IMD OWP22 PostEvent Report

Q&A SUCCEEDING IN TECHNOLOGY ENTREPRENEURSHIP → Innovation WHAT IS YOURHOT TOPIC? “A lightbulb looking for a dark room” is how we often characterize some technology startups. But what if the entrepreneur genuinely starts with the desire to solve a customer’s problem, and even delight them? Could the eventual outcome be different, and better? WHYDOES IT MATTERNOW? Great technology does not guarantee success. Entrepreneurs, with limited resources, have to make tough choices. Understanding what customers value, and which customers, is essential, even if that goes against the passion that the founder might

initially have had. It is hard to tell yourself to focus on the customer’s problem or need, rather than the solution that you believe you have in hand.

It takes more than a great idea to prosper as a tech start-up or entrepreneur.

JIM PULCRANO Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship and Management

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