Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Articles 1 to 15 of 89
Raising Llamas: How Gustavo Maluéndez Turned Farm Games into a Growing Business
While Gustavo Maluéndez was still in high school in Argentina a few years back, he began to see his small collection of llamas as more than lovable pets. These "gorgeous" furry creatures had true business potential. He started marketing his business, Gulla, gathering and selling llama wool, and even exporting several of his llamas to the Sultan of Oman. What's next? The future, says Maluéndez, is in the fiber.
Visiting Rwanda: Observations from a Class of Graduates
In late June 2011, Sharolyn Arnett attended the graduation ceremony of the sixth class of the Goldman Sachs Entrepreneurship Certificate program, a partnership between the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan and the School of Finance and Banking in Kigali through the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women initiative. Arnett had earlier spent time with two of this year's business plan competition winners, both of whom are running companies in male-dominated industries.
Rye Barcott of Carolina for Kibera: A Marine's Take on the Power of Social Entrepreneurship
Take $26, and add one East Coast undergrad on his way to war as a Marine in Iraq and one enterprising single mother living in one of the world's biggest slums in Africa, and what do you get? The makings of a groundbreaking non-profit called Carolina for Kibera (CFK). Here's what Rye Barcott -- CFK's co-founder and author of his new memoir, It Happened on the Way to War: A Marine's Path to Peace -- has to say about the small things social entrepreneurs can do to make a big impact and why it's important to start sooner rather than later.
Case Study: Liang Baby: Developing a Botanical Baby Skin Care Cream
Wang Fang was a scholar in the first cohort of the University of Oxford-Zhejiang University 10,000 Women Entrepreneurship Certificate program in Hangzhou, China in 2009 and 2010 and won her group's business plan competition. This case study, written by Stephen Todd, associate fellow, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, discusses Wang's business, which develops medical cosmetic products and medicines based on the special effects of natural botanical elements.
Case Study: Hangzhou Synteam Science & Technology Co.: Growing a Successful Electronic Instrumentation and Control Components Business
This case study, written by Stephen Todd, an associate fellow at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, discusses Hangzhou Synteam Science & Technology, a Chinese fitness equipment manufacturer started by 10,000 Women scholar Xiao'en Shi in 2005.
Robin Li of Baidu on Navigating Innovation, Social Networking ... and Google in China
Robin Li is the multimillionaire founder and CEO of Baidu, China's largest Internet search engine. In a recent interview with China Knowledge@Wharton, the 42-year-old, Beijing-based executive predicted that the number of Internet users in China could double in the next 10 years to nearly one billion.
Dona Olimpia: Launching a Business in Your Fifties
Dona Olimpia made the decision after 20 years of marriage to divorce her husband and pursue her passion for cooking. This life-changing decision resulted in the development of a now-famous restaurant and inn in the mountainous Visconde de Mauá region of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. This case study, written by Renata Barbieri Coutinho, lecturer, Pontificia Universidad Catolica in Rio de Janeiro; Simon Alves, professor, the Federal Institute of Rio de Janeiro; Valeria Quiroga Vinhas, doctoral candidate at COPPEAD Graduate School of Business, the Federal Institute of Rio de Janeiro; Ana Luiza Szuchmacher Verissimno Lopes, doctoral candidate at Coppead Graduate School of Business, the Federal Institute of Rio de Janeiro; and Valentina Gomes Haensel Schmitt, doctoral candidate at the Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration, documents Dona Olimpia's journey to entrepreneurship and status as restaurateur and inn-keeper extraordinaire.
Alicia Escobosa's Catering: Sustaining a Business
Homemaker Alicia Escobosa loved to cook delicious meals for her family. Her kitchen prowess turned to survival skills when her husband died suddenly in 1992 and Escobosa had to find a way to support her five children. She started small, and soon her catering business developed a reputation as the premier food caterer in her region of Culiacan, Mexico. This case study, which details the growth of Alicia Escobosa Banquetes, was written by Roberto Tolosa, Wharton class of 2011, and Wharton professor Mauro F. Guillen.
2011 Innovation Tournament: Finding 'A Novel Match Between a Solution and a Need'
Soaking up oil spills with human hair, turning clunkers into hybrids and powering Tanzanian villages with rechargeable batteries are just a few of the ideas to come out of Knowledge@Wharton's second annual Innovation Tournament. Sponsored jointly by K@W and Wipro Technologies, the tournament challenged innovators from around the world to compete for a total of $40,000 in cash prizes. The top 14 entrants were invited to Philadelphia on April 27 to present their ideas to a panel of judges made up of academics and industry leaders.
Yihaodian's Yu Gang: From Entrepreneur to Multinational Executive and Back Again
When retail entrepreneurs Yu Gang and Liu Junling decided to give up their multinational expat lives in the U.S. and go into business together back home in China in 2007, they were sure about just three things: The sacrifices would be many, the hours grueling and nothing was going to be easy. Fast forward to today and they're the proud owners of Shanghai-based Yihaodian (or "The No. 1 Store," in English), a booming online supermarket that sells everything from disposable diapers to digital cameras to laundry detergent and is aiming to give the country's offline supermarkets a run for their money.
Mosun Dosunmu Is Health on Wheels
Nigerians are not very health conscious. Consequently, their life expectancy is much lower than that of Americans. Lagos entrepreneur Mosun Dosunmu is taking to the streets with her mobile health testing service to help the people of her country tune into their bodies and take back their health.
Measuring Up to Facebook: Social Media Entrepreneurs Navigate the Minefield of Second-round Funding
Mohammed Al Adham and Adil Lalani, founders of TwitVid, a service that facilitates the sharing of homemade videos through social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, hear investors asking these days, "So, you're doing this thing like 'Social Network?'" They are learning lessons in venture capital funding and what factors to weigh to determine the right amount to seek.
Inside Aquaculture: Improving Fish Farmer Productivity in Nigeria
Saidat Shonoiki needed only to look at Nigeria's environment for inspiration when she started her business making fish food pellets in 2005. And yet, while lakes, streams and rivers are plentiful, the Nigerian fish farming industry has faltered. Shonoiki is finding ways through her company to strengthen her country's aquaculture trade and help farmers implement sound business strategies.
Elaborate Style: A Nigerian Designer Stitches Together the Fabric of Clothing and Community
So often women entrepreneurs build their businesses from skills they have either learned in childhood or taught themselves at home. Such is the story of Sola Babatunde, a fashion designer who taught herself to sew when she needed a job that fit with the demands of motherhood. Her once micro-business now exports to North America, and Babatunde is sharing her success by teaching other young women in her community how to sew.