3. Additional adds to improve. The least needed is to add more Duke Professors (most professors have never been an Entrepreneur), and being a Start-up CEO is vastly different from being a CFO or VP of marketing. They are not programmed to think out of the box, which is a major requirement for start-up CEOs (many years ago, I was an Associate Professor in Ag Economics over in Raleigh at NCSU).
In defense of the colleagues who'll be joining me here, none of them are "professors" in the sense you're referencing. All of us in Duke's entrepreneurship program are former (and, in most cases current) entrepreneurs... including exits, YC alums, etc. across multiple different ventures.
That's actually something I'm most proud of about our entrepreneurship faculty... it's all people with a proven track record of doing what we teach 💙😈
I see we are on the same page! I remember when I was a junior in college (I was a retread at the time that came back to finish my degree after years and additional maturity), and I had an economics professor trying to teach us about Federal Funds. I had actually worked in a national bank with the daily responsibility of selling our excess reserves at the nightly "Federal Funds Published Rate.
It was obvious he could quote what the book said, but had no knowledge of how the system worked. He didn't even realize that the rate quoted in the WSJ was a nightly rate, not an annual rate, but a rate for one night, that it was reserves loaned, not dollars lent.
When I explained how the system worked, he looked at me like a deer in the headlights!
1. Substack, Zero to Pitch Gold, and Medium
2. The value I need most is fundraising help
3. Additional adds to improve. The least needed is to add more Duke Professors (most professors have never been an Entrepreneur), and being a Start-up CEO is vastly different from being a CFO or VP of marketing. They are not programmed to think out of the box, which is a major requirement for start-up CEOs (many years ago, I was an Associate Professor in Ag Economics over in Raleigh at NCSU).
Appreciate you taking the time to share.
In defense of the colleagues who'll be joining me here, none of them are "professors" in the sense you're referencing. All of us in Duke's entrepreneurship program are former (and, in most cases current) entrepreneurs... including exits, YC alums, etc. across multiple different ventures.
That's actually something I'm most proud of about our entrepreneurship faculty... it's all people with a proven track record of doing what we teach 💙😈
I see we are on the same page! I remember when I was a junior in college (I was a retread at the time that came back to finish my degree after years and additional maturity), and I had an economics professor trying to teach us about Federal Funds. I had actually worked in a national bank with the daily responsibility of selling our excess reserves at the nightly "Federal Funds Published Rate.
It was obvious he could quote what the book said, but had no knowledge of how the system worked. He didn't even realize that the rate quoted in the WSJ was a nightly rate, not an annual rate, but a rate for one night, that it was reserves loaned, not dollars lent.
When I explained how the system worked, he looked at me like a deer in the headlights!
Everyone, including me is a different person doing different creative work.
Hence, I value a wide range of facts and opinions. I can't guess what might give me insight.
That is why I read a number of different articles each day. Your work and those on Medium are extremely valuable.