articles 1 to 10 of 251
As Crowdfunding Grows, the Rewards Increase -- but So Do the Risks
As the recent successful campaign to fund a movie based on the television show "Veronica Mars" proves, crowdfunding is now recognized as a reliable funding avenue for both start-ups and established firms. But the growth of the sector also creates more regulatory challenges and raises questions about the risks that funders take when they put their money behind a project.
From: May 08, 2013
Wharton's 2013 Business Plan Competition: Health Care, Kids, Fashion and More
Finalists in this year's Wharton Business Plan Competition proposed innovations to disrupt areas including health care, used car sales, children's retail and fashion. On the day of judgment last month, eight teams described their business plan and potential market, with several thousand dollars in prize money on the line. Check out descriptions of each plan, and see if you can guess the winner.
From: May 08, 2013
What Eyewear Startup Warby Parker Sees That Others Don't
Warby Parker has vision. The e-commerce startup known for its $95 retro-cool frames has attracted a steady stream of customers and top-notch investors. And just last month in New York City, the company opened its first free-standing store which, according to co-founder Neil Blumenthal, represents "uncharted territory ... the convergence of e-commerce and bricks and mortar. The idea that it's one or the other is ridiculous," he says. "E-commerce as a term will become obsolete in five or six years."
From: May 08, 2013
Why Innovation Is Tough to Define -- and Even Tougher to Cultivate
While most people would agree that they are in favor of innovation, providing a succinct definition or example of it is a tougher question, noted participants in a panel on the topic at the Wharton Economic Summit 2013. In addition to offering their personal definitions of truly game-changing discoveries, panelists also discussed the role of the government and the U.S. education system in fostering a new generation of entrepreneurs and innovators.
From: April 30, 2013
Food for Thought: Why Auntie Anne's Pretzels Failed in China
Growing up in Indiana and Washington, D.C., Taiwanese-born Wen-Szu Lin often felt torn between two cultures. When, as a young entrepreneur, he was presented with the opportunity to buy the Chinese franchise rights to Auntie Anne's, his unique background began to feel like an advantage: Who better than a Chinese-American to sell an American product to Chinese consumers? That advantage didn't carry the English-speaking, American-educated Lin as far as he thought it would. The China Twist: An Entrepreneur's Cautious Tales of Franchising in China is the story of his journey.
From: March 06, 2013
Creamy & Crunchy: Uncovering the Politics of Peanut Butter
Although we may think of peanut butter as one of those comfort foods that never seems to change, it has, in fact, undergone some notable transformations since being introduced in the United States in the late 1890s. Several of those changes came thanks to improvements in technology, but far more have been due to developments in the business behind the brand. In Creamy & Crunchy, author Jon Krampner uncovers the complexities behind one of America's most basic foods.
From: March 06, 2013
A 'Sigh of Relief' at Davos: Confidence and Caution Shared Center Stage
Wharton management professor Michael Useem, returning from his 11th trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, reports that confidence in the global economy is back "in the world's inner circles of business and policy." But he also suggests that the challenge ahead lies in efforts to avoid the arrogance and excesses responsible for the 2008 financial crisis. In this article for Knowledge@Wharton, Useem offers his analysis of the recently concluded Forum.
From: January 30, 2013
How Seemingly Irrelevant Ideas Lead to Breakthrough Innovation
At Reebok, the cushioning in a best-selling basketball shoe reflects technology borrowed from intravenous fluid bags. And at IDEO, developers designed a leak-proof water bottle using the technology from a shampoo bottle top. These examples show how so-called "peripheral" knowledge -- that is, ideas from domains that are seemingly irrelevant to a given task -- can influence breakthrough innovation. But how does such information make its way into the creative process, and can managers increase the likelihood that it will? Recent Wharton research attempts to answer those questions.
From: January 30, 2013
From the Altar to IPO: The Highs and Lows of Married Business Partners
Sustaining a business and nurturing a marriage are hard enough when they are separate tasks -- but how do couples make it work when the two are inextricably bound together? Couple-run companies have become increasingly common, particularly with jobs scarce and many Americans opting to go the entrepreneurial route. Experts and real-life husband and wife business partners talked with Knowledge@Wharton about the challenges.
From: January 30, 2013
Thinking Local, Going Global: Building Tech Start-ups in Africa
With limited infrastructure, a challenging regulatory environment and a small pool of skilled employees, tech start-ups in Africa face a difficult road to success. But panelists at the recent Wharton Africa Forum say the companies also stand to tap into a continent ripe with opportunity -- and one where there is limited competition from powerful multinationals.
From: January 16, 2013
