Getting To Plan B: Randy Komisar, General Partner, Kleiner Perkins (Part 2)

SM: Let’s get your basic concepts together. I saw four key concepts in your book; the concepts of analog, antilog, dashboard, and leaps of faith. RK: The way I think about the entrepreneurial or innovation process is from a “what’s the problem I am trying to solve” standpoint. In my business, I look for the

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Getting To Plan B: Randy Komisar, General Partner, Kleiner Perkins (Part 1)

Randy Komisar is a co-founder of Claris Corporation, served as CEO for LucasArts Entertainment and Crystal Dynamics, and acted as a “virtual CEO” for such companies as WebTV and GlobalGiving. Prior to that, he served as CFO of GO Corporation and senior counsel for Apple Computer, following a private practice in technology law. Randy holds

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IT Business Edge Interview on Bootstrapping

Ann All interviewed Sramana for IT Business Edge recently: Bootstrapping A Better Alternative than VC for Most Startups. “[In the ’90s,] there was so much hoopla about venture capital that it created a completely wrong way of thinking about entrepreneurship.” “Entrepreneurs tend to be very extreme people. You kind of have to be crazy to

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Teaching K-12 Math Online: Reasoning Mind CEO Alex Khachatryan (Part 7)

SM: How much philanthropy money have you raised so far for Reasoning Mind? AK: Overall, we are funded by 70 donors. We have generated huge support from both individuals and private foundations. In total we have raised just over $12 million, plus in-kind contributions such as Oracle giving us free database support.

Teaching K-12 Math Online: Reasoning Mind CEO Alex Khachatryan (Part 6)

SM: In moving out of state, have you had to adapt the curriculum at all? Is there any difference between curricula state to state? AK: Not much. There is some difference, but we covered it through offline lessons that we develop quickly. In our experience, 80%–90% is already there.

Teaching K-12 Math Online: Reasoning Mind CEO Alex Khachatryan (Part 5)

SM: In 2002 were you focusing only on math? AK: Yes, that alone was a daunting task. Our vision was to go beyond mathematics because the engine itself could deliver content in any subject.

Teaching K-12 Math Online: Reasoning Mind CEO Alex Khachatryan (Part 4)

SM: Is your system entirely based on AI, or do you have teachers integrated into the process? AK: In additional to the artificial intelligence system that would teach students, we have given teachers a very powerful control panel. They can get access to all kinds of just-in-time reports to see how each student is doing

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Teaching K-12 Math Online: Reasoning Mind CEO Alex Khachatryan (Part 3)

SM: Tell me more about your design principles. What are the core principles of the system? AK: The first shift was moving towards a curriculum program versus a math club environment. We also knew we had to deliver our curriculum to students in a very interactive way. We decided to take a curriculum that had

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