Gwin Scott

Start-up Weekend

Memphis has won!!!  www.startupweekend.com

Andrew Hyde's, Startup Weekend, is coming to Memphis on May 30th, 31st and June 1st!  What is this all about?  It is basically taking 1 weekend and starting a company with a group of local entrepreneurs who are committed enough and fit the right background to make 'launching' a company a reality. Equity is involved and the secret is to come up with a viable idea that is sustainable and fulfills a real technology need. Greater details to come, as it will be important to get the word out for those interested.

Im excited about this, as the voting talley really became a viral thing and Memphis rallied behind it!!

Thinking like Patagonia

Yvon Chouinard is both a legend and a visionary in what he has created with Patagonia. He really has broken most of the rules and, not only survived, but won and continues to win. He does things on his own terms and always tried to 'distance himself as far as possible from those pasty-faced corpses in suits that he saw in airline magazine ads.' Im humored too by his analogy of the entrepreneur who he compares to the juvenile delinquent--who says with his actions, "This sucks. Im going to do my own thing"

 

I really got a lot out of his book, Let My People Go Surfing  http://www.amazon.com/Let-People-Surfing-Education-Businessman/dp/B000YFE8FO/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203002001&sr=1-1 and here are a few of my favorites parts of it which im sure a lot of you can relate to:

--Zen archery--forget about the goal of hitting the bull's-eye and focus on all the individual movements involved in shooting an arrow. Practice your stance, reach back and smoothly pull an arrow out of the quiver, notch it on the string, control breathing and then let the arrow release itself. If you have perfected all the elements, then the center of the target is yours. Just like in an entrepreneurial setting--concentrate on the process. The goal isnt necessarily about profit, but about 'doing everything else the right way' and the profits will come as a result. To monitor the amount of good the business has accomplished excels profits.

--Promotion--They have a culture more to inspire and educate rather than promote. They feel like earning credibility is more vital than just having people buy it. Word of mouth is more important to Patagonia and advertising is a last resort. Editorial coverage can go a long way. The mentality is that every great product will sell itself. It is like if you build the right environment and culture than the demand would be created as a result.

--Biggest Challenge from Yvon--is guarding against complacency. They feel like their 'success and longevity lie in the ability to change quickly and that continuous change and innovation require maintaining a sense of urgency'. A managerial mandate is to instigate change...nature is constantly evolving.

Two Million Minutes

A good friend of mine, venture capitalist, and newly acclaimed filmmaker/producer...Bob Compton...has recently released a very enlightening documentary called Two Million Minutes. It is a compelling wake up call in comparing high school students in the US vs India vs China. Why the title?  Because that is the amount of time one has in school from 9-12 grade. Why did Bob invest is personal money to do this? Because he wanted 'to tell the broader story of the universal importance of education, and address what many are calling a crisis for U.S. schools regarding chronically low scores in math and science.'

Bob has rallied some top-tiered talent as part of an acknowledgement that there needs to be a sense of urgency in creating more awareness for where American kids stand. Tim Draper, a renowned venture capitalist; Robert Reich, the former US Sec of Labor; and top Indian CEO's are profiled.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS_QENuOYL8

I was intrigued with the students who were interviewed perspectives. it is clear that some of the US students were more focused on the fun factor of life and social experiences while the Indian girl was totally committed to her studies and working to make sure that her studies had a greater purpose and direction to her career. There was a more serious side on not squandering time. (Take into account that this is only 6 kids insights)

India and China have made significant leaps vs the US in their educational process. When compared to the US, China now produces 8x more scientists and engineers, while India puts out 3x as many as the US. The film really does help answer the question of 'Are we doing enough with the time we have to ensure the best future for all'?

Congrats to Bob and Memphis will be hosting a screening in Feb

Merging Minds Event

Aside from the freakiness on how Memphians deal with the weather (with it being a little cold/dropping temps), we had a great event last night here at EmergeMemphis with about 90 folks. Lots of interesting discussions within the entrepreneurial community on tech transfer/commercialization at the univ of memphis and ut research foundation and how to maximize/promote better what is in their product/service libraries....investing in india...startup weekend thoughts....job searches....angel investing and networks...finding good talent/startups in the 20/30/40s demo in memphis....

These sorts of events are mainly for networking purposes, but by segmentizing them a bit more into different genre's can help better detect quality and interests....so we will continue to regularly host them...as good ideas flow as we continue to build the right networks...