Top business schools are focusing on helping MBA students plan and fund new businesses. The Wall Street Journal reports here on the trend in business incubator programs across the country that encourage students to compete and innovate. Some of the resulting start-ups are now successful and profitable. It gives me hope that capitalism and entrepreneurship are still valued and nurtured in this country.
Amit Aharoni credits an early failure at Stanford with his current success.
The 2010 M.B.A. entered an entrepreneurship class to build a travel recommendation website. Three months of focused testing and prototyping, as well as insights from business leaders and professors, led Mr. Aharoni and his partner, a computer science student, to determine the plan wasn’t feasible.
Instead, they spent the last quarter of the school year focusing just on the cruise market and pursued the new venture after graduation.
The company, CruiseWise, raised $1.65 million in 2011 and was acquired earlier this year by TripAdvisor Inc. TRIP -2.19% Terms weren’t disclosed.
The bad news is that success is derided in today’s political and ideological climate. The Left believes people like those profiled in the WSJ piece don’t “deserve” their success and wealth. The Left’s goal is to redistribute the wealth created and earned by these entrepreneurs. Free marketers believe entrepreneurs should be showcased and applauded for their hard work, their ingenuity, their commitment, their sweat, and their willingness to take risks.
