Category: Biotech startups

How to build products that are pulled by the market

Posted on admin-donlLeave a commentPosted in Biotech startups, business advice, Setting Goals, Venture Capital

My latest episode of Bay Area Ventures features Abe Sher, Managing Partner of Energetico Ventures, a Bal Harbor, Florida based venture fund focused on companies that are helping humanity with brilliantly engineered products and services.

Abe Sher
Abe’s portfolio companies include Aqua Sciences, a company that literally creates water out of thin air, SuperEye, a “neural-reality” company bringing advance displays to human-machine interfaces and Zero Phone, a company aimed at freeing users from the high cost of mobile communications.

 

Mr. Sher has won numerous awards for his technology and has been invited to speak at the White House, by the King of Saudi Arabia and to the Conference of Nobel Laureates by the King of Morocco. His companies’ clients include the Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin, the US Department of Homeland Security, US Army and FEMA to name a few.

Abe talks about the types of companies and founders he looks for at Energetico. He is typically looking for products and services that are “pulled” by the marketplace as opposed to those that have to be pushed along. For example, with Aqua Sciences, because he is able to create water from air in some of the harshest environments in the world, he has had huge demand for the systems from governments and NGOs or non-governmental agencies. This has built up sales to the point where they have generated economies of scale and can now offer the system for general commercial purposes like stadiums and events.

Abe has traveled the world helping companies and promoting his own. He talks about his recent trips to China and what he’s discerned about the state of their economy just by walking through their factories. And regardless of where your company is located, he provides tips on what to expect from your leadership team.

This is a super interesting interview jam-packed with practical takeaways for your business and career.

Recorded January 23, 2017, on SiriusXM Channel 111, Business Radio Powered by the Wharton School.

For a list of upcoming and past guest information click on the Show link above.

The Founder’s Dilemmas explored

Posted on admin-donlLeave a commentPosted in Biotech startups, business advice, free business advice

Dr. Noam Wasserman, Ph. D., Associate Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School is the author of “The Founder’s Dilemmas: Anticipating and Avoiding the Pitfalls That Can Sink a Startup“. This is an amazing book that is simply a “must read” for any entrepreneur, anyone who will be working for an entrepreneur, their investors, vendors and customers.

Whether founding a company by yourself or with a team, and whether that team is comprised of friends and family, work colleagues or strangers, you’ll need to be aware of all of the forks in the road and dilemmas that you will face when starting a high-potential startup. Fortunately, this book really covers all the bases and, where Dr. Wasserman is uncertain of a particular dilemma or outcome, he is clear about that as well.

Founders Dilemmas is the result of over a decade of intensive research following the founders of over 10,000 startups in technology and bio-tech. If you are starting any company, you’d be crazy not to read this book. It will really open your eyes and could give you that edge you’ll need to be both king of your venture and rich.

Hear Noam discuss some of his key insights from his work. This is a rare chance to learn from one of the top business professors in the United States and you won’t even have to take a GMAT. Enjoy!


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The Free COO airs Thursdays at 4:00pm on Spreaker

Biotech incubator QB3 transforming research into new ventures

Posted on admin-donlLeave a commentPosted in Biotech startups, business advice, startup incubators

Douglas Crawford, Ph. D., Associate Director of QB3 and Managing Director of Mission Bay Capital discusses the role of the State of California’s Governor Gray Davis Institutes for Science and Innovations’ role in transferring academic research into viable startup ventures. QB3, The California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences is one of the four institutes and is a conduit for the University of California’s UC Berkeley, UC San Francisco and UC Santa Cruz’s biosciences departments.

Learn how PH. D.’s in bioscience are forming venture backed startups on their own or in a partnership with other tech and business entrepreneurs. Hear about the many programs and opportunities open to all entrepreneurs at QB3.

For more information on QB3 and Mission Bay Capital follow these links:
QB3
Mission Bay Capital

For information on the other Institutes for Science and Innovation follow this link:
The Governor Gray Davis Institute for Science and Innovation

The Free COO airs Thursdays at 4:00pm Pacific Time on Spreaker.