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Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2014

Startups

Articles 1 - 4 of 4

Full-Text Articles in Business

Do Moocs Pose A Threat To Higher Education?, Todd A. Finkle, Evan Masters Sep 2014

Do Moocs Pose A Threat To Higher Education?, Todd A. Finkle, Evan Masters

Todd A Finkle

Higher education is facing several obstacles, one of which is the prolific rise in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). This article examines the history of online education and also provides a background of the current organizations that are competing in the MOOC industry. The success of MOOCs and the current hurdles they have to overcome are examined. The article also discusses the current and future potential impact of MOOCs on higher education. Finally, the authors make recommendations to schools of higher education on how to deal with this potential threat.

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Accelerating Startups: The Seed Accelerator Phenomenon, Susan L. Cohen Mar 2014

Accelerating Startups: The Seed Accelerator Phenomenon, Susan L. Cohen

Management Faculty Publications

We examine and discuss the seed accelerator phenomenon which has recently received much attention both in the US and across the globe. While accelerators appear to be proliferating quickly, little is known regarding the value of these programs; how to define accelerator programs; the differences between accelerators, incubators, angel investors and co-working environments; and the importance of the various aspects of these programs to the ultimate success of their graduates, the local entrepreneurship ecosystems and the broader U.S. economy.

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From Founders To Firm: Examining The Retention Of Founder-Ceo Social Capital In Venture-Backed Firms, Bret R. Fund Jan 2014

From Founders To Firm: Examining The Retention Of Founder-Ceo Social Capital In Venture-Backed Firms, Bret R. Fund

The Journal of Entrepreneurial Finance

This paper examines how organizations protect themselves from the negative social and economic consequences associated with the loss of a key member and their social capital. Drawing on the social capital and upper echelons literatures, the author(s) hypothesize that social capital can be institutionalized. The corresponding hypotheses are tested on a sample of 125 venture-backed software firms and the results demonstrate that the institutionalization of a founder-CEO’s social capital leads to better performance for a firm. The results provide a basis for understanding how social mechanisms influence economic organization as well as succession and compensation in a new venture context.

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Patent Demands & Startup Companies: The View From The Venture Capital Community, Robin C. Feldman Dec 2013

Patent Demands & Startup Companies: The View From The Venture Capital Community, Robin C. Feldman

Robin C Feldman

This paper presents a study of patent demands against venture-backed startups, conducted through members of the National Venture Capital Association and their portfolio companies. The results of surveying 200 venture capitalists and their portfolio companies provide strong indications of the impact that patent demands are having on the venture-backed community. Both the companies and the venture capitalists overwhelming believe that patent demands have a negative impact on the venture-backed community, with all or most of those assertions coming from entities whose core activity involves licensing or litigating patents. These impacts are described in terms of the specific costs expended by …

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