Fostering Entrepreneurship

Diversifying Into More Sectors

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 ~ What needs to be done to grow the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Pacific Northwest?

This question was one of the four primary themes of the recent Pacific Northwest Innovation Summit, and the focus of the day's third panel. Everyone is in favor of more innovation leading to more entrepreneurial activity, but the specifics are elusive.

Moderator Luke Timmerman, Seattle editor for Xconomy, asked about barriers to local entrepreneurship. There are several (a few to be subjects of later posts) but one is how concentrated we are in software and life sciences. The Seattle region is an undisputed national, even global leader in those, but we need to expand beyond just two to truly build a stronger innovation-fueled economic engine.

"So, What Are You Doing?"

"(These Days?)"

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~ I get asked this a lot. So, just as I did a year ago on my last lap around the sun, I'll write a quick update.

I'm still doing consulting and contract work, as well as working on some startups (of my own as well as others.) The best description that more or less braids all the strands? Entrepreneur-at-large, pitching in wherever there is opportunity to create or grow an interesting business from idea to revenue.

Some of my current projects are the same as a year ago. A couple didn't work out and had to be put down. There's also a few new ones:

Enerdyne Solutions Signs Sales Agreement

Indigo Deal with Maingear

 ~ Keeping computers, lasers, power electronics and other devices from overheating remains a critical challenge for the electronics industry. Cooler electronics have better performance, operating faster and with less energy. They also have better reliability—every 10°C rise in temperature cuts the operating lifetime of electronic devices in half.

Today, Enerdyne Solutions announced an exclusive distribution deal for our flagship thermal management product with pioneering industry innovator Maingear, the leader in high-performance computer systems.

The Job Creators—II

The Invisible Hand (Out)

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 ~ I am a job creator.

But not one of the super-rich too paralyzed to hire or invest, supposedly because of oppressive taxes and regulation.

No, I mean I really create jobs, by founding new ventures, by investing in startup companies, and, as an executive, by growing opportunities from idea to revenue. Along the way value is built, customers are served, workers are hired, and taxes are paid.

I've been doing this for 18 years, and never once did I choose not to grow a business or hire a worker because the tax burden was too high or because the regulations were too onerous.

"So, What are You Doing?"

"(These Days?)"

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~ I've been asked this, or questions like it, quite a bit lately. Perhaps, thanks to this lovely turnover economy, it's because many of us are changing positions, jobs or careers at a frenetic pace. Perhaps, unfortunately, it's because my LinkedIn page doesn't provide the simplest summary. Or perhaps it's because today's my birthday, and birthdays are a great time to ping friends and colleagues with such whazzup questions.

It's hard even for my close friends to figure it out; the line-up changes all the time. And indeed, I need several prosthetic memory devices (laptop, Droid, calendar, and many, many lists) to stay on top of it myself.

While I do consulting and contract work, what I really do is serve as a kind of entrepreneur-at-large, pursuing several opportunities where I can help turn the chaos of a general idea into a growing, successful business.

The current line-up? My favorites (that I can talk about):

Zen and the Art of Entrepreneurship

Where are the Monasteries?

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~ Chris DeVore relates the parable of the Zen archer, told him by Yvon Chouinard:

When asked about whether sales and revenue was something he was thinking about, Yvon would respond by telling the story of the Zen archer who spent years of his life perfecting each minute step in the ritual of shooting an arrow. In his story, the focus the archer brought to achieving perfect beauty and economy of motion at each step - selecting an arrow, fitting it to the string, drawing the bow and releasing the arrow - was so complete that striking the target came [as] an afterthought. In his telling, the arrow always hit the center of the target, not because it was carefully aimed, but because all the preceding moments had been so honed that it was the only possible outcome.

I've read about Chouinard, founder of Patagonia before, most recently in Fortune. He's a fascinating fellow who shows by example that sustainability is not just good, but good business.

But back to the parable.

8 Poo Bah Principles

Entrepreneurial Success

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Richard Tait
at NWEN EU

Richard Tait, the one-time Grand Poo Bah of Cranium, was one of four keynote speakers today at the annual Entrepreneur University (EU) put on by the Northwest Entrepreneur Network (NWEN.) Tait is a highly engaging and entertaining speaker who presents startup business insights with flair and energy. Mostly abandoning the stage, he frequently strolled into the audience, establishing an intimate rapport and punctuating his observations with humor and humility.

His talk centered on eight principles for entrepreneurial success:

Entrepreneur-in-Residence

My Cougar Relationship

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I've started as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) at Washington State University (WSU), a part-time position to commercialize some of the many ground-breaking research results achieved by the staff and students of the University.

As state residents and many others know, WSU has its main campus in Pullman, in the southeast part of the state; however there are also campuses in Spokane, Vancouver, and the Tri-Cities. While I expect to travel to Pullman and elsewhere regularly, I mostly will be based in the Seattle area, and may sometimes be found in the WSU West office space in the 520 Pike Building at Pike and Sixth.

I've been speaking with many people at the WSU Research Foundation the last few months, and was out in Pullman back in September. A few years ago I also had the chance to pursue a RTD grant from the Washington Technology Center with some of the faculty during my time as President at Enerdyne Solutions. I'm excited to work with some of the brilliant folks at WSU, a top-10 US university in renewable energy research.

If you are interested in some of the available technologies or want to explore technology transfer opportunities, contact me.

Update: Changed the email contact address; apparently I had the wrong one. Sorry.

Welcome

I was the co-founder in 2007 of Hydrovolts, Inc., a maker of micro-scale hydropower turbines, and, until last week, its COO.

You can find the posts I wrote for the company's blog here.

Now I'm looking for a new challenge, ideally in a leadership role at a small-to-midsized entrepreneurial company. You can learn more about me from my LinkedIn profile, or contact me on Twitter or via Facebook.

I expect to continue posting here about some of the same things I wrote about while at Hydrovolts: renewable energy, climate change, politics, policy, and our energy future. In addition, and unlike at the Hydrovolts blog, I will likely also post about other startups, including Enerdyne Solutions, a provider of thermal management solutions for electronics, and on whose Board of Directors I serve.

There will probably be other things from time to time, including perhaps some observations along the way as I explore what I'll do next.

This will be more fun if you join in. Leave a comment. Make a suggestion. Let's get the conversation started!