Gary Cohen

As president and co-founder of ACI Telecentrics, Inc., Gary Cohen grew the company from two people to 2,200 employees Currently, he is managing partner of CO2 Partners, LCC, operating as an executive coach and consultant. His book is Just Ask Leadership – Why Great Managers Always Ask The Right Questions (McGraw Hill 2009).

Bob Shinn

Bob Shinn, founder of Cloud Silver Lining, is a management executive and entrepreneur with more than 18 years of experience. He has a record of achievement – planning, developing, and implementing effective business-centric solutions that drive operational efficiency and lower costs while increasing profit margins and providing a competitive edge. Mr. Shinn has a superior record delivering large-scale mission-critical projects on time and on or under budget while simultaneously managing ongoing business support. He holds an MBA from Babson College and is ITIL Certified, a Certified Project Manager, and a Six Sigma Champion.

James Adams

James Adams is a senior analyst at Sageworks, a financial information company, and Inc. 500 honoree.  Adams is also the author of “Waffle Street: The Confession and Rehabilitation of a Financier,” a humorous examination of money, banking, and economics by a hedge fund (and foodservice) professional. Adams began his career with Protective Life Insurance Co. and Jefferson-Pilot Financial. He served as a corporate bond analyst at both companies. Subsequently, he was a vice president at a $30 billion money management firm. Adams received his MBA from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and a BS in analytical finance and accounting from Wake Forest University.

Greg Brandeau

Greg Brandeau is the former President and COO of MakerMedia. Previously, he served as the Chief Technology Officer for The Walt Disney Studios. >>>

Luis Montes

Luis is an experienced healthcare entrepreneur and business executive. >>>

Anik Bose

Anik Bose is a General Partner at Benhamou Global Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm with deep Silicon Valley roots. >>>

Poornima Vijayashanker

Poornima Vijayashanker is currently the founder at Femgineer, an education startup that helps empower engineers, founders, and product leads to transform their ideas into tangible, high-impact products. >>>

Steve Owens

Steve Owens is the Founder of Finish Line Product Development Services. Steve has over 30 years of successful product development experience >>>

Top 10 Reasons Why Product Development Projects Fail

By Guest Author Steve Owens

The sole purpose of product development is to generate a positive return on investment. Consequently, it is interesting to note that more than 70% of product development projects fail to produce a positive return on investment. Product Development is risky and always requires some trial and error. However, great companies continuously improve, and product development is certainly an area where opportunities for improvement abound.  It is important to treat product development failures the same as other challenges in business. It is essential to understand what went wrong, why it went wrong and what can be done to prevent it from going wrong next time.   >>>

Pinky Thakkar

 Pinki Thakkar is the founder and CEO of 360 Biometrics and PronounceNames.com.