Read. This. ............Now!

Seth's Blog: http://www.stopstealingdreams.com is ready to read and share 


Remember my earlier post about Seth Godin's notion of Type 1 & Type 2 teachers? This really builds that out.


And also remember that while most b-school educators *think* they are Type 2s, they simply are not. 
The best entrepreneurship educators ARE Type 2's


Would love YOUR thoughts - that link has free downloads in multiple versions (PDF, HTML, Kindle, Nook, etc.)

Ideas to Reality: World Class Training in Technology. Now.

Q: What’s the Best Online Training for Lean Startup?

Q: What’s the Best Online Training for Technology Commercialization?

A: Steve Blank’s new Stanford-based Lean Launchpad class

http://steveblank.com/category/lean-launchpad/
[more on lean: http://bitly.com/bwC3XF & especially http://bitly.com/dOv5zh ]

The Start: Maybe the premier technology entrepreneurship course at Stanford, Lean Launchpad [http://steveblank.com/category/lean-launchpad] teaches the Lean Startup model (eg, Steve Blank’s Customer Development model) in-person to advanced science & engineering students at Stanford and Berkeley. Can you imagine getting brainiac techies actually talking to customers? And does that mean there is hope for some of you! ;)

Proof of Concept: The NSF put this at the heart of their new Innovation Corps to serve the 100 best technology commercialization teams for novel NSF-developed technologies.

The Payoff (for Us): The course is being offered now as an online course (over 60K has already signed up, including me!) as a series of 10 1-hour video lectures bundled with its textbook, The Startup Owners’ Manual. Free, except for the textbook.

But Wait…There’s More! Why Not a Blended Course?

My dear friends at Startup Weekend have commissioned (and threatened, LOL) people to organize local meetups. The video lectures will likely begin later this month but the pacing is up to us (lectures are archived).

It probably means 10 weekly 2-3 hour meetups or more likely 5 weekly/biweekly meetups of 4-5 hours for us to share what we are doing, what we are learning and how we can help each other. This is for anyone willing to take the plunge – I’m a b-school PhD in entrepreneurship and I’ve been a tech entrepreneur and I’m taking it! (Of course, my past “experience” means I’m the perfect candidate, LOL)

Initial feedback will let us set the schedule (most likely a weekday evening, though I’m hearing that many meetups are scheduling Sunday afternoons).

The Startup Weekend crew will be sending me Eventbrite invitations to share – expect a ping as early as this weekend. We estimate a ticket price of $50 to cover the text and refreshments. (Not bad for a Stanford MBA/MSEE-level of education even without the meetup!)

Obviously sponsors and prospective hosts are welcome …and anyone who’ll provide coffee, beer and/or pizza ;) Please email me: Norris.Krueger[at]gmail.com if interested!

For You?

Plan A: Respond “Yes!” to the eventbrite invitation & let me know your best/worst days

Plan B: Be hip but boring and simply sign up for Steve’s class & do it on your own 

Plan C: Wear a permanent “L” on your forehead & not even try to take Steve’s class ;)

p.s. But, Norris! I don’t live in/near Boise!  So host your own meetup – I will help!

Can you or your organization host/sponsor? Call me.

Want to do this outside of the Treasure Valley? Call me.

Want to seize this incredible opportunity? Say “YES!” to the invitation.

Entrepreneur UP. Y’all!

Norris

HAPPY GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK 2011!

HAPPY GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK 2011!


"Celebrate, Educate and Initiate"

Who would have thought a few years ago that entrepreneurship would explode in the consciousness of so many people?

It now looks like:
         2010    2011
Countries 70    123 (so far)
Participants 7 million     15 million

Whoa. 

There have always been "how to start a business" books but the last year-plus has seen some marvelous books (hmm... another blog post? But take a look at "Entrepreneurial DNA" by Joe Abraham)

Personally, I have been slacking on getting people engaged in GEW -for that I apologize (How can I make it up to you?) However, if you have ANY interest in waving the entrepreneurial "flag", the week is not over yet! [In fact.. it is NEVER over.. Like Christmas, we should keep the spirit year-round, yes]  Just head over to http://www.gewusa.org & sign up as a Partner. Costs nothing AND gives you an opportunity to brag on any entrepreneurial events you might be doing or might have done (October & December events are ok, not just November!)

Too Much Travel, Not Enough Monetization? ;)
As I type this I'm in Denmark to speak to the Danish young entrepreneurs group - the Danish Entrepreneurship Awards which may draw more than 5,000 attendees. Gulp. Anything you'd like me to share with this audience?

Denmark is still about as egalitarian as you can get.. however they have tranformed themselves into what might be the most entrepreneur-friendly country on earth. Overnight. Soooo.....

Why can't WE? 


From Ideas to Reality
My prior trip was a week at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden. How good is their technology commercialization program? Top 15.

They really have a marvelous model. (They claim they stole part of it from my old TEAMS/TRAILS program with INL but if they did... they took to the next level, hell, took it up several levels, LOL) Anyway, check 'em out at http://www.entrepreneur.chalmers.se - the website doesn't do it justice but I have additional information such as their program for vetting new technologies!

The short conclusion -- there is much we can do, so let's.. well... DO!


My promise to you? Time for Norris to get busy. Suggestions welcome.