"Why Start-ups Fail" is requiring reading for entrepreneurs. Professor Thomas Eisenmann, the author of this seminal book, chats about systemic macroeconomic problems for startups; finding sounding boards; first jobs after business school; keys to scaling companies; the state of business school education, and other topics. Professor Eisenmann talks about the requisite combination of a basic education, simulation of the startup environment in B-school, genetic predisposition and the right psychological profile for entrepreneurship. He also provides a sneak peak into the next book he is writing.
ABOUT TOM
Tom Eisenmann is the Howard H. Stevenson Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, Peter O. Crisp Chair at the Harvard Innovation Labs (aka the “iLabs”), and Faculty Co-Chair of the HBS Rock Center for Entrepreneurship, the Harvard MS/MBA Program, and the Harvard College Technology Fellows Program.
He is the author of the bestselling book Why Startups Fail, teaches the MS/MBA core courses Technology Venture Immersion and Designing Technology Ventures.
In recent years, he has chaired HBS’ MBA Elective Curriculum (the 2nd year of the MBA Program) and launched or headed courses including The Entrepreneurial Manager, Making Markets, Entrepreneurial Sales & Marketing, Product Management 101, the January Term Startup Bootcamp for first-year MBAs and the MBA electives Entrepreneurial Failure, Launching Technology Ventures and Managing Networked Business.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Purchase Why Startups Fail at Amazon
Read Professor Eisenmann’s HBR Article: Why Start-ups Fail
If you liked this podcast, prior Lessons from a Startup Life blog posts are available here:
S1 E3: A Successful Chat with Tom Eisenmann -- The Author of "Why Start-ups Fail"