Day 3 began at 7am with breakfast to discuss our business plan. The international team of eight is gelling well and we think we may have a winner on our hands in terms of the business plan, although that has to be tested in the crucible of MIT’s business plan panellists on Friday.
At 8am, we then started the first of our company visits this week, to a software firm called hubspot.
It was fascinating to do a Q&A with someone who expected his company to grow to the next Microsoft, although it was noteworthy that he was turned down by Sequoia Capital headed by the Cardiffian Michael Moritz. Some great lessons though and shows that many companies achieve success in Boston.
We then started a series of lectures on a range of topics, ranging from organisational design to choosing an entrepreneurial team to factors for success for high technology start-ups, which eventually finished at 7pm, twelve hours later!
The lectures by Professor Diane Burton were slightly off the wall but totally fascinating and used some original concepts to explain some quite difficult concepts.
This was followed by a short reception with the Canadian High Commission which then led to another two hours of the business plan before getting back to the hotel room a few minutes ago.
It is becoming enjoyably tiring but the breadth and depth of the lectures and learning experience are everything I expected, and I believe everyone else in the classroom is of the same opinion. Innovative welsh firms would love this learning environment as it would change the way they do business and add enormous value to the company.
p.s. I am bloody knackered and we start at 630am tomorrow!
At 8am, we then started the first of our company visits this week, to a software firm called hubspot.
It was fascinating to do a Q&A with someone who expected his company to grow to the next Microsoft, although it was noteworthy that he was turned down by Sequoia Capital headed by the Cardiffian Michael Moritz. Some great lessons though and shows that many companies achieve success in Boston.
We then started a series of lectures on a range of topics, ranging from organisational design to choosing an entrepreneurial team to factors for success for high technology start-ups, which eventually finished at 7pm, twelve hours later!
The lectures by Professor Diane Burton were slightly off the wall but totally fascinating and used some original concepts to explain some quite difficult concepts.
This was followed by a short reception with the Canadian High Commission which then led to another two hours of the business plan before getting back to the hotel room a few minutes ago.
It is becoming enjoyably tiring but the breadth and depth of the lectures and learning experience are everything I expected, and I believe everyone else in the classroom is of the same opinion. Innovative welsh firms would love this learning environment as it would change the way they do business and add enormous value to the company.
p.s. I am bloody knackered and we start at 630am tomorrow!
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