Off the coast of the islands of Galapagos, new life and new species are created there at a remarkable pace. It is Nature's platform for innovation. Where is its analog in the man-made world? What are the catalytic conditions that make entrepreneurship and innovation happen? Specifically, how does the Silicon Valley work? Did you know that nearly one third of Silicon Valley startups are founded by non-technical people – economists, history and literature majors, to name a few. What is the track record of their success, compared to engineers and scientists? A fascinating presentation that was given by Ajit Singh, Artiman partner, at the Toulouse School of Economics.

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From Galapagos to Silicon Valley
Foundations of Entrepreneurship
Ajit Singh, Ph.D.
ARTIMAN VENTURES
Toulouse School of Economics
Sept 20th, 2018

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two
vignettes

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1 can we learn from nature
2 foundations of entrepreneurship

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1 can we learn from nature
2 foundations of entrepreneurship

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lets take a short
journey

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through a place of immense
diversity

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a small
archipelago

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a rich
diversity
of life

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on
land

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in
water

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and
sky

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where

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and
why

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galapagos

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why

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right
temperature
1

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good
mobility
2

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coral reefs

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natural mixing of
diversity
3

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connectionsare made

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failures
are discarded

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quickly

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that’s natures platform for
innovation

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what is man-made platform for
innovation

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silicon valley

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why is this difficult to replicate in
most cultures

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very
hierarchical
1
cultures

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very poor
diversity of
2
viewpoints

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very poor
listening
3
skills

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innovation and entrepreneurship
requires

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trans-disciplinarity

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aditazz

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DESIGN
Spatially arrange Kit of Parts
Integrate the
Building Systems
Tune the solution
for best value
Arrange 3D
Integrate
Arrange 2D
Tune
Design
4
1
2
3

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cellworks

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and trans-disciplinarity requires
true dialog

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and reliance on
first principles

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1 can we learn from nature
2 foundations of entrepreneurship

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our onus is to figure out the
pattern
that lies hidden underneath the apparent
chaos on the surface

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to see through Picasso’s outer shell and uncover…

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the Velazquez that lies behind it.

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true dialogue
1

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True dialogue requires that both parties listen with a
GENUINE CURIOUSITY about the other person’s view
point
True dialogue cannot happen when you listen out of
“generosity” (It is good that you are listening, but the
intent has to be curiosity, and NOT generosity)
True dialogue cannot happen when you pretend to listen
True dialogue cannot happen when you don’t listen at all

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trust
2

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Reliability means you deliver what you promise, consistently
Credibility means you know what you are talking about
Intimacy means you are sincere in your commitment to the
relationship, and are perceived that way. It also means
making yourself vulnerable
Self-interest is obvious (and is not a bad thing… as long as the
numerator, i.e. Reliability, Credibility, Intimacy is high)
Trust = (Reliability + Credibility + Intimacy)
Self Interest

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culture
3
(of high performance)

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High Performance Culture is not some soft, fluffy thing. It
has FOUR very specific, very tangible attributes:
Very clear goals, very clear roles
Full transparency – all facts AND all intentions on the
table. Full candor
Full debate BEFORE a decision is made – No debate
AFTER a decision is made. Just execute
Clear accountability and TRUST

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conflict
do not avoid

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4
train to be
adaptive

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“panta rhei…”
Heraclitus

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5
opportunity
trade-off a plan for an

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merit matters, but
serendipity
matters a lot too

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it is critical to have
mentors

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it is critical to have
coaches

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thank you
www.artiman.com