Talk
"Case Studies in Entrepreneurship: Internet Startups by CS Grads"
Lee Hower, Point Judith Capital
Tuesday, October 16, 2007 at 5:00 P.M.
Room 165 (CIT 1st Floor)
Have you ever contemplated starting a company? Many computer scientists have founded or been involved at an early stage with successful software and hardware companies. Technical innovation may be the catalyst, but commercial success frequently requires business acumen and no small amount of luck as well.
I'll address the topic of entrepreneurship through a series of case studies of companies that were originally founded by software developers, architects, and researchers. These will primarily be startups that I've been personally involved with either as an entrepreneur (PayPal) or VC investor (Multiply) which were started by software developers and architects, though the discussion will also cover other companies. The cases will be clustered within my own area of focus (internet applications), though many of the lessons can be applied more broadly to other types of startups. I will also try to generalize some of the steps involved with actually starting a company, including the interests and process of working with venture capitalists.
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Lee Hower is a venture capitalist at Point Judith Capital, where he focuses on early-stage investments in internet and digital media companies. Prior to joining Point Judith in 2005, he was a co-founder of LinkedIn where he served as Director of Corporate Development. Before LinkedIn, he was an early employee of PayPal where he was a Product Manager and later Director, Financial Services through the company's IPO in 2002 and subsequent acquisition by eBay for $1.5 billion. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a B.A.S. in Systems Engineering and a B.S. in Finance and was selected as the Wharton School's Commencement Speaker.
Host: Shriram Krishnamurthi and CSDUG
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