Chapter 5: Innovation Strategies

Tom Byers, Stanford University,
Andrew Nelson, University of Oregon
and Richard Dorf, University of California, Davis

Innovation strategies that are bold and compelling are vital to entrepreneurship. For example, the decision to try to be the first to market or to wait is important to all entrepreneurs. Using an idealized model of the window of opportunity, the entrepreneur can decide when and how to act. The entrepreneur needs to maintain a sense of urgency but must avoid being too early or too late to market. Entrepreneurs also seek to build an innovation strategy that involves new technologies, ideas, and creativity, which leads to invention and ultimately commercialization. High-potential ventures often reshape entire industries through the creation of new products or services.

1. “Facing Competition Through Innovation” with Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn, Greylock

2. “Out Innovate Bigger Competitors” with Aaron Levie, Box

3. “Systematize Innovation” with Astro Teller, X

Continue to Chapter 6

Tom Byers

Tom Byers, Stanford University

Tom Byers is a Professor in the Department of Management Science & Engineering at Stanford University and a faculty director of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP).

Andrew Nelson, University of Oregon

Andrew Nelson is Associate Vice President for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and an Associate Professor of Management at the University of Oregon.

Richard Dorf, University of California, Davis

Richard C. Dorf is a Professor Emeritus of Management and Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California, Davis.

Related

Photo of Qasar Younis
Qasar Younis, Applied Intuition

Radically Pragmatic Insights [Entire Talk]

Becoming a successful entrepreneur requires more than ambition.
Video 45 minutes
Qasar Younis, Applied Intuition
Radically Pragmatic Insights [Entire Talk]
Becoming a successful entrepreneur requires more than ambition.

Video Clips

Photo of Sharon Prince
Sharon Prince, Grace Farms Foundation

Designing From Values [Entire Talk]

A space is an expression of values, from the earliest concepts to the actual materials.
Video 51 minutes
Sharon Prince, Grace Farms Foundation
Designing From Values [Entire Talk]
A space is an expression of values, from the earliest concepts to the actual materials.

Video Clips

Sophia Edelstein and Nathan Kondamuri
Sophia Edelstein and Nathan Kondamuri, Pair Eyewear

From Stanford Students to Co-CEOs [Entire Talk]

Mission and culture are essential to taking a company from its earliest days to unbelievable growth.
Video 51 minutes
Sophia Edelstein and Nathan Kondamuri, Pair Eyewear
From Stanford Students to Co-CEOs [Entire Talk]
Mission and culture are essential to taking a company from its earliest days to unbelievable growth.

Video Clips