HBS Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship’s Post

Recently had the opportunity to speak at Indiana University - Kelley School of Business MBA class with Dr. Donald F. Kuratko ("Dr. K"). We discussed the book Why Start-ups Fail by Thomas Eisenmann. Eisenmann outlines six reasons, but one stood out: Good Idea / Bad Bedfellows. Selecting the right investors is a critical factor for success, it goes beyond the highest valuation or shiny brand. It's important to consider whether your investor / board members understand your industry and can contribute strategically and operationally. At Edison Partners, we value CEOs who are confident enough to "ask for help" from our #EdisonEdge Operating platform lead by Casey Myers. Remember, success is not just about the funding, but also about the right partnerships. #startupsuccess #investorpartnerships #CEOadvice

Trying to stay up to speed! 🏃♂️ Two weeks ago we joined the Stanford LBAN/Latino Business Action Network for a night of drinks and new connections in Orlando, FL. #Spoiler: I'm not an LBAN Alumni, but Yolanda Lassalle, BSChE, LSSMBB, co-founder of Murmuratto and CEO of LaSalle Group, LLC Group, was actually part of the first-ever Stanford LBAN cohort back in 2015. According to Forbes magazine (2022), data from Crunchbase shows that Latino entrepreneurs receive only 2 percent of U.S. venture capital investments, despite making up nearly half of the net new small business growth between 2007 and 2017. 🕰 There are many leaders and funds stepping up to bridge this gap. While this happens though, many Latino entrepreneurs continue to launch businesses in a broad range of industries including F&B, Retail, Law, Consulting, and tech - to name a few. It was rewarding to meet scores of #leaders who have built great, successful businesses despite the gap in access to funding. Thanks LBAN! These events are a testament to the power of diversity in driving innovation. Let's keep it up! #StanfordLBAN #LatinoFounders #DiversityInTech

Discover the transformative impact of the Entrepreneurs Access Network! Maurice Brewster, Founder & CEO of Mosaic Global Transportation, shares his inspiring experience: "The Entrepreneurs Access Network has been invaluable. My EY mentor facilitated connections with venture capital firms and has even helped me launch a brand-new electric vehicle business. Although I’ve been a CEO for nearly 20 years, this program gave me the opportunity to work on my business, not just in it — with real results." Learn more about how this initiative is advancing equity in entrepreneurship for Black and Latino entrepreneurs. ⤵️ 💻 https://go.ey.com/40yUcl4

The Family Enterprise Summit focused on the theme "Reimagining Family Businesses for Wealth Regeneration" will address how business families while preserving their values, legacy and social capital could go back to their entrepreneurial roots as skilled founders & builders of organisations to engage and leverage talents of new generations, in ways that lead to wealth regeneration. These include practices and pathways for current and next generations of family to act as (i) founders & owners – rejuvenating existing businesses as well as incubating new ventures and as (ii) investors – backing new ventures that drive commercial, social and environmental impact.It aims to stimulate novel thinking on these issues through an ecosystem approach, with opportunities for frank discussions and knowledge sharing among a diverse set of experienced next-generation families, first-generation founders, investors, professional executives and advisors. We invite members of family businesses to join us for an exclusive experience where we put together plenary sessions led by leading academic experts, fireside chat with distinguished family business practitioners, workshops to facilitate in-depth interactions and exchange applying Chatham house rule. Sign up now: https://lnkd.in/dU2yCGuX Ivy Ng Tatar Sonia Martin Roll Bala Vissa Nathan Furr Ludo VAN DER HEYDEN Claudia Zeisberger Vikas Aggarwal Bala Vissa Musaab Al-Muhaidib Anthony Boukather INSEAD Alumni Association United Arab Emirates INSEAD Alumni Association UK Helen Pitcher OBE Helen Wiseman Christiane Schloderer INSEAD Alumni Association the Netherlands

Why Start-ups Fail: Lessons from Harvard Business School Did you know two-thirds of start-ups never deliver a positive return to investors? Tom Eisenmann of Harvard Business School dives deep into this unsettling statistic in his recent study, providing critical insights into the common pitfalls that derail many entrepreneurial ventures. Key takeaways: 1) Start-ups often fail due to avoidable mistakes rather than poor ideas. 2) Eisenmann identifies six patterns of failure, with misinterpreting early signals about market demand and bad collaborations being particularly common. 3) Strategic advice for navigating common pitfalls includes thorough up-front customer research and choosing the right team and investors. PS. check out 🔔 for a winning pitch deck the template created by Silicon Valley legend, Peter Thiel https://lnkd.in/ejp-Bhnu

Ever wondered what it’s like to transform a university project into a full-time enterprise? 🤔 This article by The Times sheds light on Gen Z founders doing exactly that. Thank you to Times Enterprise Network and Naomi Ackerman for the feature! It’s always exciting to share about our journey and the various support that’s available to young founders to grow their businesses. Shout-out to Megan Hale, Anaïs Engelmann and Oscar Jones from Team Repair and Fergal Mackie from Metacarpal Ltd for making huge waves with their ventures! 🤩 #TheTimes #GenZfounders #enterprise #startup #innovation #sme #entrepreneurship #founders

So blooming proud and privileged to have a voice and be asked to contribute to University of Strathclyde x Strathclyde Inspire’s Entrepreneurial Strategy. I am so passionate about inclusive entrepreneurship (societies, schools, EVERYTHING!) and I will do whatever I can to give back to the communities that raise me up. Today’s consultation was followed by a Summer Networking event where founders, advisors, supporters, ecosystem builders, interdisciplinary roles across campus and, crucially, investors, came together. It’s becoming a bit of a habit, but myself and two other founders stood talking outside afterwards for a couple of hours. 😂✌🏼 I cannot tell you how important it is to start-ups/spin-outs/scale-ups, to create spaces where founders can learn from each other and embed entrepreneurial thinking and activity into each other’s behaviour and processes. This afternoon and this evening have been a huge injection of support and progress. Founders need the ecosystem to keep moving, to not go quiet on us, to keep momentum building and bridge the gaps with knowledge exchange. One attendee today, who I had never met before, spent his whole time introducing me to new people who can help me. So, my four takeaways from today are: 1. Speak to founders to understand what inclusion means to them. 2. Create space for founders to be together for free. 3. Open the next stage doors for founders by making introductions. 4. Do more for founders, not less. SIMPLES. #thankful #grateful #lucky #founder #onpurpose 😍

My good friends joined The Mas LaRae Show to discuss Venture Capital, Entrepreneurship, and Cleveland on a Global Scale! Of course we talked about our trip to Israel, food, and culture too! Elad Granot 🟦 Boler College of Business at John Carroll University and David Sylvan University Hospitals Ventures thank you for sharing your expertise, passion, and hidden talents with us (you have to watch the show lol) Collectively we are aiming to make sure investments are equitable for all. I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t take the time to ask both of them how they are working to disrupt the current trends “Overall, Black entrepreneurs typically receive less than 2% of all VC dollars each year while companies led by Black women receive less than 1%” -according to data from Crunchbase. This is not just a question for them but one that all of us should be asking ourselves as we move this work forward! FutureLAND amongst many other efforts is working to solve and add value! It’s not a moment, it’s a movement! #cleveland #entrepreneurship #global #business #vc #funding #investment #ohio #midwest #futureland

Succession is less about inheriting a specific business and more about inheriting an entrepreneurial mindset. In a family business context, this can be achieved in at least three ways: starting new businesses, transforming existing ones, or becoming active investors in the next generation of startups. * What role does the now-gen family member play in fostering the entrepreneurial spirit of next-gen members? * How can family firms fuel entrepreneurship spirit to reimagine and transform existing family enterprises in the face of external challenges? * How to leverage the family office as a vehicle for regeneration? * What are the considerations and best practices to create the frameworks that align family with corporate governance? Each of these are pertinent questions that are discussed in the new INSEAD Knowledge article by INSEAD Professor Bala Vissa: “Will the Next Founders of Family Firms Please Stand Up?”. These topics and many other related ones will also be discussed during the upcoming Family Enterprise Summit on the theme “Reimagining Family Businesses for Wealth Regeneration” taking place on 24-25 June at the INSEAD Europe Campus. Do register and sign up now as seats are running out fast. Register now: https://lnkd.in/dPvVQHZX Event webpage: https://lnkd.in/dQuzVVJF We hope to see you in June!

"The expert in anything was once a beginner…" Yesterday, we had the privilege of being mentored by industry heavyweights John Mullins and Jeff Skinner at the London Business School, renowned as one of the most influential hubs for business education worldwide. The experience was nothing short of brilliant. Mullen's "7 domains model" provided a structured approach to validate business ideas and determine the trajectory of our ventures, distinguishing between a 'Nice living for the Owner' and a 'Glide path to the moon'. Knowing (admitting?) which one we're pursing is critical. Meanwhile, Skinner's insights on MVPs and lean innovation models gave us a framework that will help us streamline priorities and objectives effectively. My key takeaways: 🤸♂️ Flexibility is key: Don't cling to initial ideas; they're likely to evolve. 🌟 Quality over speed: Striving to be the best outweighs being the first. 💥 Leveraging competitive advantage: Utilise the VIR model—Valuable, Inimitable, Rare—to objectively assess market position. 🚦 Addressing weaknesses: Utilise the 7D model to identify (and then fortify) potential areas of concern for investors. It was truly enlightening and I’m buzzing from the experience! Thank you Female Founders Rise for hosting this fantastic day! I am sooooo grateful! And thanks to all of the amazing ladies that joined and made this memorable day a whole lot of fun! Amy Mooney Penny Moyses Fiona Young Didem Cikse Arouba Z. Emily Button-Lynham Catherine Ann Reid #learninganddevelopment #startup #femalefounders