News by SB Informer

Stanford and UC Davis Professors Issue New Book on Technology Entrepreneurship

SB Informer
Wednesday, January 24, 2007; 08:23 AM

Just as technology entrepreneurship is surging with renewed vigor, the newly released Technology Ventures: From Idea to Enterprise, Second Edition, published by McGraw-Hill’s Higher Education division, is the only textbook on the market that walks students and entrepreneurs through the step-by-step process unique to starting a technology venture. The book’s co-authors are esteemed professors and entrepreneurs Thomas H. Byers of the Stanford University School of Engineering and Richard C. Dorf of the Graduate School of Management at the University of California, Davis.

"Anyone seeking solutions to important societal problems knows that discovery is often best translated into impact by bringing it to market," said John Hennessy, who wrote the foreword to the book and is president of Stanford University, founder of MIPS and Atheros and now a board member at Google and Cisco Systems, Inc. "The role of technology entrepreneurs is paramount to getting innovation out of the lab and into the hands of people who need it. To enable this on a greater scale, universities must take the lead by making multidisciplinary entrepreneurship education a priority. I wish I could have read a book like this when I was starting my first technology company."

The first edition of the book, released in 2004, was a best seller in its category. The second edition builds on that success with the addition of a multimedia DVD of material taken from edcorner.stanford.edu, a resource site provided by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP) that Byers co-directs. Among other valuable content, it features video clips of entrepreneurial thought leaders from Silicon Valley talking about their personal experiences and offering advice.

One such person is Jim Breyer, partner at venture capital firm, Accel Partners, Investment Committee member of IDG-Accel China and Accel-KKR, board member of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Marvel Entertainment, and a number of private technology companies such as Brightcove, Facebook, and Prosper. “Technology Ventures: From Idea to Enterprise should be required reading for every scientist and engineer,” said Breyer. “This book goes beyond business technique to also teach entrepreneurial thinking, a mindset that is increasingly crucial for people in established companies as well as startups.”

In addition to being widely respected scholars in technology enterprise management, the book’s co-authors are seasoned entrepreneurs themselves. Richard C. Dorf is a cofounder of six technology firms as well as a professor emeritus of electrical and computer engineering and a professor of management at UC Davis. Having written or edited more than 50 books, he is referred to by McGraw-Hill as the “best-selling engineering author of all time.” He is a Fellow of the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). Dorf also serves as the series editor of McGraw-Hill’s engineering books.

Professor Thomas H. Byers is a professor at Stanford University in the Department of Management Science and Engineering, where he focuses on technology entrepreneurship education. He is also founder and a faculty director of STVP, which is focused on accelerating entrepreneurship education for scientists and engineers worldwide. Byers also holds a visiting professor appointment at the London Business School and University College London. He serves on advisory boards or committees of ASEE’s Entrepreneurship Division and Harvard Business School's California Research Center. He spent over a decade in leadership positions in technology ventures including Symantec Corporation and is on the board of directors of several private companies. He started his career at Accenture.

About the Stanford School of Engineering

Home to nearly 4,000 students and more than 230 faculty members, Stanford Engineering is a top-ranked engineering school within one of the best overall universities in the world. Working at the forefront of applied science and technology, Stanford engineers seek innovations that will address some of humanity’s greatest challenges: improving human health and enabling environmentally sustainable energy and economic development. Through excellence in teaching and research, coupled with a pioneering spirit, Stanford Engineering has long been a driving force in the growth of Silicon Valley and beyond.

About the UC Davis Graduate School of Management

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the UC Davis Graduate School of Management provides management education to more than 400 students enrolled in Daytime MBA and Working Professional MBA programs on the UC Davis campus, in Sacramento, and in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through its Center for Entrepreneurship, the school offers a technology management minor for undergraduates and business development programs in which doctoral science students develop skills to commercialize research.

About the UC Davis College of Engineering

The UC Davis College of Engineering, with 4,200 undergraduate and graduate students, integrates teaching, research and service to society to advance the leading edge of engineering knowledge and educate the next generation of engineers. Students participate in entrepreneurship training and technology management programs.

 Feedback   Submit Article