Musings on Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Saturday, October 19, 2002Last week, Pioneer Entrepreneurs members participated in teleconference roundtable with Forbes publisher Rich Karlgaard to further explore Karlgaard's thesis that small and mid-sized cities will outperform, economically, large urban centers over the coming years. What ensued was a lively discussion of talent, culture, and capital.
Last night, I was lucky enough to be invited to attend the 6th annual George R. Stibitz Computer & Communications Pioneer Awards sponsored by the American Computer Museum. Listening to the likes of Steve Wozniak (the co-founder of Apple) and Dr. Leroy Hood (whose lab developed the automated DNA sequencer), I was reminded of the excruciatingly important role that failure plays in success.
In addition, I continue to be inspired by the perseverence and success of the founder of the Compuseum, George Keremedjiev. His work is reflected in a truly world class archive of the artifacts of the computing and communications industries, which have dominated the course of human affairs over the last 50 years. Of all places, this work finds its home here in Bozeman.
Tectonic shifts in technology and our social structure have created an environment that offers surprising opportunity on the economic frontier. Nevertheless, individuals must actualize potential. I, for one, deeply appreciate the examples set by Keremedjiev and the other inventors, innovators, entrepreneurs, and artists one will find outside the mainstream.