Category: Uncategorized

DO YOU DREAM OF FIXING THE WORLD'S PROBLEMS LIKE BILL GATES? Every entrepreneur is in business because he or she has filled an unmet need, and solved some problem that customers care about. Not all of these save lives, or end poverty. But I am of the opinion that cumulatively, each innovation is another tool in the toolbox. The iPhone did not meet an unmet need, (except fir Hitchhiker's Guide fans) but may have created a need we never knew about. Regardless, as a multifaceted tool, it will do great things on this planet, and has opened unlimited possibilities. http://lnkd.in/fyCif7 View in LinkedIn

MAKE YOUR CASE TO THE BOARD AND INVESTORS. The CEO of any company should be in the habit of making reasoned and thought-through justifications for key decisions facing the company, even if there is dissent from the board. Well-crafted, logical, and factual arguments are often enough to win your case, and the board will gain comfort that you show solid business reasoning, and are willing to stand your ground. I have heard dissenting board members (investors) explain their negative view on an issue explained by the fact that the CEO simply did not make his case. View in LinkedIn

TRY AND ONLY WORK WITH GREAT PROPLE. Life is short, and nothing is worse than working with unethical, egotistical, or dishonest people, be they investors, staff, or board members. The experience will go south, the relationship deteriorate, and you will be tainted by association. Remember the Sniff Test: If it is not fun don't do it! Of course, hard work can be less than fun, but it better not be ghastly. View in LinkedIn

MY MENTOR WHEN I WAS YOUNG, SAID "ALWAYS TAKE THE HIGH ROAD". It took some serious battles to understand what this meant. Be respectful, give credit where credit is due, take firm stands when you are being compromised and know you are right, and always try to do the right thing. Always ask: "can I write this as my epitaph and feel good about it?". View in LinkedIn

UNDER-PROMISE AND OVER-DELIVER is sound advice for CEOs. A BlowHard CEO who gives overly optimistic predictions will quickly wear thin on boards and investors alike. Be balanced in predictions and forecasts, disclose concerns and problems, and never try to play the field by telling one thing to one group and another to the next. The world is small, and people talk. Once your credibility is compromised, it is gone forever. View in LinkedIn

OVER-SHOPPING A DEAL CAN KILL IT. When investors smell that a company has been round the circuit twice, their suspicions are raised. Rather than be praised for leaving no stone unturned, the CEO is rejected because nobody wants a reject. Keeping your kimono closed, and being highly selective who you show your plan to, will attract more attention. Investors hate to be locked out of an over-subscribed financing, and this is the most desirable (and hardest to achieve) outcome for a CEO raising capital. View in LinkedIn

BIOPHARMA ENTREPRENEURS MUST NOT FALL IN LOVE WITH THEIR INVENTION, but rather set up a series of Go/NoGo decision points. I have seen too many scientific founders devote themselves blindly to their molecule, become blind to the adverse data, and in rare instances actually hide or lie about the adverse data (I have seen this three times in 25 years). View in LinkedIn

CUSTOMER SURVEYS can be a Go/NoGo decision for your emerging business plan. As this article describes, it is important to do your homework to see if your intended customer would actually use your product. VCs will gain comfort from well-constructed quantitative data from such surveys, which should be short and sweet, or your response rate will be poor. http://lnkd.in/Gpm-zX View in LinkedIn

ROBOTS APPROVED IN HOSPITALS, a first of breed. Watch this space for remote sensing and more telemedicine advances. Already new remote sensing technology is being developed to help monitor elders at home. http://lnkd.in/SXNG2a View in LinkedIn

AUTOLOGOUS NERVE CELL IMPLANTS FOR PARALYSIS have been a long time coming, but here is the first approved trial. Knowledge of making mature cells regrow has advanced considerably in recent decades. This is a different type of stem cell treatment, all using the body's own cells to repair a lesion. http://lnkd.in/ZKdKQ4 View in LinkedIn