“Es el mismo perro con diferente collar” In recent years, we’ve seen considerable pressure on venture capital firms to diversify their partnerships. Since only 7% of partners at the top 100 venture funds are women, the reflexive argument is that venture partnerships should hire more women. However, we believe this represents a backward-looking step, not […]
Author: Avikk Ghose
Never forget who supported you
“Amigo en la adversidad, es amigo de verdad” In September, Allen Iverson joined the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. During his 32:12 acceptance speech, Iverson expressed gratitude for friends and family, as well as former teammates and coaches. In all, he recognized 193 individuals who supported his journey from ex-convict to NBA superstar. Like […]
A solution for the obsolescent restaurant industry
“Dios está en todas partes pero atiende en Nueva York” In 2013, CookUnity CEO Mateo Marietti found himself in a stranger’s home in Athens, having the conversation of his life. The stranger was Konstantinos, a Greek chef fluent in five languages and former resident of Barcelona and New York. Introduced earlier that day by a mutual acquaintance, […]
Hope dies last
“La esperanza es lo último que se pierde” In January 2015, my father passed away as a result of cancer. A professor emeritus at the University of Washington, my father had a well-lived life. He worked on the first lunar samples from the Apollo missions and made scientific discoveries such as the new mineral Ghoseite. […]
How two Columbia engineers hijacked mobile commerce in Latin America
In winter 2013, two Columbia engineers walked away from glittering opportunities in New York to start a new venture in Guatemala. After discovering shared interests in their second year, Javier Mata and Frank Pinto kept in touch as Javier later founded a vacation rentals startup and Frank developed software for a Techstars company. Raised in […]
Walking away from Wall Street
“A buen hambre no hay pan duro” In 2010, Edrizio De La Cruz walked away from Wall Street to become an entrepreneur. As a JP Morgan investment banker, Edrizio previously led international financing deals in excess of $100 million in value. He leveraged this experience to gain admission to the Wharton School of Business, a […]
Relentless in the face of adversity
Allen Iverson played shooting guard in the NBA for fourteen seasons. At 5’11” and 165 lbs., he played each game at a striking disadvantage. Nonetheless, he was the most intimidating player in the league. A columnist once wrote: “Iverson plays with a compelling, hostile, bloodthirsty energy that other players just don’t have. He’s relentless in […]
A resource for software usability insights
“Cuando las barbas de tu vecino veas pelar, pon las tuyas a remojar” In April, the FDA approved Zykadia, a new medicine for non-small cell lung cancer developed by Novartis. Novartis received approval after positive results in Phase 1 clinical trials involving over 240 patients across 30 countries. During clinical trials, Novartis researchers worked to […]
A resource for unmet customer needs
“No hay mejor maestra que la necesidad” In February, I met a friend at Philz Coffee in Palo Alto. Since Philz was overflowing as usual, we sat outside and shivered in the early morning temperatures. My friend was a former Yahoo! executive and starting to consider his next steps. “I’d love to start a new […]
How two friends started Econduce to solve Mexico City’s traffic problems
Alejandro Morales and Eduardo Porta first met on the playground at the Sierra Nevada school in Mexico City, when they were six years old. The two friends have been close ever since. Growing up in DF, they experienced the problems associated with the city’s gridlocked transportation systems: traffic, noise, pollution and parking issues. While stopping […]
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