This article is the seventh in the Startup Series on FirstPost’s Tech2 section and first appeared on Dec the 1st, 2016. A startup, while it works to make revenue with its product or service, incurs essential costs. A shoestring budget calls for resourcefulness and creativity in building the business. An earlier column discussed building the … Continue reading Startup on a shoestring: a heuristic for thinking
Tag: innovation
Startup on a shoestring: building the MVP
This article is the sixth in the Startup Series on FirstPost’s Tech2 section and first appeared on Nov the 15th, 2016. “You may be a business man or some high-degree thief, They may call you doctor or they may call you chief, But you're gonna have to serve somebody”. Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan is not … Continue reading Startup on a shoestring: building the MVP
Autonomous cars and luxury marques
Aston Martin, James Bond's car of choice (except when he went through a BMW phase), showcased a powerboat at Monaco Yacht Show this year. Writing in the Financial Times, Philip Delves Broughton laments that Bond's legacy is being junked by this luxury marque and outlines the dangers of brands diversifying into unrelated categories, especially those … Continue reading Autonomous cars and luxury marques
Motivation as a design assumption
Holacracy. MOOCs. Food labels. Holacracy isn't working. MOOCs have low completion rates, and an estimated 90% drop-out rate. Food labels to help consumers make informed choices show mixed effectiveness and decidedly no downward impact on public health concerns re obesity. Other than not working as well as optimistically assumed in their wake, they have one … Continue reading Motivation as a design assumption
Influencer marketing and the luxury marque
Eight years ago, I was pondering the meaning of "authority" on the web. Fast forward to 2016 and the language has moved on. It is no longer about authority but about influence. Brands, including some luxury brands, are engaging in "influencer marketing". The web is awash with "advice" for luxury brands on the criteria for … Continue reading Influencer marketing and the luxury marque
The medium is the message
President Obama wrote a piece on Feminism for Glamour magazine. Curious minds want to know why that specific magazine. Here is whom the magazine is for, according to its owner Conde Nast: "Glamour is for the woman who sets the direction of her own life and lives it to its fullest and chicest. Her point-of-view is unmistakably … Continue reading The medium is the message
Towards a multidisciplinary future
Last week, I attended a workshop on movement building for social change. One of my breakout groups was discussing "shared purpose". I used the word "asymptote" to make the point that with the best shared purpose, we need to know we only make dents and some progress, and although we never fully bring about the … Continue reading Towards a multidisciplinary future
Four For Friday (37)
Stanford University announced its new President this week. Marc Tessier-Lavigne is a "pioneering neuroscientist, former Stanford faculty member and outspoken advocate for higher education". More importantly, in keeping with Stanford's reputation as a crucible for entrepreneurial creativity, he has been executive vice president for research and chief scientific officer at Genentech, leading work on disease … Continue reading Four For Friday (37)
Luxury watches and tech: who is driving whom?
Luxury products, it seems, are being trampled over by technology-enabled products enticing luxury customers. Apple created its own version of ceramic enforced gold. The real number of the Apple watches in gold casing shipped remains a mystery although an estimated total of 10M pieces are expected to have shipped by the end of 2015. Apple … Continue reading Luxury watches and tech: who is driving whom?
Four For Friday (32)
I occasionally play a game with my friends, where I rapidly say some words aloud and they respond with the first visual image that pops up in their minds. It is a rough version of the IAT and some fascinating conversations result from there. With the word "creativity". I hear responses ranging from names of … Continue reading Four For Friday (32)
