Journal of Political Science, American Journal of Sociology, American Sociological Review, British Journal of Political Science, Economica, Industrial Relations, International Journal of Industrial Organization, Journal of Business Venturing, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Management, Journal of Management Studies, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Management Science, Organization Science, Organization Studies, Personality and Individual Differences, Public Administration Review, and Strategic Management Journal. He strongly believes in work that crosses multiple disciplines. Visit https://www.aib.world/frontline-ib/arjen-van-witteloostuijn/ for the original video interview.
In this episode, we interview the founder of House of Three - Lisa Henderson. With over 20 years of design experience, Lisa has worked as a building inspector, a designer for a home builder, a kitchen designer, flipped houses, and taught architecture as a college professor – before following her dream of owning her own business. House of Three is an architectural technology firm that produces BCIN-licensed, predesigned house plans, custom designs, and renovation blueprints.For more information on House of Three, please visit their website (here) or follow on social media (here).Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Resources at Queen's: Queen's Partnerships and Innovation - link Dunin-Deshpande Queen's Innovation Centre – link Smith School of Business – Centre for Business Venturing- link
University of Colorado-Boulder professors Jeff York and Brad Werner distill entrepreneurship research into actionable insights. CREATIVE DISTILLATION Jeff York | Associate Professor | Research Director jeffrey.york@colorado.edu Brad Werner | Instructor | Teaching Director walter.werner@colorado.edu Deming Center for Entrepreneurship | CU Leeds School of Business 303.492.9018 | deming@colorado.edu — EPISODE 23 Twisted Pine Brewing and Stakeholder Identification in New Ventures On Episode 23, the Creative Distillation crew settles in at Twisted Pine Brewing in Boulder. With their expert and gracious hosts Bob Baile (owner) and Jeff Griffith (head brewer), Brad and Jeff delve deeply into the brewery's history and culture -- and 26-item beer list -- and talk about the challenges of micro-brewing, the importance of employee empowerment and community involvement, and the runaway success of their extremely spicy and award-winning Ghost Face Killah brew. Brad and Jeff then discuss the paper "Stakeholder identification as entrepreneurial action: The social process of stakeholder enrollment in new venture emergence," (Journal of Business Venturing) which looks into the importance of new ventures identifying stakeholders (including financiers, employees, customers, suppliers and communities) through social action (aka talking to people), and how that can guide a venture's entrepreneurial imagination and development. The paper is authored by J. Robert Mitchell (Colorado State, Western University), Trevor L. Israelsen (Univ. of Victoria), Ronald K. Mitchell (Texas Tech) and Dominic S.K. Kim (Western University). Read the paper: https://www.ronaldmitchell.org/publications/JBV%20Mitchell%20et%20al.%202021.pdf Comments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note at CDpodcast@colorado.edu. Thanks for listening. - An Analog Digital Arts Production for the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship Produced, recorded and edited by Joel Davis "AcidJazz" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Dr. Sharon Alvarez is the Thomas W. Olofson Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies at the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh. She previously served as the Walter Koch Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship at the Daniels College of Business, University of Denver, and, prior to that Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Management and the Academic Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at the Max M. Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University. A Max Planck Scholar at the Max Planck Institute for Entrepreneurship and Economic Systems Research, Alvarez has been a visiting professor at Sun-Yet-Sen University in China, the University of Alberta, and the University of Utah. Her current research includes entrepreneurship theory of opportunities, firm, and market emergence. Elected to the Board of Governors of the Academy of Management in 2020, Professor Alvarez is currently Vice President Elect and Program Chair and will serve as President in 2023; she is Past Chair of the Entrepreneurship Division of the Academy of Management and was the 2015 Denver Program Chair for the Strategic Management Society as well as Representative at Large for the SMS Entrepreneurship Interest Group. She is associate editor for the Academy of Management Review and past associate editor for Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal. Her work has been published in a multitude of journals and outlets, including Academy of Management Review, Organization Science, Strategic Management Journal, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, Academy of Management Perspectives, Academy of Management Executive, Journal of Business Venturing, Journal of Management, and Human Resource Management Journal. The recipient of numerous awards for excellence in research and teaching, Professor Alvarez's paper (with Barney) “Discovery and Creation: Alternative Theories of Entrepreneurial Action” won the Academy of Management's Entrepreneurship Division 2019 Foundational Paper Award as well as the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal Best Paper Award; her paper (with Barney) “Forming and Exploiting Opportunities: The Implications of Discovery and Creation Processes for Entrepreneurial and Organizational Research” was the runner-up for the INFORMS award; and her paper (with Barney) “How Entrepreneurs Organize under Conditions of Uncertainty” won the Journal of Management Best Paper Award. Her work in the Journal of Management is the 27th most cited article in the last 50 years; she has currently close to 13,000 citations overall. To this day, the paper “Discovery and Creation: Alternative Theories of Entrepreneurial Action” is the most cited paper in the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal. Visit https://www.aib.world/frontline-ib/sharon-alvarez/ for the original video interview.
Hear Peter van der Velden (2x Queen's grad - M.Sc. in pathology and an honours B.Sc. in life sciences), the Managing General Partner at share the story of Lumira Ventures. Lumira Ventures is a North American healthcare venture capital firm with a two-decade track record investing in transformative biomedical companies. In July of 2021, Lumira announced a $225M (US Dollars) fund, the largest life sciences focused venture fund ever raised in Canada. Lumira also recently launched the Lumira Ventures Venture Innovation Program (Lumira VIP). The Lumira VIP is designed for a select and highly qualified group of Canadian students from leading academic institutions who want to gain exposure to life sciences venture capital and start-ups, and are committed to pushing the future of life sciences innovation forward.For more information, please follow Lumira Ventures and Peter van der Velden on Twitter (@LumiraVentures and @Petervencap, respectively).For Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Resources at Queen's, please see:- Queen's Partnerships and Innovation - link- Dunin-Deshpande Queen's Innovation Centre – link- Smith School of Business – Centre for Business Venturing- link
In this episode, we interview the founder and CEO of Limestone Analytics - Dr. Bahman Kashi. Dr. Kashi holds a PhD in Economics and, prior to Limestone, he worked as a consultant in the areas of public investment management, economic analysis of development projects, and evaluation of social programs. To learn more about Limestone Analytics, please visit their website or follow them on Twitter.Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Resources at Queen's: Queen's Partnerships and Innovation - link Dunin-Deshpande Queen's Innovation Centre – link Smith School of Business – Centre for Business Venturing- link
Hear Neil Wainwright (Queen's Engineering & Applied Sciences grad and 8x startup founder) share the founding and growth story of Nexonia – a Software as a Service to track and submit expense reports. Neil shares words of advice on the following topics:- Incubate as a side hustle, use consulting or other work to support yourself- Have a detailed focus on customer success- Be patient, but persistent – building a startup can take many yearsFollow Neil on social media: @neildwainwrightFor Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Resources at Queen's, please see:- Queen's Partnerships and Innovation - link- Dunin-Deshpande Queen's Innovation Centre – link- Smith School of Business – Centre for Business Venturing- link
Frontline IB: Conversations With International Business Scholars
Nicole Coviello is Professor of Marketing and the Lazaridis Chair of International Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Canada. Previously, she was the Research Director of the Lazaridis Institute for the Management of Technology Enterprises. Nicole's other academic appointments have been in New Zealand (University of Auckland; University of Waikato), Canada (University of Calgary) and Finland (University of Turku). Nicole's research intersects international business, marketing strategy, and entrepreneurship. She has multiple publications in the top journals of all three of these disciplines, including the Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of World Business, Journal of Marketing, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, and Journal of Business Venturing. Nicole is also co-editor of the Handbook of Measures for International Entrepreneurship Research (with Helena Yli-Renko). In 2018, an international study showed Nicole to have four of the most influential publications in International Marketing- more than any other scholar in the world. In 2020, she was ranked as one of the top 1% of Business and Management scholars in the world. Nicole holds a PhD in Marketing and International Business (University of Auckland), an MSc in Technology Management (University of Saskatchewan) and a BComm Hons Marketing (University of Saskatchewan). In 2010, she also received an honorary doctorate from the Turku School of Economics for her work in building the field of International Entrepreneurship. She is Associate Editor at the Journal of Business Venturing, Consulting Editor at the Journal of International Business Studies, and she sits on numerous other editorial boards. Visit https://www.aib.world/frontline-ib/nicole-coviello/ for the original video interview.
In this episode, we hear from the team behind the Cadenza Practice App (Dr. Rena Upitis and Jodie Compeau). The Cadenza Practice App is an online tool for music teachers. This platform helps music teachers stay organized, while motivating and communicating with students to self-regulate their practice time and continually improve their skills.Follow this project on Facebook (here). Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Resources at Queen's: Queen's Partnerships and Innovation - link Dunin-Deshpande Queen's Innovation Centre – link Smith School of Business – Centre for Business Venturing- link
Summary This week we explore how showing the right amount of emotion can improve the impact you have on others and their willingness to invest in your ideas. Transcript Hello and welcome to episode 114 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we bring research to life in your leadership. This week we explore how showing the right amount of emotion can improve the impact you have on others and their willingness to invest in your ideas. A common misunderstanding of Emotional Intelligence is that it’s all about holding back our emotions. This is certainly a part of Emotional Intelligence. After all, yelling at someone in the lunch room at work for not putting their cup in the dishwasher is probably not going to win you an employee of the month award. But Emotional Intelligence is not just about holding back emotions that might have a negative impact on others. It’s also about harnessing our emotions to have a more positive impact on others. Our ability to understand our own emotional state and how to manage our emotions is crucial, as is being able to empathise with others and build effective relationships. The goal of building Emotional Intelligence isn’t to become emotion-less. Rather it’s to acknowledge and use our emotions to improve our impact and performance. However, showing too much emotion can also be off putting to others. We need to be able to read the situation. It ends up being the classic Goldilocks scenario, where we need to demonstrate enough, but not too much, emotion. This has been backed up by a recent study. Researchers used facial analysis software to scan through around 500 Kickstarter promotional videos. Kickstarter is a platform that allows people to gain funding for their prototype ideas with people committing funds to buy the product, but only being charged once the product is produced and shipped. Sometimes there’s enough funding to go ahead, and sometimes there isn’t. It was relatively easy for researchers to measure the effectiveness of each Kickstarter campaign through the funding it received. Meanwhile, the facial analysis software examined each frame of every pitch video to determine the emotion being demonstrated. What the study found was fascinating. The pitches that included facial expressions moving through a range of happiness, anger, sadness and fear ended up being more successful in terms of funding. It seems like the range of facial expressions and the emotions they convey has a positive impact on those choosing to invest or walk away. Their qualitative analysis showed that effective pitches involved initial signs of happiness as the entrepreneur introduced themselves, followed by anger to demonstrate their determination to overcome a problem, followed then by fear as they talked about the risk and challenge. Those who were less successful tended to use a more consistent emotional expression - perhaps smiling the whole way through or demonstrating little overt emotion. There are limits to this approach though. Showing too much of one emotion too often though was associated with less funding received. So this week, feel free to show a little more emotion at work. Express your hope for the future, your determination to succeed, your excitement at working with your colleagues. Above all though - be yourself and harness your emotions. And while we’re talking about improving your leadership, just a reminder that we have an upcoming webinar called Delegation Without the Drama on the 27th or 28th of May depending on where you are in the world. There’s a link to register in the show notes. Have a great week. SIGN UP FOR A FREE 30 DAY TRIAL OF LEADERSHIP TODAY ON-DEMAND Reference Benjamin J. Warnick, Blakley C. Davis, Thomas H. Allison, Aaron H. Anglin. Express yourself: Facial expression of happiness, anger, fear, and sadness in funding pitches. Journal of Business Venturing, 2021; 36 (4): 106109 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusvent.2021.106109
FEATURED GUESTS Ruth V. Aguilera Ruth V. Aguilera (Harvard University, Ph.D.) is the Darla and Frederick Brodsky Trustee Professor in Global Business and Distinguished Professor, International Business and Strategy at Northeastern University’s D'Amore-McKim School of Business. She is also a Visiting Professor at ESADE Business School in Spain. Her research interests lie at the intersection of strategic organization and global strategy, specializing in international corporate governance and corporate social responsibility/sustainability. She has written close to a hundred academic and professional articles on these research topics. She is an Associate Editor at the Academy of Management Review and Consulting Editor at the Journal of International Business Studies. She serves on the board of directors of the Strategic Management Society and the International Corporate Governance Society and is a Fellow of the Academy of International Business and the Strategic Management Society. Aguilera teaches executives and advises companies on issues related to corporate governance across a variety of countries (Spain, U.K., Mexico, Peru, etc.) and organizations on areas that range from the development of effective corporate governance of family-owned businesses to improving ESG performance and D&I practices. Venkat Kuppuswamy Venkat Kuppuswamy is an Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the D'Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University. His research investigates the influence of race and gender in entrepreneurship and other economic domains, including interventions to mitigate racial and gender biases in these contexts. In 2020, he was the inaugural recipient of the prestigious Bradford-Osborne Research Award from the University of Washington, the first national award to recognize research published in peer-reviewed journals that contributes to advancing the growth of businesses owned by people of color. He was also the recipient of the best paper award from the Journal of Business Venturing in 2019 for his work on racial bias on crowdfunding platforms. His research has been covered by numerous publications including The Atlantic, Forbes, NPR, and the Harvard Business Review. He is affiliated with the Center for Emerging Markets at Northeastern University’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business, which supports his research on corporate governance in emerging markets. Prior to Northeastern University, Kuppuswamy served on the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and he received his Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) from Harvard Business School. RELATED RESOURCED Resources for India’s COVID-19 Crisis, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.Aguilera, Ruth V., Venkat Kuppuswamy, Rahul Anand, “What Happened When India Mandated Gender Diversity on Boards ,” Harvard Business Review(February 05, 2021).
Visit www.agileinnovationleaders.com for the full episode shownotes (including interview transcript and bonus resources - free chapter of Where to Play and Navigator worksheets). Guest Bio: Dr. Marc Gruber is full professor at the College of Management of Technology at EPFL where he holds the Chair of Entrepreneurship and Technology Commercialization (ENTC) and was Vice President for Innovation at EPFL in the 2017-2021 presidency period. Marc also acted as Associate (2013-2016) and as Deputy Editor (2017-2020) at the Academy of Management Journal (AMJ), the highest ranked empirical research journal in the management domain. Furthermore, Marc is co-author of the book “Where to Play: 3 Steps for Discovering Your Most Valuable Market Opportunities”, which introduces the Market Opportunity Navigator – a practical business tool that was recently added to the ‘Lean Startup' toolset by Steve Blank and is used by tens of thousands of startups and established firms to improve their capabilities in opportunity identification and new wealth creation. Marc Gruber joined EPFL in the fall of 2005 coming from the Munich School of Management, University of Munich (LMU), where he held the position as vice-director of the Institute of Innovation Research, Technology Management and Entrepreneurship (INNOtec) and established the LMU's Center for Entrepreneurship. He has held several visiting scholar posts at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, where he conducts research on technology commercialization and entrepreneurship. He is also a visiting professor at the Business School of Imperial College, London. Marc has published his research on innovation, strategy and entrepreneurship in several leading journals such as the Academy of Management Journal, Management Science, Strategic Management Journal, and the Journal of Business Venturing. In an independent research study on the most impactful entrepreneurship scholars (Gupta et al., 2016), Marc was ranked as the worldwide #1 researcher in entrepreneurship for the 2005-2015 period (shared #1 spot), and among the worldwide top 5 for the 2000-2015 period. Beyond his research work, he is currently authoring a textbook on technology commercialization and was the co-editor of a textbook on entrepreneurship as well as a regular contributor to a weekly column on entrepreneurship in the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”. Marc Gruber received a doctorate from the University of St. Gallen (UNISG) in 2000. In spring 2005, he received a venia legendi from the Munich School of Management (LMU) for his habilitation thesis on marketing in new ventures. Websites/ Resource URLs Where to Play website: https://wheretoplay.co/ Download WhereToPlay_Part1_Sample Chapter pdf here Download Navigator and Worksheets here Steve Blank's Blog on Flyability https://steveblank.com/2019/05/07/how-to-stop-playing-target-market-roulette-a-new-addition-to-the-lean-toolset/ Steve Blank's Blog on the Market Opportunity Navigator https://steveblank.com/2020/06/23/winners-rising-out-of-the-crisis-where-to-find-new-markets-and-customers/ Scott Shane's article on Prior Knowledge and the Discovery of Entrepreneurial Opportunities https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/orsc.11.4.448.14602 MIT articles on commercializing 3D printing: http://meche.mit.edu/news-media/new-era-3d-printing https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/innovation-lessons-from-3-d-printing/ Marc Gruber contact/ social media: Email: mark.gruber@epfl.ch LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbgruber/ Twitter: @MarcBGruber Books/ Resources: Where to Play: 3 Steps to Discovering Your Most Valuable Market Opportunities by Marc Gruber and Sharon Tal Four Steps to the Epiphany: Successful Strategies for Products That Win by Steve Blank The Startup Owner's Manual: The Step by Step Guide for Building a Great Company by Steve Blank and Bob Dorf The Lean Startup: How Constant Innovation Creates Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers by Alexander Osterwalder & Yves Pigneur Value Proposition Design: How to Create Products and Services Customers Want by Alexander Osterwalder & Yves Pigneur The End of Competitive Advantage: How to Keep Your Strategy Moving as Fast as Your Business by Rita Gunther McGrath The Theory of the Growth of the Firm by Edith Penrose The Entrepreneurial Mindset: Strategies for Continuously Creating Opportunity in an Age of Uncertainty by Rita McGrath and Ian MacMillan Related podcast episodes Steve Blank (Episode 1): http://podcast.agileinnovationleaders.com/website/1-steve-blank-on-the-need-for-innovation-showing-up-and-learning-from-failure Alex Osterwalder (Episode 3): http://podcast.agileinnovationleaders.com/website/s1e003-alex-osterwalder-on-the-3-characteristics-of-invincible-companies-and-how-he-stays-grounded-as-a-leader Sharon Tal (Episode 6): http://podcast.agileinnovationleaders.com/website/s1e005-sharon-tal-on-how-to-identify-the-best-market-opportunities-for-your-ideas-or-innovations-in-a-structured-way Interview Transcript Ula: 00:26 Hi everyone. My guest today is Dr Marc Gruber. He is a full professor at the College of Management of Technology at EPFL (a Science & Technology Higher Education Institution located in Switzerland). Marc is also the Chair of Entrepreneurship and Technology Commercialisation at EPFL and amongst his numerous other achievements, he co-authored the book Where to Play: 3 Steps for Discovering Your Most Valuable Market Opportunities with Dr Sharon Tal. This episode complements the conversation I'd had with Sharon in Episode 6. This time around, Marc shares his side of the story behind the book. He also explains how the Market Opportunity Navigator fits in with other Lean Start Up tools like the Business Model Canvas, Customer Discovery & Development, etc. With no further ado, ladies and gentlemen, my conversation with Marc Gruber. Enjoy! Ula: 01:35 Dr Marc Gruber, thank you so much for joining me on the Agile Innovation Leaders podcast. Marc Gruber: 01:41 Thank you very much for inviting me Ula. It is a pleasure to be here. Ula: 01:45 So, let's get started. Marc, I understand that you love art, can you tell me more about that? Marc Gruber: 01:52 I'm a very visual person. That's why I think early on, I developed this love for art. You know, I like to go to museums, galleries, etc. and I think it inspired my research work, how I write, but also the tools that I develop for managers, for entrepreneurs… Because it should be visual. It should be appealing. This is an interesting combination, because it combined somehow your love for the artistic, but also your research, you are typically very scientific, you are very rigorous and structured. And I think combining both worlds, it's actually quite an exciting journey. Ula: 02:26 Hmmm… Now, that's interesting. So, can you give me an example where your love for art has inspired your research work? Marc Gruber: 02:35 Well, I … it's less that it would inspire my research work in the sense that I have a concrete research question based on it. But it's more like, whenever I write, you know, write a paper or article, I think I have this… it can be a nice paragraph. But I know that I could always improve on that. It's more like a feeling that I have, that I think that there's an artistic quality towards writing research papers, that's where I see a lot of parallels. Because it's, in some sense, I when I write and there's a mistake, or there's something not so nice in the paragraph, I somehow view it, I see it, that's the link where art comes in… it can be improved. And same with music, you can hear if there's something that can be improved. Ula: 03:16 Now, that's an interesting analogy. I've also heard Steve Blank, say entrepreneurs are artists, and a good artist knows that the first instance of their work can never be the last one, there's always iterations. Marc Gruber: 03:31 Exactly. And I think that's when you write a nice research paper, or write any book or develop a tool, it should be the same type of instinct. You want to improve on it. You want to … not only do your best, but it has some intrinsic quality that you're trying to achieve that satisfies you. Ula: 03:49 Interesting, so do you paint also? Marc Gruber: 03:52 Yeah, I should make more time for it. There's no time now. I'm more of a passive art lover nowadays. When I go to conferences to give speeches, I like to go to the museums and galleries and check out the new artists, the established ones. You know, so it's, this is kind of nice because once in a while you see a nice piece, and then you acquire it and then, it travels with you for life, because you have it. Being one of these people, I like to collect these things, I would never sell them. Ula: 04:22 Who's your favorite artist? Marc Gruber: 04:24 My favorite one is Gerhard Richter from Germany. He's now 86 or so, he's a very accomplished person. He's one of the few who have truly shaped three, four different styles in art - coming up with them, you know. So you had Picasso with his different periods, but Richter has his very abstract art, and some photorealistic art, and so on. So, you really shape three, four different types of art movements in that sense. And that's quite impressive, because most artists are happy and satisfied if they can do one thing, you know, one type of trademark art, and he has done multiple. That's quite unique. Then you try to, as someone who likes art, try to understand what's the intrinsic quality that cuts across all of them. Ula: 05:05 So, the feeling of knowing when something is finished, is it like a satisfaction or a sense of pride… is something you can describe with words? Marc Gruber: 05:14 It's difficult to describe with words, but definitely, it's satisfaction - you like it. It matches your own aspirations. And you know it deep down and then you become immune to what reviewers would say. So you think, ‘Ok, I've done the work that I enjoy'. It doesn't mean that I'm neglecting what the reviewers would say, that's an intellectual stimulus that you get then from the outside. Ula: 05:37 Now moving on to your book, Where to Play: Three Steps for Discovering Your Most Valuable Market Opportunities. So, you co-authored this book with Sharon Tal. Can you tell us a bit about the inspiration behind this book? Marc Gruber: 05:53 This book goes back… my research work… to about 2001 or 2002, when I started teaching that was back then at the University of Munich, about this early stage in entrepreneurship. And I had entrepreneurs in front of me who always struggled to figure out, not doing the prototypes, etc. They struggled to figure out for whom to do the prototypes, what is a good market to play in. And drive it in multiple ways number one to understand which market domains are out there for them, and which they could address in seconds and which one is might or may not be such a good one. And this is a very interesting process that relies a lot on creativity etc. And we'll probably talk about this later on. But there was a paper by a very famous entrepreneurship researcher called Scott Shane. He studied 3D printing from MIT, how it was commercialized - as shown very nicely in his paper - that this technology, this innovation was commercialized by a couple of different people. But all of them basically applied it to the industrial domain, they knew best. Which basically meant, well, there were some people who applied it, maybe to print architectural models, others applied it to dentistry, etc. What was quite interesting for me was, the question while all of these people identified at least one opportunity, but there were some that were extremely valuable opportunities, some that were not valuable at all. So, in that sense, what I asked (in) my research was, you know, could an entrepreneur who sees more opportunities actually benefit from this choice that that he or she would generate? And this is a question that when you look at it, it's a very fundamental nature to entrepreneurship, because the market you choose shapes, not only the profit potential, the value creation potential, but it chooses, it also shapes the identity, in a way, of the company. So in that sense, I got intrigued by this question. I collected some data, then had the pleasure of having a research day at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, when I met Ian MacMillan, one of the very famous entrepreneurship scholars. It turned out that he grappled with the similar ideas that I had grappled with and I had data to investigate to analyze about these early stages in the entrepreneurial process. And we sat together, discussed it, and we have been working on this topic, as scholars ever since the first few papers came out, then end of 2008. This was a very rewarding journey that took a couple of years, then Sharon, my co-author joined the team, where she did her PhD on the topic, collecting data mainly in Israel. And after she was finished, you know, there were now more than a handful of papers. There were other authors who had started studying this topic, knowing this from the research side, but on the other hand, also seeing that there's a lot of interest by startups, but also then from large companies and understanding this early stage process better. And then Sharon and I said, ‘Okay, let's write a book.' ‘Let's solidify this; let's make sure that others can understand it and get it get access to the information because we cannot answer so many phone calls or write so many emails, always explaining the same thing.' So, in that sense, a book is a convenient tool to multiply yourself. And that's how it (the book) came about. But it happened over 15 years of research that then culminated in an effort to write a book. We initially thought it was three months' effort to write a book, it took us two years. Ula: 09:09 Oh, wow! So, 15 years of effort, of research and it took you about two years to now put together the outcome from the research. Marc Gruber: 09:19 Yeah, we thought you know, we've done the research so we should be able to write it down easily… develop a tool, a business framework around it. But that was the hard part, to write something where know the depth, where know it from the research side, you have seen thousands of cases, and then being true to yourself as a researcher and say, hey, it should be simple but not simplistic. And this is a fine line to walk for any author. Because the tool will be applied when it's simple (and) easy to use, but it also will only be applied if it delivers real value. Everyone can dumb down any question as much as one wants but then it's not useful anymore. Finding that fine line between having a simple tool but that is still useful, valuable. So, it took some time to iterate, develop different visuals, develop different explanations. After all, it I think it turned out nicely. It was just a journey that is common to anyone developing a prototype. So, in that sense, what we did there with the tool is nothing less, nothing more than developing another prototype. If you want to do it, well, it's not like a simple task. Ula: 10:22 I have read the book, it's so easy to read, very simple to understand, but not simplistic, as you've said. Why… it's quite easy to miss the amount of work it takes to make things easy and accessible. Marc Gruber: 10:36 After the fact it always looks (like) it's simple. That's exactly the reaction we want to have; that's what a framework needs to do. It needs to boil down… guide you to the main issues, help you ask the right questions and give you good answers. Great admiration for everything Alex Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur did with the Business Model Canvas book, because that's a fantastic book to really enjoy. Ula: 10:58 I have read that, yes. Could you tell us a bit more about the Market Opportunity Navigator? Because that seems to be the centerpiece of the book Where to Play. Marc Gruber: 11:09 So, the book is called Where to Play as you say. It addresses this very fundamental question, ‘Which market domain should I enter?' This is a question, if you break it down analytically, you can say, ‘Hey I first want to understand (the) playground, you know, my opportunity landscape. It's not straightforward to figure this out. Some people might think oh, I can only play in one domain but I am yet to meet an entrepreneur who actually is trapped in one domain only. Normally entrepreneurs can play in multiple domains using their competencies. Let me give you a simple example. It's a drone company out of Lausanne (Switzerland), Flyability - that Steve Blank also featured in his blog post about the book. This drone company that has created a drone in a cage, of course for such a company, they were inspired by market needs in the nuclear energy domain, but then realized there might be better market domains out there. And they did it early enough to avoid any costly pivots. Oftentimes, companies realize that only after a couple of months, maybe even years that the market domain that they had originally identified is not as performant as it could or should be. Then they need to pivot. We wondered - with our practical work with startups, with innovators and established firms - how to make this process a bit more philosophical. This doesn't mean you have a crystal ball and exactly know what the future will bring; this is not at all the idea. Quite to the contrary, in innovation, we all know that you cannot predict the future. But what is particular is that you can also already in advance, try to understand some basic features of your markets. You know, some are highly congested, some are not, some are growth markets, some are shrinking markets, etc., etc. So, there are parameters where you can say, ‘I can make an informed choice.' Second, what you can do by having this from a bird's eye view is to bake agility into the DNA of your staff. Just think about the brand name you're gonna choose. If you have a company that is doing drones, you know, this company in Lausanne that I was talking about called itself Flyability. With this name, you basically can enter any type of domain. They could also have called themselves Drones for the Inspection of Nuclear Energy Plants. This would lock them in even more into this domain and would make a pivot even harder if it should become necessary. So, in short, what we want to do with the method is to provide you with a tool to figure out what are your potential domains out there, your opportunities. And second, provide a tool that allows you to become a more agile star. And both together I think, are a winning combination that allows you to navigate this difficult and uncertain process of startup creation, of early stage innovation. Ula: 13:47 Thanks a lot Marc for that. In your book, you summarized the Market Opportunity Navigator framework as consisting of three steps. Could you let the audience know what these three steps are please? Marc Gruber: 14:02 With pleasure! The Market Opportunity Navigator has a main dashboard which depicts the three steps. The first step is the opportunity bag, you know, it's a little bag where you collect all the opportunities that you identified. The second step consists of a matrix that allows you to evaluate the attractiveness matrix. And the third step is to enter a focus, could we say, hey, that's where I focus and these could be good plan B's, in case my plan A doesn't work out or a good growth option in case my plan A works out. These three steps are depicted on the main navigator board, but behind each step is a worksheet that helps you to walk through these questions and address the main question. So, the first worksheet is dedicated towards helping you understand the different playgrounds you have, you know, the different opportunities that exist for you. It creates, therefore, the opportunity landscape. The underlying idea is that you delink your existing competencies from a concrete application. You know, also in the case of this drone company, they should think about the drones, the capabilities, the competencies they have in their own right without really linking it to any domain. And then have a creative brainstorming session internally and externally with external people to understand what is really the scope of my activities. And this is the first worksheet that helps you to figure out the opportunity landscape. The second worksheet is a worksheet that helps you to evaluate these options that you identified. This is a worksheet that builds on 50 years of venture capital research. Most of your listeners will probably be familiar with the venture capital domain and know that one of the core tasks of a venture capitalist is to understand the prospect of an early stage venture. Venture capitalists have developed a rich set of tools basically to analyze the attractiveness of potential ventures that are presented to them. And we drew on 50 years of research in this domain, and this was really hard work to bring them together into factors that shape the attractiveness, and factors that shape the challenge level in ranking an opportunity, which will combine to provide you with an assessment of how good or not so good these opportunities are. Again, under uncertainty which means while you'll need to maybe adjust your information over time etc. (because these are six factors in total), it had to give entrepreneurs and innovators a more complete view of the factors that matter. Because you might have realized that yourself when you talk to the entrepreneurs, they always excited about the opportunities they're pursuing. Usually they focus on one dimension, you know, think about market size, ‘Wow, that's a big market - that's great!' … or competitive advantage, ‘Hey, we are ahead of the competition. That's great!' But normally what they don't have (is) a pluralistic view of all the key challenges that could hinder the development - time to first revenue, which is a key metric, as entrepreneurship has shown and how long it takes to make these sales, how difficult it is to make the sales, how big (the sales are), and so on. So, you have a couple of metrics that in combination are giving you a more rounded picture of how good or not so good the opportunity is. And if you do this, not only for one opportunity, but for multiple ones, you will quickly realize that not all opportunities are alike. You know, some are high growth, some are low growth, some are highly congested, some are not so congested. With some you have a high margin, with some you have a low margin. And in combination, you have the matrix, which is then the second step in the (Market Opportunity) Navigator that allows you to assess each opportunity, but also the portfolio that you have. The third step is then building on this one, where you can say, ‘Now that I've seen multiple opportunities, (I) have a portfolio in my hands, what should I actually do?' And there, the tool is non-prescriptive, you choose what you want to do, you know, we have in the matrix, the gold mines - low challenge level, high potential; we have moonshots which have a high potential, high challenge, we have the questionables - which have high challenge but low potential; and the quick wins - which have low potential, but also have low challenge level. So, you might want to say, ‘I'll start with the gold mine' or you might want to say, ‘I feel I am the next Elon Musk, I want to change stuff with a moonshot.' Others might say, ‘You know, I'll start with a quick win and use this to develop another opportunity; I'll earn money quickly but then I'll use the proceeds to do something bigger.' And still others might say, ‘Hey, I love this other domain so much. It's a questionable (domain) but, there's another dimension of pleasure that I get out of this.' So we're not prescriptive, but what we say is, ‘Look, you pick your favorite opportunity', but what we advise you to do is to say, ‘Hey, there might be a second opportunity, a third one that is closely related, so that you have growth options that you can efficiently exploit over time.' Or you have - if the first opportunity doesn't work out - you have a good plan B. That's actually quite an interesting concept. It's not something where you invest a lot of time, but in case things go sour, don't materialize, with your first choice… you know, you want to have a pivot that is not as painful as it could be. If you have to pivot, you want to have one that doesn't consume all your energy, your resources, your time or financial resources. Pivoting could be easier, if you have good foresight. Ula: 19:08 I like the illustration in your book, that's around having a backup plan that would help with a seamless pivot where required when you showed two mountains, and there was a bridge. It's kind of you know, depicted that when you have all these details, and you know what your backup plan is, you also would be working consciously to make sure the infrastructure is there, and you are not starting from ground zero again, if you need to pivot. Marc Gruber: 19:35 You can make it more flexible. Look at this drone example I gave you two minutes ago. This is something where you can say, ‘I know that the drone can be applied to inspecting bridges as much as it can be applied to inspecting silos, farm equipment, etc.' What you do is to build a drone that is going to be more flexibly adjusted. And this is like picking a great brand name that you can choose to use for these different domains. As much as that takes initially with a little bit of foresight, some agility into your venture that can make a big difference. When we talk to venture capitalists, they said, ‘Okay, this is a great tool, we wish every startup would come up with a Market Opportunity Navigator to (show) us, because it can clearly tell us that they have figured out what an attractive market is.' ‘They know what they do, they know what they don't want to do. They know what their plan B could be and they know that they are not a one trick pony that can only grow in this domain, but can grow in other domains.' This is creating an exciting value creation journey for the startup but also for the venture capitalists. Also, when you think about it, the little force that you can give to the entrepreneurial venture that is affordable under conditions of uncertainty, this little foresight that can get you a long way. Ula: 20:43 It could be the difference between success or massive failure really. Marc Gruber: 20:48 Absolutely, you know, I'm still yet to meet the first startup that really said, ‘I enjoyed pivoting.' This is often a task that creates not only financial inefficiencies, but a lot of worry in the team. You know, one of the founders firmly believed in a domain and that turns out to be not so great and the need for (a) pivot arises. It's also loss of status maybe within the team; there are quarrels, there are fights, there are redirections. This is not a pleasant period and if you can make this at least smoother by baking this agility as I called it into the DNA of your venture, a lot is gained. And if you maybe can avoid, like on average, not every startup, but on average, a significant number of startup can avoid pivoting then I think the process is also one where that is more rewarding. Ula: 21:38 You have explained the first two steps: searching broadly assessing deeply. And this all leads to the Agile Focus Dartboard. Can you tell us a bit more about that? Marc Gruber: 21:52 Yeah. So, you can picture in your head a dartboard actually with three layers… You have the focal element - that's the opportunity to focus on. And we are big supporters of the idea that you should focus on an opportunity, especially in your startup. When you have three, four people, it's nonsense that you chase too many balloons; you focus on one, but you keep others open as a secondary. Say, ‘Hey, I passively observe, I read newspaper reports maybe once in a while. So, I have a passive knowledge about these markets and keep myself current, because I realise that these might be interesting, additional options for me.' And then we have the third (outer) ring, which we call the storage where you say, ‘Look, there are some opportunities we studied, and they don't work out for us. So, we put these ideas away.' And this is actually more helpful than one might initially think. Because when I talk to entrepreneurs about this third step, they say, ‘Hey, look, this putting away is as valuable for us as the focus, because it helps you to keep what you might want to call mental hygiene. You have so many things constantly to address, to worry about in your venture, (so) if you can put something away, that's actually a relief. And that's why this third ring is actually much helpful to entrepreneurs. With the tools, you come from something unstructured, creative where you have a lot of opportunities, lots of options to something where you have evaluated them to a third step where you say, ‘Hey, that's where I should focus.' And that's then the focal point where, and I'm sure we talk about other tools later on, like a business model canvas, customer development, customer discovery, minimum viable product. We would say, ‘Hey let's learn with additional tools, whether this market domain that I selected is actually a good one.' So big picture of the tool is providing you with some kind of meta learning. You say, ‘Okay, that's what my company could potentially do.' I create (enable) agility. Now, let's learn about the ‘how to play' - the business model that works in your domain; the ideal prototype that you could develop for your target customers. So, the ‘where to play' and the ‘how to play' then form, the yin and the yang, if you want to call it that way. Ula: 23:57 You've nicely segued into the next question I have, which is about other business tools that the Market Opportunity Navigator can be used with? Can you go into more details on this, please? Marc Gruber: 24:10 So, when we designed the tool, we actually were careful in saying, ‘Hey, we know that there is a unique aspect to it that none of the other tools addresses. Let's design it in a way that's plug and play with the existing tools - so, it's non redundant. And actually, when we discussed with Steve Blank, he loved the idea so much that he'd said, ‘Okay, I'm gonna write a blog post about it, and integrate your (Market Opportunity Navigator) tool into my Lean toolset because it's missing some additional valuable learning that is critical for entrepreneurs and innovators.' So, it's non redundant with the other tools, but it forms a more complete tool, and therefore delivers value for the question but delivers that additional value to the other tools and vice versa. There's a nice blog post by Steve Blank called Stop Playing Target Market Roulette; a New Addition to the Lean Toolset. Ula: 24:56 Yes, I've read that. Marc Gruber: 24:57 Wonderful blog post, and it teaches this Flyability drone example, if you want to look at it. Ula: 25:02 We'll put it in the show notes. Yeah. Marc Gruber: 25:04 And there he explained actually how the tools work together. If you think big picture, you can say, well, the market opportunity navigator helps you to understand where to play, what is a good starting position for your venture. And then you would say, ‘Hey, for this starting position, for this domain, I now try to develop a business model that is appealing. And in order to develop a good business model, I need to figure out product-market fit.' So, I do customer discovery, I do a minimum viable product - we all know Osterwalder/ Pigneur's Business Model Canvas, you know. Steve Blank's tools about minimum viable product, customer discovery... Ula: 25:37 The Lean Startup… Marc Gruber: 25:39 …Exactly! The Lean method that is then extended and say okay, there's another layer to the lean that method. That's how he features it in the blog. So, what you have is basically, a nice suite of business tools that work nicely in conjunction. Each one adds value to the other one. And that's why I like to use them in my own classroom and my work with startups or with large enterprises. I like to apply them as a suite of tools because then people understand the logic behind each of them, but also get much more utility out of them if they combine them. Ula: 26:12 Hmm. So, it sounds like you know, the Market Opportunity Navigator gives you a view at a higher level, a macro level. And then once you've gotten those details and you've narrowed down on where to play, you can now drill down into you know, developing the business model canvas and testing your hypothesis using the Lean Startup method. Marc Gruber: 26:34 If you look at the Lean Startup tools, Business Model Canvas, as well… they don't really tell you where to play, you know, they assume that you have a market. Also, if you look at design thinking, you know, it's an important method nowadays and (needed) in the toolbox of any innovation manager, but it assumes you have a target market that is useful to investigate, to spend time before doing design thinking. But the question is, might there be a better target market out there where it's even more valuable to apply design thinking that is not addressed. Also, the Market Opportunity Navigator helps to address the question therefore, makes the design thinking method for that business model canvas all the other tools we have talked about, more valuable because it's more promising to do (use) them. Ula: 27:18 Do you so far, the focus of the conversation has been on how this market opportunity navigator framework is useful for startups? Can large organizations get some use out of it as well, if so, how? Marc Gruber: 27:33 That's a very good question. The book is written mainly from the perspective of startups. If you apply it to established companies, you know, I've done that multiple times now in workshops, this can be applied extremely smoothly. Established companies typically use the other tools. For the established companies, the where to play question is extremely important nowadays, because you know, you have all the new technologies that provide new competencies. And with the tool… I'll give you a very concrete example. You know, an established watchmaker can understand that when by putting sensors into the competence set, they could actually become a medical device company. Because they say, oh, we now have a watch that can measure your blood pressure, that can measure maybe your sugar level for diabetes, whatever it is, you know, and that's a where to play question. And technology enables so many new uses; AI, put AI into your established products, and you can become a different animal as a company. When you look closely what the very successful Silicon Valley companies are doing, they are not bound by their initial turf. A prime example is Uber. Uber moves wherever it can grow. Uber moves, wherever it can grow based on competencies, you know, and acquires new ones on the way to make the opportunity space even larger. I think we are living in an exciting time because technology enables so much that you can become as a company, a very different animal, that doesn't mean that you have to lose your first initial market domain. But it means you play in additional markets. And Rita McGrath, my colleague from Columbia Business School, she's very nicely depicted this in her book, The End of Competitive Advantage, where she says, look, we used to live in a world dominated by industry, we're actually nowadays living in competing arenas. That means, you know, wherever firms move, wherever they can grow, their measure of success is the share of the potential opportunity space. But that's a fluffy concept. What is an opportunity space? What's the share, you can get out of this one? That's a very pertinent question. And the virtual playbook gives you basically, the tool that helps you to understand what's your opportunity space, this doesn't fall out of heaven for the companies. If Apple moves into car manufacturing, this is an entrepreneurial step where they say, ‘okay, that's an opportunity that we identified'. Among many opportunities that they identified that this is one that they've deemed worthwhile to get into. And then there's managerial questions about how to exploit this opportunity to hire away people from Daimler, partner up with Fiat… whatever, you know, those steps are to explore this opportunity. But initially, there's the where to play question for Apple, for Uber, for Google, for any type of company, out there, and you can close your eyes to that and say, hey, we are only in our home turf, but then others might have set their sights on your home turf. Now think about what happened to the cellphone manufacturers, you know, they were attacked, they didn't die, because the second one, Ericsson took over Motorola and became bigger than Nokia. Now, it was the computer manufacturers who said, hey, we can play in the cellphone domain. And see, and that's where this arena concept is extremely pertinent. And therefore, tools that help you to understand what your competitive arena is - where to play - become important. That's where the book becomes important. What usually larger or more resource rich firms can do is to not only exploit one opportunity, but they can do multiple ones. So, the third step is one where they can focus on a handful, maybe a dozen opportunities in parallel, create an interesting pipeline. But even then, when I talk to the large companies, they don't want to waste money. They want to understand where they could play and what could be a good plan B if my first option doesn't work out. Ula: 31:10 They also want to be lean and agile. Marc Gruber: 31:13 If you can achieve a higher innovation outcome … strong innovation outcome, with less effort, with less resource consumption, of course, that's a winning formula. Ula: 31:25 Hmm. That's true. Do you then have any other books in the pipeline, will there be a sequel to Where to Play? Marc Gruber: 31:34 At the moment is no sequel plan because the book has been out for two years. When you look at how long it takes until books are known to people, understand and apply them… It takes some time until a tool actually is diffusing into the market. And a good example is Steve Blank's books. They were extremely successful, but it also didn't come from Sunday to Monday. But it took some time until people heard about them, saw them, saw the usefulness, they create a following. And then the same happened with Osterwalder and Pigneur's initial book, which was the Business Model Generation book, which took several years until it hit mainstream. That's why the Where to Play is a book, which was launched, people adopted it, it got translated into multiple languages, Steve Blank featured it as a part of the Lean Startup toolset in May last year. So, I think the journey is still on the early side. And so, I prefer setting my sights on helping others to apply it, understand its value, because I firmly believe in the value and how it can help people become more successful entrepreneurs and innovators. Maybe, at some point I'd say it's time for a second one. But you know, not yet, not quite yet. Ula: 32:42 No problem at all! Right!! So, are you a reader? Would you say you like reading? Marc Gruber: 32:47 I love reading. I like reading and I actually can read quite quickly - that's the benefit. But some of the stuff you don't want to read quickly and that's the annoying part, because then you don't have the time to read it slowly. Ula: 32:57 What would you say, are your two favorite books and why? Marc Gruber: 33:02 There is a book from 1959 from Edith Penrose. She's one of the eminent academic scholars. She has written a book called The Theory of the Growth of the Firm. This is an extremely insightful book in the sense that many of the things we're discussing nowadays are actually foreshadowed by her, half a century earlier. And it's a very nicely written book, it basically says, ‘Look, if you want to understand the growth of firms, you just have to look at the imaginative power of its C-suite and that is a function of their education and experience in print.' And it's just one element of the book, which makes it exciting because it foreshadows a lot of the diversification literature we see; the growth literature that we see nowadays. And it has very powerful patterns of explanation that help you to understand why some firms are growing very strongly, while other firms might be very constrained in how they think about what they could do. Ultimately brings it down to a very intriguing level of understanding because it connects the cognitive element to the resource base of a company. So, I recommend that definitely to everyone. Another one that I like a lot is The Entrepreneurial Mindset by Rita McGrath and Ian MacMillan. This came out in 2000. And it's one of those books that combines a lot of entrepreneur insights. It's based on a couple of HBR (Harvard Business Review) papers that MacMillan and McGrath had authored in the late 80s and throughout the 90s. They put them all together in this book with a lot of added new content, and a lot of new theorization, examples, etc. So it's one of those books, you read it and say that was a milestone, too, when you read the book by Steve Blank and by Alex Osterwalder, from Eric Ries, the more recent one, but you begin to understand the intellectual roots that each and every book has the heritage of the thoughts, how the fields developed, how we nowadays think about stuff, but also where it has its roots maybe 20, 30 years ago, or in Penrose's case, more than half a century ago. Ula: 35:04 It is interesting, because you find out that there are connections and no field kind of suddenly springs up on its own, there are connections. Marc Gruber: 35:13 Yeah, that's it. If someone has a bit of reading time over the next few weeks, months, over the summer on the beach - this is definitely a set of books that you can take with you and you understand management and entrepreneurship, innovation management, in their very fundamental and intriguing manner. Ula: 35:31 I already have some of the books in my library, I now have some recommendations for new ones. So that's much appreciated. So, given how much you've accomplished over the years, what would be your advice for someone who is starting up and who might aspire to walk the path that you're on currently? Marc Gruber: 35:53 For me, it was important for my own career as a professor to understand where to play. In the sense that I always had more paper opportunities - articles or research opportunities than I could possibly do. So, I basically had my own portfolio of opportunities, and I had to discriminate where I thought this might be a better research question. This might be a more intriguing question than another one. So, I think I applied basically what I early on, you know, in my research what I later on said in the playbook. That's number one. Number two, you can always push harder. If you think your paper is nice, you can make it even nicer. That's like 110% level; you push yourself and try to understand what your limits are. I think that's an interesting aspect to discover within yourself and not to be too satisfied too early. Which makes you grow, basically a recipe for growth, because you say, ‘I push harder, I tried to learn more, I tried to write it even better' and then you push yourself over your own limits. And that's the satisfying part that leads to what I've just said earlier, when you know, I was talking about art and the implications for art. A good artist doesn't give up early, a good artist pushes himself to understand the new frontier. And I think as scientists, we are pushing the frontiers and, you know, in that sense, giving up too early is not a good recipe. You always can do better, because that's the way you learn. And that brings me to my third advice as to being a professor, being an academic. You get paid for pushing the frontier, and then you get even paid for talking about how you push the frontier. So, it's never boring, you know, because you try to push the frontier. It's a wonderful experience to learn more and to say, ‘Okay, I understood something that maybe other people have not yet understood', and or at least from this perspective, have understood, and then you talk about it, and you get feedback. It's a process that keeps you young as well. Ula: 37:46 It's important to enjoy the process as well, don't you think? Marc Gruber: 37:50 Yeah, but don't tell it to my employer because he is paying me for doing this job you know. Ula: 37:56 I wouldn't. Okay, right. So how can the audience reach you Marc? Marc Gruber: 36:27 The audience can email me at marc.gruber@epfl.ch. We have an interesting website that you might want to check out, it's called wheretoplay.co, www.wheretoplay.co. There, you can register for our newsletter. So, we every other month, we update the latest news, latest slides that you can download all this stuff for free. You can get webinars about the method. You can, if you're a trainer, a coach or consultant, you can get the material there for free to apply it in your activities. So, worksheets are in the open domain download. We have basic slides that you can use for teaching the method, for doing your consulting. All of that up on the website, check it out, wheretoplay.co. You just have to register and then all this material is available to you. Ula: 38:50 Oh wow. All for free? Marc Gruber: 38:52 All for free Ula: 38:53 Wow, that's impressive Marc Gruber: 38:56 You know, we're currently also working on an app - so that what I described as a process becomes more of a very playful exercise. Ula: 39:01 That's great. Are you on social media? Marc Gruber: 39:04 All on the usual suspects except for Instagram. Marc B Gruber on Twitter, it's on LinkedIn, on Facebook - you find me with my name. That's about it, you know? Ula: 39:14 Is there anything else you want, the audience to check out, or do? Marc Gruber: 39:19 You know, if people (would) send us emails about how useful it was? If you have the chance to apply (these concepts) please do and let us know your experiences. It's so rewarding for Sharon and myself to just listen to your stories, how it helped you, etc. You know, we get many stories of entrepreneurs saying ‘Oh, we wish would have applied it when we were young…' ‘…We could have avoided some mistakes', you know. Then they still applied and they are a bit progressed in their careers and that's exciting to hear as well. Please share your stories, email us, leave them on the website. We want to hear from you. Ula: 39:55 Great! Well, thank you so much for your time, Marc. It's been an absolute pleasure speaking with you. Marc Gruber: 40:02 It's my pleasure entirely. Thank you very much, Ula.
Hear entrepreneur Peng-Sang Cau describe the journey from day one to building Transformix to 100+ employees. Peng's words of advice in this episode:- Every startup needs to have a strong focus on sales- Do not hesitate to think globally and go after the best market for your product or service- Kingston (Eastern Ontario) can be an ideal location to build a businessPeng also serves as a mentor for a Queen's University entrepreneurship program.Follow Peng on social media: @PengSangCauFor Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Resources at Queen's, please see:- Queen's Partnerships and Innovation - link- Dunin-Deshpande Queen's Innovation Centre – link- Smith School of Business – Centre for Business Venturing- link
In this episode, we hear from emerging success story Rillea Technologies. Rillea has developed a web platform to take chemical safety management (e.g., safety data sheets, hazard identification/control and worker training) to the next level with much better accuracy and relevance and at a fraction of the cost of current practises.Highlights and key advice from Rob Hallsworth, RilleaTech's COO, in this episode: Rillea Technologies is helping organizations get educated, get equipped and work safely with chemicals! Hear about an initial challenge of building out a web platform Businesses can reach out to RilleaTech via their website (www.rilleatechnologies.com) to learn more about SDS RiskAssist™ and RilleaTech's mission to put confident chemical safety at everyone's fingertips. Follow Rillea Technologies on social media: @RilleaTech Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Resources at Queen's: Queen's Partnerships and Innovation - link Dunin-Deshpande Queen's Innovation Centre – link Smith School of Business – Centre for Business Venturing- link
Listen to a brief introduction to the Queen's Innovation Runway Podcast (Q-IR, for short). This podcast will share stories from emerging success stories from Queen's University and Eastern Ontario.Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Resources at Queen's Queen's Partnerships and Innovation - link Dunin-Deshpande Queen's Innovation Centre – link Smith School of Business – Centre for Business Venturing- link
Hear Nadia Tatlow (CEO & Queen's BAH grad) share the founding and growth story at Shift – a Software as a Service to consolidate email and many other subscriptions in the browser). Nadia shares words of advice on the following topics:- Solving a problem team that members were experiencing, initial as a side project- Defining product-market fit- Striking the balance between user feedback and addressable marketFollow Nadia on Twitter @NadiaTatlowLearn more about Shift at tryshift.comFor Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship resources at Queen's, please see:- Queen's Partnerships and Innovation - link- Dunin-Deshpande Queen's Innovation Centre – link- Smith School of Business – Centre for Business Venturing- link
Recorded pre-pandemic, in this episode Alyssa Furtado shares the story of Ratehub - Canada's leading comparison platform for mortgage rates, credit cards, GICs, insurance quotes and bank accounts). Highlights and key advice from Alyssa in this episode:- Learn how side hustles can help develop start-up readiness skills.- The importance of listen and talking to mentors/advisors.- How to scale a team.Follow Alyssa on social media: @AlyssaJRichardLearn more about ratehub.ca: http://www.ratehub.ca Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Resources at Queen's: Queen's Partnerships and Innovation - link Dunin-Deshpande Queen's Innovation Centre – link Smith School of Business – Centre for Business Venturing- link
In this episode, we re-play an interview with Sir Terry Matthews recorded during a visit he made to Queen's campus. Key advice, stories, comments, and insights from Sir Terry Matthews in this episode:- Give ownership to employees- Build products customers want- Write consistent quarterly reports- Go global – fast (US is local)- Be persistent – up to half the time a lost contract can become a winFollow Wesley Clover on Twitter @WesleyCloverIntResearch, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Resources at Queen's Queen's Partnerships and Innovation - link Dunin-Deshpande Queen's Innovation Centre – link Smith School of Business – Centre for Business Venturing- link
In this episode, recorded pre-pandemic, Ms. Anne Vivian-Scott shares the story of Kinarm. Kinarm is a Kingston, Ontario based company, founded based on research from the laboratory of Dr. Stephen Scott, at Queen's University that sells robotic instrumentation to help researchers around the world assess patients with brain injuries (e.g. stroke, traumatic brain injury and neurological disease).Key advice from Anne in this episode: How to recruit talent and form a high-functioning team Listen to your customers to define your product development and commercialization roadmaps Kingston, Ontario is a great location to build a health technology company Follow Kinarm's story on social media: @KinarmLabLearn more about Kinarm: https://Kinarm.com/Past present supporters/partners of Kinarm: Queen's University, Ontario Centre's of Excellence, IRAP, FedDev/ Ontario Brain Institute, PARTEQ Venture Fund, and Queen's Centre for Neuroscience Studies. Kinarm has been instrumental in providing funding to Queen's through Ontario Research Fund.Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Resources at Queen's: Queen's Partnerships and Innovation - link Dunin-Deshpande Queen's Innovation Centre – link Smith School of Business – Centre for Business Venturing- link
In this episode, recorded pre-pandemic, we interview Dr. Elsbeth Murray from the Smith School of Business. Key advice, stories, comments and insights from Dr. Murray in this episode:- Considerations before the startup.- Finding co-founders.- Hear the story of the founding of Evandale Caviar.- Moving forward and iterating to validate business.Follow Smith School of Business (Queen's Venture Network) on Twitter - @QVentureNetwork Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Resources at Queen's Queen's Partnerships and Innovation - link Dunin-Deshpande Queen's Innovation Centre – link Smith School of Business – Centre for Business Venturing- link
Welcome to the Queen's Return on Innovation podcast. This podcast is about sharing the success stories and lessons learned from experts and entrepreneurs from Queens and Eastern Ontario.Innovation and Entrepreneurship Resources at Queen's University Queen's Partnerships and Innovation - link Dunin-Deshpande Queen's Innovation Centre – link Smith School of Business – Centre for Business Venturing- link
Prof. Dr. Philipp Sandner war einer der „Top 30“ Ökonomen Deutschlands im Ranking der Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) im Jahr 2018 und 2019. Weiterhin gehörte er laut Capital Magazin zu den „Top 40 unter 40“. Er leitet das Frankfurt School Blockchain Center (FSBC) an der Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. Zu seinen Themengebieten gehören die Blockchain-Technologie im Allgemeinen und insbesondere Kryptowerte wie Bitcoin und Ethereum, der digitale programmierbare Euro, Tokenisierung von Rechten und Assets und der Bereich digitale Identität. Das FSBC berät Finanzinstitute, Industrieunternehmen und Startups hinsichtlich ihrer Blockchain-Aktivitäten. Mehr über das FSBC erfahrt Ihr auf: www.fs-blockchain.de Seit 2017 ist Herr Prof. Dr. Sandner im FinTechRat des Bundesministeriums der Finanzen und im Blockchain Observatory der Europäischen Union. Zudem war er Mitgründer des Blockchain Bundesverband e.V., der International Token Standardization Association (ITSA) e.V. und der Multichain Asset Managers Association. Er hat mehrere Stipendien und Best Paper Awards erhalten. Seine Forschungsarbeiten wurden in internationalen Fachzeitschriften wie Administrative Science Quarterly, Research Policy, dem Journal of Marketing Research oder dem Journal of Business Venturing publiziert. Siehe Publikationsverzeichnis auf: Google Scholar. Kürzlich hat er zwei Bücher veröffentlicht. Eines davon befasst sich mit den Auswirkungen der Blockchain-Technologie auf Unternehmen, das andere „Der Blockchain Faktor“ mit den Auswirkungen auf die Gesellschaft. Mehr dazu auf: www.die-blockchain.ist/die-zukunft/
On Today's Show!We are lucky enough to be joined by Samuel Isaacs!Sam is an entrepreneur within the creative industry, he is the CEO of yWe Media and in today's show, we talk about; business venturing, getting your first client and his experiences as a freelancer. Enjoy the show!
Starting a business is one thing, but how do you keep going when the going gets tough? This episode of The Start-up Cycle explores the topic of perseverance. We hear about new research from professor Jana Raver on the relationship between resilience and entrepreneurial success (yep, they're related) and get a final dose of motivation from Jeremiah Brown, author of The 4 Year Olympian. We will also hear about learning from failure. Your host is Meredith Dault. This episode refers to the following research: F. He et al, "Keep calm and carry on: Emotion regulation in entrepreneurs' learning from failure” in Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice (2018) 42(4), 605-630 Y. Liu, "Narcissism and learning from entrepreneurial failure” in Journal of Business Venturing (2019) Vol. 34 (3) 496-512 Special Guests: Alan Morantz , Jana Raver , and Jeremiah Brown .
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