What is the Future of Liberal Arts Education in America?

Ever since I read this recent WSJ article ‘At Harvard, Humanities Lose Status‘, I have been disturbed by this question. Actually, I have been thinking about the issue for longer, and wondering how the American Higher Education industry will evolve.

I am curious what your thoughts are on the subject. Here are some of mine:

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The Indian Startup Eco-System Wants Acqui-hiring!

I spent large chunks of time in the last two days with my friend Sharad Sharma, one of the true deep thinkers of the Indian startup eco-system. I first met Sharad when he invited me to co-chair the Nasscom Product Conclave in Bangalore with him in 2010. I really enjoyed working with him, and over the years, have come to appreciate what he is trying to do for the Indian eco-system.

Sharad, by the way, is one of the 20 odd effective angel investors who invest in the technology sector in India. While the total number of angel investors is much larger, many of them come from outside the sector, and hence are not capable of leading deals. If you look at Indian Angel Network or Mumbai Angels, for instance, a vast majority of the angels made their money elsewhere (like real estate), and often find it difficult to fully grasp what’s happening in the software, mobile or Internet businesses, let alone networking or semiconductor. Thus, these lead angels are critical for the eco-system to mature.

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Why Entrepreneur Dreamers Fail to Launch

By guest author Jeff Weber from his book From Idea to Exit: The Entrepreneurial Journey

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many people with entrepreneurial ideas who have acted on their dreams and others who merely talk – failing to ever launch.  When I wrote From Idea to Exit: The Entrepreneurial Journey I challenged myself to answer one question.  Why do some people successfully act on their ideas and visions while most others fail to do so?  I’ve had the opportunity to test my thesis through mentoring and advising entrepreneurs over the years, and most recently, I’ve applied my theory to myself in launching two new digital startups.  I was pleased, and a bit ashamed, to find that the theory held up. >>>

March 3rd: Sramana Mitra At Berkeley Haas’ Women In Leadership Conference

Do you dream of starting a business? Have an idea but not sure what to do next?

Sramana Mitra will be moderating a panel, Entrepreneurship: The Real Stories of Getting Started, during the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business’ Women In Leadership Conference on Saturday, March 3, 2012, at 10:30 a.m.

This panel will share the real, honest stories of successful women entrepreneurs. Whether they got venture funding, participated in an incubator, or bootstrapped their venture, they’ve all had exciting successes and tough challenges. Hear about both, and learn how to find your own unique path to entrepreneurship. You can find more details and REGISTER HERE.

Families: Nurture Entrepreneurs

Of late, graduating from college has been a source of anxiety rather than excitement for many families. Youth unemployment is at 17%. Parents are concerned about their children’s future. Here’s one way parents and families can help: support their children’s entrepreneurial ambitions. >>>

An Underused Tool For Job Recovery

As the U.S. economy continues to hiccup, large-scale entrepreneurship is a badly needed remedy. In transitioning hundreds of thousands of people to self-employment and job creation through entrepreneurship, incubators look like an extremely helpful tool. But we need to produce more of the most effective incubators. >>>

Sramana Mitra’s Talk At TEDxHarkerSchool

Here is the recording of the speech Sramana Mitra gave to an audience of students interested in entrepreneurship at TEDxHarkerSchool in October:

Sramana Mitra Speaking At TEDxHarkerSchool In San Jose On October 22

TEDxHarkerSchool is an event for high school and college students arranged to help foster youth entrepreneurship through inspiration and learning from successful entrepreneurs. Sramana Mitra’s talk is entitled, “The World Is Your Oyster.” Other speakers include Guy Kawasaki, Kevin Surace, Karl Mehta, and Rahim Fazal. You can find more details and register today here.