Tag: Founders

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Venture Capital

Hustling for Seed Money

I gave a talk on entrepreneurship for students at Polytechnique Montreal today and the topic of seed money came up. Seed money are those few dollars needed to pay a lawyer, establish your initial network, find a business model and do all those other things needed to actually raise...
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Entrepreneurship

Leaving Your Mark

Last week I witnessed ancient treasures in London. No, not royal family and their wedding antics (London was a mess…). I am talking about old prototypes from past university collaborations of mine. That reminded me of the first mark I left in the world a long time ago… My...
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Entrepreneurship

Get Out There Even if It Hurts!

Over a decade of entrepreneurial activity in “hard” technologies has left me with a deep repertoire of demo horror stories. I have had boxes blow up, catch fire, over-heat and over-cool, human failure, device failure and some that felt like divine failure. You name it, I’ve suffered it. Maybe...
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Entrepreneurship

10 Tips for Student Entrepreneurs

Starting your own company out of university is a tricky business. You tend to have other things on your mind – like getting your degree. Here are some practical tips for university students who want to commercialise their technology. 1. Write Everything Down: Most university ventures are formed around intellectual property...
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Entrepreneurship

A Tale of (Near) Failure

A few voices on the web have recently called for a less glamourous presentation of start-up life. Mention the failures, be candid about the problems – they say. Personally, I found my entrepreneurial ride stressful enough without dwelling on the problems but I guess the goal is to give budding...
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Entrepreneurship , People

Founder Focus

At a recent talk on student entrepreneurship at McGill I received an audience question about the limited alignment between academic and entrepreneurial focus. This hit the nail on the head. Focus makes ventures succeed. Paul Graham goes as far as predicting instant death for companies funded by active graduate...
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