Made in Pittsburgh. Staying in Pittsburgh
Rumor has it that VCs investing in Pittsburgh companies force them to move – to Boston, to Silicon Valley, to Austin. But that’s not always true. Witness Flashgroup.com, a startup founded by two world-class Carnegie Mellon...
If you build it, who will come? Utilizing market research in a startup
Entrepreneurs, like any group of people, are not singularly homogenous. However, anyone who proudly bears the title of entrepreneur will agree that there is a single common characteristic that all of them share: the proclivity...
Goodbye is all we have : Remaining the True Entrepreneur
A good idea is only good or remains that way (in the entrepreneurial world) if there is a clear exit strategy. For emerging entrepreneurs, million dollar ideas have the potential to grow and expand exponentially yet, there are...
Ace in the Hole: Luck’s role in the success (or demise) of the entrepreneur
“A good idea is about ten percent and implementation and hard work, and luck is 90 percent.” – Guy Kawasaki, author, The Art of the Start In Guy’s world, luck is an important factor to any business venture, particularly so...
Why Entrepreneurship Is So Different between US and China: A Comparative Cultural Perspective from a Chinese Student
I still remember that 4 years ago, when I just entered my first year in a university in Beijing, my friend introduced me to two Chinese students studying at Harvard and University of Virginia. I was astonished hearing that they...
Vodka, my kind of new venture!
I drank vodka last night. I love vodka. So do a lot of people. But there are so many vodka brands on the shelf these days it’s hard to know which ones are really good or are just pretty bottles. This is why Noah Cohen and his...
From research to marketplace: the NSF challenges scientists to think entrepreneurially
All you get is 90-seconds to communicate your big idea and how it can change the world. That’s a tall order for anyone; it’s a unique challenge among academic scientists who tend to talk longer rather than shorter, and use...
US immigration policy tries to make America uncompetitive!
The US immigration policy stinks for entrepreneurs and startups. I believe that the US has confused and confounded two separate and distinct immigration issues: high tech entrepreneurs from outside the nation who want to stay in...
Knopp, a uniquely Pittsburgh startup story
Knopp Neurosciences is a Pittsburgh story. The drug development company is a startup gem – from founding, raising money, and executing on its business plan. But wait; Pittsburgh is supposedly not a good place to start a drug...
Joshua Baer, serial entrepreneur from a dorm room to the board room
Joshua Baer is 36 and he has founded and sold four companies. His most recent startup, OtherInbox, was acquired at the end of 2011 by Return Path. In addition to the technology companies, Joshua founded Capital Factory, an...