Comments on: Entrepreneurship in Fairbanks http://www.feld.com/wp/archives/2005/08/entrepreneurship-in-fairbanks.html Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:33:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Brad Feld http://www.feld.com/wp/archives/2005/08/entrepreneurship-in-fairbanks.html/comment-page-1#comment-1492 Brad Feld Mon, 29 Aug 2005 06:20:20 +0000 http://www.feld.com/wp/?p=558#comment-1492 Thomas - thanks for the nice words. While I agree with you about the general type of people that universities attract, I fundamentally disagree with you on the outcome. The two easy examples are Route 128 / Cambridge / Boston (MIT, Harvard, BU) and Silicon Valley (Stanford, Berkeley). However, there are plenty of other great examples including Austin (UT Austin), Seattle (University of Washington), and even Boulder (CU Boulder). The University is not necessarily the source of entrepreneurship (although it can be), but it is often a very useful focal (and leverage) point for the entrepreneurial community. Plus, the raw material of entrepreneurship is smart young people that are willing to do unnatural things to create new amazing stuff - what better place to find them than recent college grads and young grad students? Thomas – thanks for the nice words. While I agree with you about the general type of people that universities attract, I fundamentally disagree with you on the outcome. The two easy examples are Route 128 / Cambridge / Boston (MIT, Harvard, BU) and Silicon Valley (Stanford, Berkeley). However, there are plenty of other great examples including Austin (UT Austin), Seattle (University of Washington), and even Boulder (CU Boulder). The University is not necessarily the source of entrepreneurship (although it can be), but it is often a very useful focal (and leverage) point for the entrepreneurial community. Plus, the raw material of entrepreneurship is smart young people that are willing to do unnatural things to create new amazing stuff – what better place to find them than recent college grads and young grad students?

]]> By: Thomas Frey http://www.feld.com/wp/archives/2005/08/entrepreneurship-in-fairbanks.html/comment-page-1#comment-1491 Thomas Frey Mon, 29 Aug 2005 05:11:37 +0000 http://www.feld.com/wp/?p=558#comment-1491 Brad, you have a nice way of telling this story. Clearly the challenges of building good entrepreneurs in rural and remote communities are not easy to solve and I applaud your efforts here. However, I would debate the logic of recommending the University be established as the center of entrepreneurship. My experience has always been that Universities are on the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to creating the risktaking, no safety net, environment necessary to produce the resillience and toughness that is so characteristic in great entrepreneurs. Good grants do not make good entrepreneurs. I'm not sure if Fairbanks has any other options, but I wouldn't expect great results here. Brad, you have a nice way of telling this story. Clearly the challenges of building good entrepreneurs in rural and remote communities are not easy to solve and I applaud your efforts here.

However, I would debate the logic of recommending the University be established as the center of entrepreneurship. My experience has always been that Universities are on the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to creating the risktaking, no safety net, environment necessary to produce the resillience and toughness that is so characteristic in great entrepreneurs. Good grants do not make good entrepreneurs.

I’m not sure if Fairbanks has any other options, but I wouldn’t expect great results here.

]]> By: Daniel Nerezov http://www.feld.com/wp/archives/2005/08/entrepreneurship-in-fairbanks.html/comment-page-1#comment-1490 Daniel Nerezov Sun, 28 Aug 2005 19:34:48 +0000 http://www.feld.com/wp/?p=558#comment-1490 Well Done Brad! Thank you for taking the time to selflessly support entrepreneurship. I think yours is a great and compelling example of pro bono work for the venture community. We really need to have you guys on campus, for more than symbolic reasons. Entrepreneurship education is fragmented and stalling, and my guess is that private equity investors have the best idea how to practice the discipline properly. Kudos big time! Well Done Brad! Thank you for taking the time to selflessly support entrepreneurship.

I think yours is a great and compelling example of pro bono work for the venture community.

We really need to have you guys on campus, for more than symbolic reasons. Entrepreneurship education is fragmented and stalling, and my guess is that private equity investors have the best idea how to practice the discipline properly.

Kudos big time!

]]> By: Write That Down http://www.feld.com/wp/archives/2005/08/entrepreneurship-in-fairbanks.html/comment-page-1#comment-1493 Write That Down Sun, 28 Aug 2005 06:41:05 +0000 http://www.feld.com/wp/?p=558#comment-1493 <strong>Small Town Entrepreneurship</strong> I love this post by Brad Feld. It is well written and to the point regarding his recent day trip to speak with local business owners in Fairbanks, Alaska. While I comprehend his final recommendations for boosting entrepreneurship within Small Town Entrepreneurship

I love this post by Brad Feld. It is well written and to the point regarding his recent day trip to speak with local business owners in Fairbanks, Alaska. While I comprehend his final recommendations for boosting entrepreneurship within

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