e-Challenge Offers Entrepreneurs Training Ground
Jake Moskowitz, MBA2
Issue date: 10/29/01 Section: Technology
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Sure, the gloomy economic environment by which we are all surrounded has taken the luster off that dot-com job you were shooting for when you arrived here. Sure, even your grandmother has stopped talking to you about that “can’t miss” website idea that she was ready to pitch to VCs just a year ago. But there still are those of you out there that feel that fire still burning inside to be your own boss; build a company from just an idea; to risk it all for the greatest of rewards. Are you still a true Entrepreneur?
If this is you, I’m happy to tell you that Stanford University offers a perfect release for you--the 2001-2002 “e-Challenge”, sponsored by BASES (Business Association of Stanford Engineering Students). For the last eight years, the e-Challenge has offered students from throughout the Stanford community the opportunity to develop their entrepreneurial skills, pitch ideas to Venture Capitalists, and compete for the money necessary to pursue those ideas.
I recently sat down with BASES Vice-President and Stanford senior Adam Marchick to discuss the role MBA’s could play in the e-Challenge. He told me, “Going through the e-Challenge competition, workshops, and events exposes MBA’s to engineers, technological business opportunities, and the world of high-technology.” He also noted that in the history of e-Challenge, it has been rare to see a team reach great success without at least one MBA on the team. In fact, he says, “The lack of a marketing focus, and the inability to succinctly communicate business objectives, are the most common problems with even great and well-developed technologies.”
This year’s challenge includes a series of lectures and workshops aimed at taking entrants through the process of taking an idea and turning it into a business plan worthy of Venture Capital attention. The next, and most relevant, event for MBA’s is a mixer hosted in Arbuckle Lounge Tuesday, October 30, in which MBA’s can form teams with technology-focused students in the School of Engineering, the Medical School, and the Law School. Look for more details on Unofficial.
If this is you, I’m happy to tell you that Stanford University offers a perfect release for you--the 2001-2002 “e-Challenge”, sponsored by BASES (Business Association of Stanford Engineering Students). For the last eight years, the e-Challenge has offered students from throughout the Stanford community the opportunity to develop their entrepreneurial skills, pitch ideas to Venture Capitalists, and compete for the money necessary to pursue those ideas.
I recently sat down with BASES Vice-President and Stanford senior Adam Marchick to discuss the role MBA’s could play in the e-Challenge. He told me, “Going through the e-Challenge competition, workshops, and events exposes MBA’s to engineers, technological business opportunities, and the world of high-technology.” He also noted that in the history of e-Challenge, it has been rare to see a team reach great success without at least one MBA on the team. In fact, he says, “The lack of a marketing focus, and the inability to succinctly communicate business objectives, are the most common problems with even great and well-developed technologies.”
This year’s challenge includes a series of lectures and workshops aimed at taking entrants through the process of taking an idea and turning it into a business plan worthy of Venture Capital attention. The next, and most relevant, event for MBA’s is a mixer hosted in Arbuckle Lounge Tuesday, October 30, in which MBA’s can form teams with technology-focused students in the School of Engineering, the Medical School, and the Law School. Look for more details on Unofficial.