Bulletin of the American Physical Society
2009 APS March Meeting
Volume 54, Number 1
Monday–Friday, March 16–20, 2009; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Session H5: Physicists as Entreprenuers |
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Sponsoring Units: FIAP FGSA Chair: Venky Venkatesan, Neocera Room: 401/402 |
Tuesday, March 17, 2009 8:00AM - 8:36AM |
H5.00001: From a PhD in Physics to Manufacturing Carbon Nanotubes Invited Speaker: |
Tuesday, March 17, 2009 8:36AM - 9:12AM |
H5.00002: Building an R\&D Based Company Invited Speaker: Entrepreneurship is the wellspring of innovation and the ability to seek out opportunities and turn them to profitable businesses. It is also closely associated with desire to succeed with taking risk. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, entrepreneurs are major contributors to our economy. Entrepreneurs are also major employers, as small businesses generate 60-80 percent of all new jobs annually. It is agreed that small businesses are one of the key engines of economy and growth by contributing to employment creation. In this regard, having your own business is regarded as one of the most respectable pathways to prosperity and fulfillment. While some strike success the first time around, most successful entrepreneurs overcome several hurdles before succeeding. In my talk I will present my experience in starting my technology based company, ``Blue Wave Semiconductors, Inc.'' I will focus on opportunities as well as numerous factors faced as the small technology start-up including finance, access to Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), identifying market, managerial skills, team and infrastructure development. Also, I will highlight some of the important factors such as perseverance, independence, ingenuity, confidence and the determination to overcome barriers for eventual success. If you are sitting on a great idea that can possibly crate a good technology business and you don't know where to start, then this talk will be helpful for getting your dream closer and resolving your risk factors for great rewards. [Preview Abstract] |
Tuesday, March 17, 2009 9:12AM - 9:48AM |
H5.00003: Lessons Learned as a Serial Technology Entrepreneur Invited Speaker: Starting a new technology company can be an exciting experience, and can, on occasion, be financially lucrative as well. Aside from the obvious requirement to have some new technology to offer, the main impediment to making the leap is usually fear of unknown. This arises from several real issues: a) you don't know how to do it; b) you assume the new situation will be less secure; c) you have to give up progress along your current career path; d) you fear failure itself, and how it will reflect on you as a person. There is no easy way to resolve these concerns, and although talking with others who have done it is helpful, the final decision is always difficult and very personal. Assuming you decide to go forward, there are some simple rules that will help along the way: 1. Have a PRODUCT idea, not just an innovative technology: it's a business, not a way to continue interesting research. 2. Team up with experienced people in certain (not all) key jobs. The specifics depend on what your own skills are. 3. Make sure you have adequate funding at the outset to achieve some significant milestones. 4. Be selective about who funds you; they will be your business partners and will have a lot to say about what happens. 5. Start thinking about the liquidity/exit strategy from day one. The stories of how other companies were started and developed are good background information. Several of these from my own experiences will be discussed. They include a company that struggled for many years but ultimately went public and was successful, one that was quickly a success and was acquired, one that was an outright failure and two that continue on but with dubious prospects of success. Some thoughts on what went right or wrong, and what could have been done better will be presented. [Preview Abstract] |
Tuesday, March 17, 2009 9:48AM - 10:24AM |
H5.00004: My experience with Bandwidth9 Invited Speaker: |
Tuesday, March 17, 2009 10:24AM - 11:00AM |
H5.00005: The Roller Coaster Ride of an Entrepreneur Invited Speaker: |
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