Feb 8, 2011

Joseph Schumpeter, 20th-century Austrian economist and progenitor of the notion of “creative destruction”, noted in a 1942 paper that “the function of entrepreneurs is to reform or revolutionize the pattern of production.” Schumpeter proposed they do this by disregarding existing bureaucratic systems and, in short, just go for it. The kinds of...

Jan 11, 2011

How can young entrepreneurs make others perceive them as credible and capable without traditional credentials, like certificates or degrees?

Dec 28, 2010

Spencer Hewett is not what one might call an “average” college freshman. At Washington University in St. Louis, Spencer is one among a growing movement of young tech entrepreneurs getting their start in college. His current venture Shoppit, cuts to the core of consumers’ shopping problems using an innovative, proprietary Radio Frequency...

Dec 21, 2010

For this series, I’ve Skyped gawky, venture-capitalized college kids who’re still grappling with acne. It seems as though tech entrepreneurs are getting younger. What explains this trend toward younger people entering the tech-entrepreneurial space, even while still in college? This necessarily leads to a second question: why is it that nearly all of these college-aged entrepreneurs end up dropping out of college to start their ventures?

Dec 14, 2010

Peter Thiel, PayPal co-founder, billionaire venture capitalist, hedge fund manager, and early Facebook investor, does not play around when it comes to inspiring young people to build their ideas into companies. His eponymous Thiel Fellowship promises twenty entrepreneurs under twenty years old cash grants of up to $100,000 to do so.