Kathleen Allen

Kathleen Allen EIX Editor
Member Since: June 30, 2015
Professor Entrepreneurship University of Southern California

Interest: Innovation  Product Development  Strategy  Technology Commercialization  Entrepreneurship 

Industry: Telecommunications & Internet  Professional, Scientific, Technical Services  Management of Companies & Enterprises  Health Care & Biotech 

Interviewee:

Authored Resources

Minefield or Opportunity: How to Work Constructively with Universities

56086 views

Here's how entrepreneurs can negotiate with universities that are developing the technology they need.

Problems are More Important than Solutions

15698 views

Before launching a potential product, be sure to look deeply at the problem it hopes to solve.

Intuition Isn't Enough for Entrepreneurs

2993 views

The most successful entrepreneurs are not superheroes, but human beings who know how to listen to the market and act.

Is a Board of Directors Really Necessary?

10032 views

Wise founders see boards as a valuable resource rather than a necessary evil. The key is learning to work with them productively.

'Becoming da Vinci' Exercise Ignites the Inventor Spirit

118734 views

This exercise helps students delve into the mind of an inventor, and understand how ideas can become entrepreneurial ventures.

Editors’ Picks

Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future, Peter Thiel, Crown Business, 2014

What valuable company is nobody building? That’s just one of many questions posed in this provocative and entertaining book. It certainly is a question that Thiel must have asked himself before co-founding the pioneering online-commerce platform PayPal, making the first investment in Facebook, founding Palantir Technologies, and funding multiple brand-name startups like SpaceX and Airbnb. Thiel challenges entrepreneurs to “risk boldness over triviality,” and avoid equilibrium at all costs, because equilibrium means stasis and stasis means death. The phrase “zero to one” captures the process of creating something new and singular. One of the core concepts of this very readable book is the idea that entrepreneurs must find a way to create a temporary monopoly with the potential to scale to large markets. You’ll definitely take lots of notes as you read and sometimes you’ll raise your eyebrows a bit, but Zero to One is well worth the time.

The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America

Through a series of engaging essays and letters to shareholders, Warren Buffett, the Oracle of Omaha, teaches a masterclass in how to build and operate a financially sound and ethical business. The book is organized by topic so it’s easy for entrepreneurs to find what they need quickly, and the lessons will carry them from startup through IPO and beyond.