15.390 | Spring 2013 | Graduate

New Enterprises

Assignments

Assignment 11

Assignment 11: Take an Entrepreneur to Dinner

This assignment has several purposes. We want you to start to learn what it takes to be an entrepreneur.

  • What makes an entrepreneur tick?
  • How did this person come up with the idea behind his or her business?
  • What was this person’s background?
  • Do you think you would want to start your own company?

We also want you to learn to network better, which is a big determinant of your success (or failure) as a businessperson. If you can’t find an entrepreneur, call one of the portfolio companies of a successful VC firm in the Boston area. Some good VCs:

  • Atlas Venture
  • Battery Ventures
  • Bessemer Venture Partners
  • Charles River Ventures
  • Flagship Ventures
  • Flybridge Ventures
  • Greylock Highland Capital
  • Matrix Partners
  • Polaris Ventures
  • And there are others …

We do not want you to interview VCs; we want you to interview individuals who have started companies (extra credit if you can find a failure who can articulate why he/she failed).

The deliverable for the assignment is a 2-page double-spaced memo. The content of the memo should answer a few or all of the questions listed above. Remember that this is an individual, not a team, assignment!

Course Info

As Taught In
Spring 2013
Level
Learning Resource Types
Lecture Notes
Tutorial Videos
Activity Assignments
Written Assignments