sem089_week6

to:  all participants in sem089;

re:  busty okendaye's b-plan presentation postponed;
     more help on the thinking & writing assignment;
     where else you can turn in papers;
     interest in more patent cases per pressman's review? (with pressman);
     john preston's papers and lori pressman's paper, on reserve;
     additional suggested readings;

o  busty okendaye's business plan presentation, originally scheduled for
this evening, is postponed until later in the term.

o  this evening, discussion of papers turned-in will commence. those
participants still having trouble with the assignment might take a
team-based approach:  consider looking around the class for one-or-two
other students with whom to team-up to write papers together.  if you 
feel that don't know others in the seminar well-enough, let's change that
tonight.  also, you should all be using e-mail.  do we all know everyone
else's names and internet addresses?  

o  you can turn in papers at any time during regular office hours
to the secretary at the visible langauge workshop, on the fourth
floor of the media lab (e15-443) (the elevators and corridor doors
require access codes after 6pm and on weekends. sorry).
      
o  the handouts accompanying preston's and pressman's talks are on
reserve in dewey (and posted on the e-club bulletin board outside the
visible language workshop on the fourth floor of the media lab).

these really are required reading.  the titles are:

	o  _successful factors in technology development_,
	   john preston, director of technology development at mit,
	   revision of 26 sep '92;

	o  _key problems in commercialising technology in the u.s._,
	   ... testimony before the energy subcommittee of the
	   house space science and technology committee_,
	   john preston,
	   23 mch '93;

	o  _what you might want to know about intellectual property
	   before starting a business_,
	   lori pressman, (course 8, '79, ms/ee, columbia university),
	   technology licensing officer, mit technology licensing office,
	   paper prepared for presentation in our seminar, 26 oct '93;

other strongly suggested reading, also now on reserve;

	o  _raising money_,
	   benjamin rosen, partner, sevin-rosen management company, '92;
	   this is one of several books passed around for inspection.
	   it is based on several years of studies about companies
	   presenting at the mit enterprise forum's branch in
	   southern california during the latter '80's;  it's very
	   readable stuff, is regularly quite humorous and provides
	   the closest document to forum case studies i've yet found.
	   traditionally "the forum" (tm) has not made their cases
	   easily available to anyone we've spoken with.

	   the main points are set forth in the beginning of the work
	   (and we'll be talking more about these when we begin writing
	   our practice executive summaries and b-plans):	

	   "rosen's rules"

	   01 - segment the market;
	   02 - look for an unfilled market need;
	   03 - produce a significantly superior product;
	   04 - follow through with good execution;
	   05 - have a winning strategy;
	   06 - communicate information from the manufacturer to the customer;
	   07 - marshall maximum financial resources to compete;
	   08 - create an effective organisation, both managerially
		and strcuturally;
	   09 - do things at the right time;
	   10 - be lucky;

	   n.b.:  although the forum (tm) only hears presentations from 
	   companies that are already "in trouble", i.e., have a product, 
	   or service, and sales, but need first or nth rounds of "real"
	   funding (vs. "seed" or true zero-stage money).

	   i recommend that all mit students interested in starting-up
	   new tech-based business enterprises, while at mit or
	   after graduation, try to attend about a year's worth of
	   enterprise forum meetings (they're in 10-250 on the second
	   wednesday of every month.  mit students are admitted free.
	   there are forum "franchises" in several cities aroud the
	   country, located at universities and colleges.  next week
	   i'll have forum inforamtion packets included in the
	   collection of hand-outs).  i say `about a year's worth of
	   ... meetings" because ideas and plans, generically speaking,
	   advice and audience commentary begins to re-cycle somewhat
	   and really new and useful knowledge doesn't begin to surface
	   in this particular venue for perhaps 5 or 6 years.  this
	   is my own personal opinion, of course.

more later,

	- richard shyduroff
	  e-mail here best, or x3-2000, or at home 864-4039
.