The results of corporate acquisitions of startups are often disappointing.
Large companies have gone shopping in Silicon Valley for startups for decades. The pressure of continuous disruption has forced them to step up the pace lately.
Continue reading… “Why corporate acquisitions of startups usually fail”
SpoonRocket
There are dozens of services operating in and around San Francisco like – Homejoy for cleaning, BloomThat for flowers, Postmates for courier service, SpoonRocket a gourmet meal-delivery service, and on and on. Most of them provide cheap, convenient amenities at the tap of a smartphone app. Few of them are profitable on a corporate level. And together, they’ve formed the backbone of a strange urban economy: one in which massive venture-capital injections allow money-losing start-ups to flourish, while providing services that no traditional, unsubsidized business can match. It’s an economy built on patience, and the hope that someday, after the land grab is over and the dust has settled, a better business model will emerge.
There is no substitute for gaining someone’s full attention than to meet them face-to-face.
Everyone likes being efficient. And most people feel somewhat awkward in meeting new people. So, most people in a job search try to do their “networking” online and over the phone. It seems more efficient in being able to get to more people faster, and it’s less intimidating to send someone an email than to meet face-to-face.
Continue reading… “Face-to-face networking meetings work best”
It used to be about “us” and “them.” “Us” were the people who believed that design could add significant value when tightly integrated with other business processes. “Them” were the majority of managers who didn’t get what design was all about in the first place.
Continue reading… “Design can lead to exceptional returns for shareholders”
UPS engineers found that left-hand turns were a major drag on efficiency.
UPS announced a new policy for its drivers in 2004: the right way to get to any destination was to avoid left-hand turns. Even if that means following this route that a UPS driver described to an incredulous press member:
“We’re gonna make a right turn onto 135th to Western. We’ll make another right on Western down to 139th. Right turn on 139th and go down to the end of the block and we’ll make another right turn.”
Continue reading… “Why UPS trucks never turn left”
Candy Crush
If you mentions startups many people think of the dotcom bubble. It seems like it is 1999 all over again: since the highly successful stock market listing last November of Twitter, the micro-blogging service, young technology companies have been lining up to go public.
Continue reading… “Startups are exploding around the world”
Would you delegate all of your decisions to someone else?
Would you pay someone in the Philippines to answer your email for you — even your personal messages? Or hire strangers on the internet to plan your spouse’s big birthday party? Or throw meat, vegetables, and butter into a blender and call it dinner?
Continue reading… “Should your life be automated so you can work harder?”
Companies are in need of Generalist individuals with new, agile skills that can see the big picture.
Most companies have specialist organizations that support its business priorities. For as long as we can remember, organizations such as finance, HR, IT, and marketing have been in existence. In most companies, domain expertise, efficiency and process execution dominate the agenda for these organizations. You get hired, promoted and measured based on your expertise and value-add in your particular specialization.
Continue reading… “The rise of the Generalist”
Tesla Motors, the electric car maker, hasn’t just blazed its own trail when it comes to designing and building a hot electric car. It’s also made breakthroughs in many aspects of the automotive business (the sales channel, the servicing, the over-the-air-software updates) and now it’s doing the same thing for the core part of the electric car: the battery.
Continue reading… “Tesla’s plans for world’s largest battery factory will be a game changer”
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder County has more tech startups per capita than any U.S. metropolitan area, and it’s no wonder – the brightest minds flock to Boulder to work with companies that define innovation on a daily basis. And not only do startups thrive, seasoned technology companies and professionals find that being in this vibrant community is a large contributing factor to their long-term success.
Continue reading… “Boulder has more tech startups per capita than any U.S. metropolitan area”
The Maker Movement Encompasses all kinds of activity from traditional crafts to high-tech electronics.
In recent years, one of the more significant trends is the impact of technology on homemade manufacturing. The Maker Movement, a diffuse entrepreneurial community, has been using open source design to drive a telling resurgence in American manufacturing. Encompassing all kinds of activity from traditional crafts to high-tech electronics, linked by the adoption of digital tools, not just for design, but increasingly for manufacture through 3-D printing, technology has transformed DIY enthusiasts operating on their own at home into real communities.
Continue reading… “Homemade goods could become the global brands of tomorrow”
The only way to run a no-manager company is very publicly.
Ryan Carson broke the big news when he was presenting Treehouse’s latest numbers to investors. In the middle of the presentation, one investor stopped and asked, “Wait, who reports to who?” “My co-founder [Alan Johnson] and I just kind of looked at each other and laughed,” says Carson. Then they fessed up. “We said ‘No one reports to anyone.’”
Continue reading… “Do companies work better without bosses?”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.