Forbes
Last weekend I was browsing the web, in search of a good article, for my Social Media Moments blog idea. I decided to look at Forbes online and I stumbled across this article titled "30 Under 30." Some of you may recall, from Wednesday's class, when Professor Alvarado showed us the "Top 20 Under 20." This article highlights the top thirty entrepreneurs in fifteen different categories for a total of 450 top entrepreneurs under the age of thirty. These entrepreneurs specialize in finance, art, and technology, just to name a few. To stick to the theme of innovation I thought we could read about the top thirty entrepreneurs in the technology category.
If you are confused on what to do, choose an entrepreneur from the article link below. Find a short video highlighting that entrepreneur's expertise and write what you think about that entrepreneur and what they are doing. Be sure to connect your content to our course readings. Don't forget to make it personal, let the class know why you chose that specific entrepreneur. I am going to start by introducing my top pick and why I chose her. Please follow by introducing your entrepreneur and their story. Don't forget to view the other posts and comment on a peers top pick.
Here is the direct link to the technology category of the Forbes article "30 Under 30-Technology":
http://www.forbes.com/special-report/2014/30-under-30/technology.html
My top pick was Tracy Chou, 26. I chose Tracy Chou because she is young but accomplished. Tracy Chou also embodies the skills of a modern innovator which are applied to her technological products for Pinterest. Tracy Chou turned down a job from the social media giant Facebook but is a Software Engineer for the online site Pinterest. Chou obtained a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and an M.S. in Computer Science from Stanford University (http://www.forbes.com/special-report/2014/30-under-30/technology.html).
According to themuse.com, a Pinterest website, "Tracy wrote the back-end-code underlying the Pinterest website and its mobile apps." Though Tracy pursued a degree in Electrical Engineering, she was never sure the field was for her until she took her first computer science courses. Tracy also completed internships with Facebook and Google before starting at Pinterest, (a social media outlet where people "pin" and discover new interests - https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=what+is+pinterest). Tracy begins her day at 9:30 a.m. with team meetings, where her and other engineers discuss updates on their projects. Spending time discussing technical decisions and how to design solutions consumes the remainder of Tracy's day along with recruiting and interviewing potential Pinterest colleagues. Tracy says, "There's a lot of opportunity ahead. It's a little bit frightening and exciting at the same time," (https://www.themuse.com/companies/pinterest/people/tracy). Be sure to check out this link to watch a few short videos of Tracy talking about her innovative tasks and what it's like to work for Pinterest.
If you are not familiar with Pinterest check out this brief Youtube video on what it does:
Now you should have a better understanding of what Pinterest is and know a face behind the innovative technology, Tracy Chou. According to Eric Ries, and The Lean Startup Method: "4. Build Measure-Learn. The fundamental activity of a startup is to turn ideas into products, measure how customers respond, and then learn whether to pivot or persevere." I think Pinterest and Tracy Chou should persevere. Tracy Chou is truly innovative and proves it with the technical knowledge she applies to the programs she creates for Pinterest. Futuristic thinking is exactly what Tracy Chou encompasses. In order to execute more successful programs, being utilized by "pinner's," Tracy Chou should take Eric Ries' advice on taking leaps of faith, "The first step in understanding a new product or service is to figure out if it is fundamentally value-creating or value-destroying" (The Lean Startup, Eric Ries). By staying ahead of the competition with the innovative programs, created by the masterminds behind the scenes like Tracy Chou, I feel Pinterest is going to be around for a while with value-creating programs.
Who was your top technology influenced entrepreneur under 30? Why? How do they fit in with the topics we have been covering in Practicum? Be sure to get your entrepreneur from the Forbes "30 Under 30-Technology" link above.
If you are not familiar with Pinterest check out this brief Youtube video on what it does:
Now you should have a better understanding of what Pinterest is and know a face behind the innovative technology, Tracy Chou. According to Eric Ries, and The Lean Startup Method: "4. Build Measure-Learn. The fundamental activity of a startup is to turn ideas into products, measure how customers respond, and then learn whether to pivot or persevere." I think Pinterest and Tracy Chou should persevere. Tracy Chou is truly innovative and proves it with the technical knowledge she applies to the programs she creates for Pinterest. Futuristic thinking is exactly what Tracy Chou encompasses. In order to execute more successful programs, being utilized by "pinner's," Tracy Chou should take Eric Ries' advice on taking leaps of faith, "The first step in understanding a new product or service is to figure out if it is fundamentally value-creating or value-destroying" (The Lean Startup, Eric Ries). By staying ahead of the competition with the innovative programs, created by the masterminds behind the scenes like Tracy Chou, I feel Pinterest is going to be around for a while with value-creating programs.
Who was your top technology influenced entrepreneur under 30? Why? How do they fit in with the topics we have been covering in Practicum? Be sure to get your entrepreneur from the Forbes "30 Under 30-Technology" link above.
Thank you,
Alia Russell
I chose to do Evan Spiegel, one of the co-founders of Snapchat. As many have come to know, Snapchat is a self-destruct, picture-sending application that let users send pictures, videos and messages privately, knowing it will disappear in the next few seconds.
ReplyDeleteEvan Spiegel led quite a privileged life. Born into a family of prestigious lawyers, Evan lived in quite a comfortable home in Pacific Palisades, California. Cars, vacations and weekend getaways just a helicopter ride away, were available for Evan at his request. In 2012, he dropped out of Stanford University, a few classes shy from graduating and receiving his diploma to focus on developing Snapchat.
Today, Snapchat has 30 million monthly active users. The company has raised $143 million and is valued at $2 billion.
http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/52cdc3536bb3f767536c223f-1200/spiegel-left-stanford-in-2012--just-a-few-classes-shy-of-receiving-his-degree--to-focus-on-snapchat.jpg
According to the Lean Startup Method, "Build Measure-Learn. The fundamental activity of a startup is to turn ideas into products, measure how customers respond, and then learn whether to pivot or persevere." Evan does a a spectacular job while assessing whether or not Snapchat is headed in the right direction.
After Facebook acquires Instagram a few years ago, Mark Zuckerberg quickly turned to Evan Spiegel and the Snapchat Team in looks of acquiring them too. However, as stated in his letter declining the offer, Evan still had no idea where Snapchat was headed. It started off by just sending picture with a normal comment on it. After carefully reviewing their customer feedback, Snapchat has done a marvelous job of slightly pivoting. Now, Snapchat has done all sorts of restorations. The text and style shown can be altered, private chat is available and an all new video-sharing feature is available as well.
-Eduardo M
Great Eduardo. Thank you for giving us the background information on Evan Spiegel. I have heard of Snapchat but I have yet to use it. Another great example of an innovative entrepreneur.
ReplyDeleteGreat entrepreneur choices Alia and Eduardo. I use both Pinterest and Snapchat and agree that they’ve improved so much from when they started out. While I was reading this week’s social media moments blog, I ran into A.J. Forsythe’s company iCracked. I recently dropped my iPhone and cracked the screen. After looking online for repair shops in close distance and their prices, I decided to try out iCracked. The website is very straight forward, you start with your location and then answer a few questions about your device. An iCracked tech then gets back to you with a quote and you decided when and where to meet him/her to fix your broken device.
ReplyDeleteFounded in 2010, Forsythe launched iCracked when he saw a need for better repair services. Forsythe started out repairing iPhone screens in his dorm room throughout campus. After he graduated, he and a friend had built up a network of 40 technicians, and ran up nearly $40,000 in credit card debt. They moved to Silicon Valley and scored an investment from tech start-up incubator Y Combinator. The company received $500,000 in seed funding from San Francisco-based SV Angel.
I think iCracked is so successful because they are focused on the consumer’s needs and wants. They offer top-quality, low prices, and meet you somewhere that is convenient for you. If there isn’t a location near you, you can ship your device for repair or request a do-it-yourself repair kit. Currently, iCracked has over 668 certified iTechs across the country (and 11 other countries). They are the world's largest and most efficient on-demand repair and buyback network for iOS devices.
We all live busy lifestyles and sometimes even going to a repair shop after work can be a hassle. I think the idea of them coming to you is a smart move on their part; it’s a perfect example of thinking of the consumer’s needs/wants. This kind of thinking ties into Eric Ries’ Lean Startup Method. “The goal of a startup is to figure out the right thing to build— the thing customers want and will pay for…” (Ries 20). Discovering what customers really want and adjusting the product and strategy to meet those desires will help you figure the right things to build, which is exactly what Forsythe accomplished with iCracked.
When asked in an interview for his executive style, Forsythe replied with mindful. I don’t know the guy but I have to agree with him just because of his idea behind iCracked. He was aware of a need in repair serivces and conscious in the consumer’s needs. Forsythe stated, “If you want to start a company, you just have to go out and do it. You can learn more about business during the first three months of starting a company than in 20 years”. I couldn’t agree more.
Kim Zapata
http://www.inc.com/coolest-college-start-ups-2012/abigail-tracy/icracked-aj-forsythe.html#ixzz3DS6AZ8Kp
http://www.inc.com/30under30/burt-helm/icracked-aj-forsythe-anthony-martin-2013.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sflvX1lqU1o
Thank you Kim. I was also intrigued by the convenience of iCracked. You are right, this is why it is so important to understand what customers need. To be able to cater to the needs of your customers while offering low prices and quality service is an accomplishment A.J. Forsythe should be proud of. Thank you for sharing his story.
DeleteVery informative entrepreneur reports from Eduardo, Alia and Kim. I was not very familiar with pinterest or Icracked and learning how these young entrepreneur have made these companies break through is really interesting.
ReplyDeleteI chose to focus on the security expert/entrepreneur Eric Butler. In many ways he impersonates what it means to be an innovator. 2 years ago he forced Facebook and other large online companies to rethink the way they protected their users by exposing security flaws in their websites. This was done by an application he developed call firesheep. Eric's innovation attributes to him finding a business opportunity in the lack of security provided by Facebook. After finding success in online security he chose to focus on the security of android phones, which he found to have many security flaws. In both cases he took giant companies in the technology world (Facebook & Android) and exposed their deficiencies, in return creating a new market for his product. Eric Butler continues to focus on forward-thinking companies because he is now working at Uber. This is an innovative company that is rethinking the way we use Taxi's by giving normal car owners a chance to give people rides for money, taking away the necessity of taxi drivers.
-Alejandro Joya
Thank you Alejandro. Eric Butler and his expertise are very important as security issues are becoming more common with the technology we use today. Thankfully people like Eric Butler understand the security risks we are exposed to and contribute their solutions to consumer protection.
DeleteThis is a really interesting article to read, Alia. I recognize several applications on here that I use all the time. For me the entrepreneur who stood out was John Zimmer, Co-founder of Lyft. While the legality of Lyft's operations have been discussed all over the country, it looks like lawmakers are finally coming around to the idea. I posted a recent article from Austin Business Journal below.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bizjournals.com/austin/blog/techflash/2014/09/uber-lyft-legalization-set-for-austin-city-council.html
Having used Lyft on several occasions, I found that it is much cheaper and more efficient than looking for a taxi. Plus drivers do not have to worry about not being paid because it is taken straight from your bank account after you reach your destination.
As we have heavily discussed innovation in class, John Zimmer would be a perfect person to think of when innovation comes to mind. Before Uber and Lyft, everyone relied on taxis, a business that is extremely inefficient. Zimmer's Lyft has continued to persevere through these legal battles and has filled a huge gap in customer need.
Thank you Brian. I agree with some strong points in the Austin Business Journal Article, including the importance to do something about the public safety risks downtown involving intoxicated patrons driving home. I found a video from KXAN listing the restrictions Lyft faces operating in Austin as well as the benefits of having a service like this in Austin: http://kxan.com/2014/09/12/austin-leaders-announce-plan-to-make-uber-and-lyft-legal/
DeleteAs the laws are now, lack of insurance coverage makes it difficult to offer a safe method of transportation like Lyft. Legalizing transportation networking companies like lyft would be beneficial for the community. Thank you for enlightening the group with a current debate in Austin Brian.
I choose to focus on Morgan Knutson, the designer for Dropbox. Dropbox was one of the first well-known file hosting service. The company was founded in 2007. Morgan Knutson joined Drop Box in 2012 as a product designer. He helped creating the look and feel of the Dropbox must of us uses today.
ReplyDeleteIn July 2014 Morgan left Dropbox to become the CCO & Founder of Shift Technologies, Inc. His new company states “Shift is reimagining the peer-to-peer market of cars through the power of technology. This is a small company which is still growing, I’m sure we can expect great things from them in the future.
David Grijalva
Great article about Pinterest and Tracy Chou. She learned from their experience as intern in Facebook and Google and developed the codes needed for the success of Pinterest. We have learned in class with professor Alvarado that we need to take advantage of the environment that surrounds us to get to an idea of a new product, service, or process that could lead to innovation. This is why I chose John Zimmer, cofounder of Lyft. John Zimmer, a Cornell graduate, parlayed an education in hotel administration to help cofound a Lyft, an on-demand ride-sharing service that employs everyday people as drivers. The company's pink mustachioed cars are now ubiquitous in cities like San Francisco, competing fiercely with cab drivers and blackcar service Uber. Lyft has raised more than $80 million in funding from venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz and Founders Fund.
ReplyDeleteWhile at Cornell, Zimmer was inspired to develop a rideshare program by filling the empty seats he had during his rides home over school breaks: “I was driving from Upstate New York to New York City and all around me were these empty seats.” As a student at Cornell, Zimmer took a City and Regional Planning Class, called Green Cities (taught by Dr. Robert Young, now at the University of Texas at Austin).The class discussed the principles of simple design changes to large infrastructure, which would later influence the development of Lyft. He states, "If you look back at other forms of transportation … there’s always that idea of networks and the idea of routes. We feel that this is the natural way to move toward a ubiquitous form of transportation." Noting that 80% of the seats on American highways are empty, Zimmer says that ride-sharing, "is a huge opportunity to create efficiency to save a lot of money and to reduce our environmental footprint."
Currently, the company operates in 60 cities all around the U.S. and is growing fast competing with local cab companies and Uber (that is another ride-sharing company). I can say that we can expect to see more U.S. cities working with this service in the future.
David Arismendy
For my entry I chose Andre Daines, The co-founder of pre play sports. Pre play sports is a gaming application for sports fans. What it does is allows you to guess "what is going to happen next in sports". So lets say you are watching a basketball game. You can place a guess that certain team will win, or that certain player will make certain amount of points. And by guessing correctly you get more points. You can create matchups with friends and compete on who knows more about the sport.
ReplyDeleteWhat I found very interesting about this case is that Andrew, just like us was constantly thinking on how to create a business during class. He came up with the idea of pre play sports a few weeks before he graduated from Cornell and had the business plan ready just a few weeks after he graduated. He wants to innovate the way a fan experiences sports. He believes the market for his application is similar to the one of fantasy football sports, which is a 2 billion dollar a year industry with already 27 million users.
Pre play sports is now official partner of the MLB and NHL. Their mission is to enable fans to make predictions in all of the major sports in the United States and create matchups with other sports fans to see who truly knows more about the sport.
- Pablo Rangel
Thanks for sharing this article! It's always encouraging to see young men and women succeed. I considered talking about several of the young entrepreneurs in the article but settled on Kelsey Falter. At 23, Falter postponed her undergraduate degree at Notre Dame to start Poptip. Poptip analyzes social conversation through real-time polls, and since it's launch in 2012, the company has raised $2.4 million in funding and struck deals with huge companies like CNN, NFL, and Budweiser.
ReplyDeleteOne example of how the company works is with E! Entertainment Network during the 86th annual Academy Awards. The company would post polls on Twitter that had pictures of celebrities on the red carpet and users could either "leave it" or "love it". E! and users could see real time results of the polls all without leaving Twitter. It's a really great way for companies to interact with users on social media, and collect information about their consumers.
There are some competitors that are doing similar things, such as Neilsen BuzzMetrics and Brandwatch, but Falter remains positive. She sees the social media listening segment as a wide open market, because she believes people will continue to post their opinions on social media for years to come.
I like Falters positivity, and she seems to have a real passion for what she is doing. At such a young age, she has done something really successful and important to social media marketing and management. Here are a couple articles that I read on Falter and Poptip:
http://mashable.com/2014/03/02/kelsey-falter-poptip-oscars/
http://allthingsd.com/20120614/its-time-to-see-techstars-newest-startup-crop-pay-attention-to-poptip/
And a video I found of Kelsey at SXSW in 2013 :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIl1sx4tE6s
Catherine, what a great example of someone putting forth an amazing idea and really have it grow and take off. I enjoy Alia's choice of Tracy Chou for numerous reasons. I found it interesting she chose an intrapreneur. Tracy is under a lot of pressure to constantly innovate and improve Pinterest. Yes, she's good at her job, but in this scenario she has to be great to keep up with all the changes and constant uploading of media to the site and ensure that when it's time to change or give it a fresh look she can do that quickly and efficiently. Pinterest is an amazing website (I am a user myself) and it's extremely complex. She did an amazing job of coding it and creating a reliable site that is easy to use.
ReplyDeleteFor my choice I have selected Lisa Falzone. Falzone created a point of sale system that is used on the iPad. She has several major chains and stores using her product (including Popeye's, Goodwill, and Pizza Patron). Her idea is innovative because it uses existing technology to create a simple POS that companies can easily transport, and is streamlined. The product can be specially customized for a business. Products also allow for online orders in different venues (which gives an advantage to businesses). In interview with New York Times Falzone shared some advice that impacted her. Her swim coach at stanford told her ,"Believe in belief", or believe in the power of the mind and all that it can accomplish. She stresses it's a learning process and this goes back to the concept of build, measure, learn.