Raj Shankar's Blog, page 3

Microsoft for Startups in Oslo

It was a pleasure participating in the Microsoft for Startups event on 03rd April 2019 at Oslo. Being my first visit to Oslo, I was off early. I got on to the ‘Flytoget’. An enjoyable ride brought me on time to the lovely little station of Lysaker. Though I was a little ahead of time, the place was buzzing with activity – typical of a startup event.

I was the only academic in the event. I was there because I research corporate startup engagements and recently published a paper on corporate accelerators in the JBV.

The day began with a nice breakfast and lovely quick introductions. I met many startup founders excitedly sharing their ideas. Some were curious as to why I was there! My response was “I study what you guys do, so I will be where you guys are”.

The pre-lunch presentations were predominantly “Microsoft” and its programs. It was [image error]amazing to see the transformation that Satya Nadella has managed to achieve in a short time. The whole group echoed one message “it is our job to enable your success”. The executives were candid that there was a give-and-take relationship in this engagement. Startups appreciated the candidness.

 

[image error]Since I had studied earlier versions of the Microsoft for Startups program, it was heartening to see how the program has expanded. The program now serves startups at a variety of stages – ideation to scale-up. The presentations of Sensee’s scaling journey was truly reflective of entrepreneurship. Sensee is Norwegian startup which participated in the Microsoft for Startups program at London and is now beginning to see results.

 

The idea of one-on-one sessions was interesting. While startups spoke to executives and [image error]investors, I spoke with the Microsoft for Startups executives and learned how they are expanding their reach across the entire Western Europe. As a scholar interested in corporate startup engagements, it was encouraging.

 

 

Overall it was a nice day. I made some new friends. I hope to invite some of the professionals and startup founders to visit us and encourage our students to try living entrepreneurially.

Technoport 2019

Tucked away in the middle of Norway is a town called “Trondheim”. It is probably the [image error]best student town in Norway. The town is home to one of Norway’s most popular University – NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology). Among the many things that take place at this vibrant town of Trondheim, is an event called Technoport. Annually, it brings together people interested in innovation from various walks of life – researchers, technologists, policymakers, politicians, innovators and corporations. Tommy and I represented Nord University Business School (https://www.nord.no/en) at the annual Technoport 2019 conference.This was my first visit to this wonderful event: https://conference.technoport.no/

 

[image error]The day started with a breakfast discussion on Innovation. Two politicians, a central bank leader and Prof. Mariana Mazzucato (https://marianamazzucato.com/) discussed numerous views on the future of innovation for the world. It was wonderful to see how politicians and policymakers embraced new ideas and explored possibilities for Norway’s future as well as the world. The group set the stage for a wonderful day of deliberations around innovation. Prof Mazzucato’s remarks on the difference between value-creating and value-extracting innovations were insightful. I had recently read her latest book titled “The value of everything” which details this argument in detail. Since I had enjoyed this great book, the deliberations and ideas were doubly interesting.

I was also happy to meet Prof Timo Vuori of Aalto University. I am a fan of his paper in the [image error]Administrative Science Quarterly on Nokia. He elaborated on his research regarding the role of emotions in innovation. As a scholar of corporate innovation, it was a real treat meeting him.

The day rounded off for me with a session on a topic close to my heart – Corporate Accelerators. Audun from Techstars Energy Accelerator led a wonderful program with executives from Equinor and Kongsberg. It was great to participate in discussions around a topic I closely research and write about. Our brief interaction after the session was interesting. We hope to contribute to the larger understanding of corporate accelerators through our interactions and potential collaborations. The Techstars Energy Accelerator is open for  applications to its 2019 cohort: https://www.techstars.equinor.com/ (Entrepreneurs interested in scaling their startups should check if they are eligible and try getting in. Caution: It is highly competitive and rewarding.)

I left the event making new friends and gaining fresh insights. If the schedule suits, I will definitely be there for the next edition too.

Ali Ferguson’s Writing Workshop

Ali Ferguson is a popular copyeditor. She works with the best entrepreneurship scholars [image error]and helps them communicate their ideas succinctly. Ali visited us at Nord University Business School to offer a three-day workshop on writing. She was inspiring, energetic, skilled and knowledgeable. All of us left the workshop feeling inspired and enabled to write more deftly.

During the workshop, Ali spent time explaining the writing process – pre-writing, writing and revising. She highlighted the value of outlining and reverse outlining. Her approach to writing was structured and methodical. Crafting good sentences, paragraphs and sections, though ostensibly simple, are a challenge, and Ali helped us learn tips and tricks to get them right. Her workshop gave enough time for practice on our own papers. She demonstrated how it is easy to find errors in others’ writing than one’s own. Another reason why we need peer review. Ali provided numerous resources that can make us better writers. Her love for editing and the language was visible.

I came away from the workshop with more admiration for Ali and the English language. I thank her for showing me what good writing can achieve and introducing me to interesting new resources. Thank you Ali.

I wholeheartedly recommend Ali for all your English editing needs, even more so, if you are an academic. Ali will be a great resource person for any writing workshop in your departments and/or institutions. Here is the link to her website: https://purpleinkediting.com/

 

Imperial’s Corporate Accelerator Symposium

It was fantastic to participate in the Corporate Accelerator Symposium, albeit from afar. The Live telecast of the day long event was amazing! The event was so well put-together that it kept me gripped to my office chair the entire day. You can look at the amazing list of speakers and panelists here: http://corpacceleration.com/

The topic of corporate accelerators is close to my heart. I studied it for my doctoral work.[image error] I also had recently published a paper titled “Accelerating strategic fit or venture emergence: Different paths adopted by corporate accelerators” (co-author: Dean A Shepherd) in The Journal of Business Venturing. You can read the paper here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0883902617308376

 

[image error]Reference from Prof Perkmann’s Presentation

It was heartening to see Professors Markus Perkmann and Mike Wright of Imperial College, London refer to our paper in their keynote presentations. They set the stage for the day’s deliberations. This was followed by a series of panels comprising early practitioners of corporate accelerators and corporate innovation from leading and large corporations – Airbus, Swisscom, IBM, Bosch, Unilever, Daimler and others. There were also executives from sector specific accelerators, industry driven accelerators and collaborative accelerators. The discussions and the Q&A

[image error]Reference from Prof Wright’s Presentation

sessions provided insights into present practices, where corporate innovation was probably headed and how corporate accelerators are an important constituent of this innovation arsenal for forward looking corporations.

Researchers interested in accelerators, like myself, were provided enough pointers to potential research topics by practitioners. It also provided enough time to reflect on where the next set of research studies should focus. I was excited as I made notes on a range of research questions about corporate accelerators that I would love to explore. The last session presented by Cristobal Garcia-Herrera and Prof Markus Perkmann from Imperial College provided an indication of the immense learning offered during the day.

I experienced the power of networking during the event, though I attended it virtually. I connected to other attendees virtually via Twitter and Linkedin and left the event with more potential collaborations. The day ended on a high note when Cristobal Garcia-Herrera invited me to present at the next edition of the Symposium.

Thank you Imperial College, London for a great experience and a day of learning. I am now eagerly awaiting the next Corporate Accelerator Symposium.

Unusually beautiful evening sky

tsundoku

I have always been a great admirer of many things Japanese. Last year I remember readings books about “KonMari” and “Ikigai”. While the former made me think about decluttering my world, the latter influenced me deeply about well being and the well lived long life.

In recent times I have heard about one another Japanese word which seems to connect [image error]with me and hopefully many of you who are #book #lovers – “tsundoku” – which refers to the act of acquiring reading materials (books) and letting them pile up without being read. As a bibliophile myself and an equally voracious reader, I can tell you honestly that I always buy more books than I can ever finish reading. This ensures that many books remain on the shelf that I wish I could read, but remain unread.

Are you a tsundoku? or Do you tsundoku? — not sure which one is the right usage, but I am sure you get the meaning

Choose stories wisely

It appears that we are products of the stories we listen and grow with. It is therefore not surprising that narratives form an important source of character, culture and society.[image error]

This thought is not new. Interestingly Plato had written about it in his ‘The Republic’: “… Then it seems that our first business is to supervise the production of stories, and choose only those we think suitable, and reject the rest.  We shall persuade mothers and nurses to tell our chosen stories to their children, and by means of them to mould their minds and characters which are more important than their bodies.  The greater part of the stories current today we shall have to reject”

As we begin our new year, it is therefore critical that we choose our stories wisely, for ourselves, our friends, family and who we influence, for lives will be changed forever based on what we listen, choose, share and tell.

Choose wisely, Live wisely!

Wishes for a wonderful 2019!

God Jul

‘Merry Christmas’ in English or ‘God Jul’ in Norwegian![image error]

I have always visualized Christmas as something snowy, dark and cold with Santa Claus making it rainy (with gifts), bright (with colors) and warm (with love). It is a very family festival with most time spent sharing gifts and having a nice chat over a hot meal. Growing up in a tropical coastal town I never experienced the snow, the darkness or the [image error]cold.

 

But this year life provided an opportunity to experience all three on Christmas. Celebrating Christmas in the Arctic is very different from the Tropics. It is cold, dark, and snowy and feels like what I used to read about in the books. The Santa Claus, of course, remains mythical even so high up North

When Nature celebrates Diwali

Happy Diwali to all. May this Diwali bring all prosperity in all our lives. 

Diwali 2018 was celebrated on 6th and 7th November in many parts of India. Diwali is the festival of lights! People wear new and colorful clothes, decorate their homes with lamps and share colorful sweets and savories with friends and family.

This is probably how it is when Nature celebrates Diwali

Doing Business Rankings: India moves up again

The Doing Business 2019 report and rankings are out and India has had yet another spectacular rise in her performance and rankings. Here is the way to read the Doing Business 2019 Report — http://www.doingbusiness.org/en/doingbusiness

It has been a spectacular ride for India over the last two years. For a second year in a row, India remains a top upward mover in the popular “Doing Business Rankings” published by the World Bank. We are also the only country to be on the top 10 improvers for the year, for a second consecutive time. See the move in ranks over the past 3 years:

India’s Rank in 2017 – 130

India’s Rank in 2018 – 100

India’s Rank in 2019 – 77

A brief overview of India’s profile as per the report: http://www.doingbusiness.org/en/data/exploreeconomies/india

While we are doing well on the overall “ease of doing business” ranking and scores, there are places where we need significant changes and improvement, especially for creating a flourishing entrepreneurial ecosystem:

We are still ranked 137 in starting a business (not great news for entrepreneurs)
We are still ranked 166 in registering a property
We are still ranked 121 in paying taxes
We are still ranked 163 in enforcing contracts
We are still ranked 108 in resolving insolvency (again, not great news for entrepreneurs)

If all of us put our minds and hearts together we can address these specific areas of weakness and move up even further in the rankings. Exciting times, to say the least! With all the complexities and challenges, it is still getting better to be an entrepreneur in India.

Explore India!