Online K-12 Education IPO In The Great Recession: Archipelago Learning Co-founders Cameron Chalmers, Dave Muzzo, And CEO Tim McEwen (Part 2)

SM: What happened during the year and a half you were building the product? I assume you were able to put it online. What kind of customers were coming to you?

DM: We got a few people to register for a free service, and those users input their study material. We quickly realized over the course of a couple of months that we were never going to make any money doing that. >>>

How To Build A Million Dollar Business

In case you missed it, Donna Fenn with BNET interviewed Sramana Mitra for her article, How to Build a Million Dollar Business.  You can find the article here.

Online K-12 Education IPO In The Great Recession: Archipelago Learning Co-founders Cameron Chalmers, Dave Muzzo, And CEO Tim McEwen (Part 1)

David Muzzo and Cameron Chalmers cofounded Study Island in May 2000 and have been vice president and director, respectively, since January 2007. Both received a BS from Vanderbilt University. Prior to founding Study Island, Cameron served as a software engineering lead developer for Lucent Technologies, and David founded Captive Marketing Concepts, which he sold in 1999. In early 2009 the group rebranded under the name Archipelago Learning, keeping Study Island as the core product while branching out into other “islands of excellence” united under a single brand.

SM: To begin, I would like to get the personal background of the first character in the story. Where does the story begin?

DM: Cam and I met in college, and we were fraternity brothers. We went to school at Vanderbilt. >>>

Taking On Microsoft And Google From India: InstaColl Founders Sumanth Raghavendra, Kaushal Cavale, And Their Mentor Sabeer Bhatia (Part 7)

SM: VCs don’t offer what you are offering Sumanth and Kaushal. Having a bridge like the one you are providing is very helpful.

SB: VCs dump companies and run away. I am now buying companies that VCs have dumped. >>>

Vision India 2020 Book Review: Should Stir The Creative Juices Of Entrepreneurs

Here is a review by Holden Lee for Amazon:

“Vision India 2020 is a richly painted collection of interwoven stories that are part business case study, part futurist fiction, and ultimately scenarios that should stir the creative juices of entrepreneurs, policy makers, and India-watchers alike. While presented as a series of vignettes drawing upon trends that are recognizable today, these start-up enterprises are sketched out on a bold scale to imagine “what-if”: what if the right resources could be brought together? what if an entrepreneur had the benefit of deep strategic experience? and, what if existing ideas could be combined in new and innovative ways?  Vision India 2020 succeeds in demonstrating the enormous possibilities of the entrepreneurial spirit because it reflects the deep personal story of Sramana Mitra herself – her childhood in India, her education in the U.S., her hands-on work across a large variety of start-ups, and her intense curiosity and passion on a wide range of social, cultural, and business issues. Imagine what is possible if each entrepreneur were able to tap into his or her own story in the same way.”

Also, Wayne Hurlbert of Blog Business World interviewed Sramana Mitra about her book in addition to his recent review.  You can find the Q&A here.

Vision India 2020 by Sramana Mitra is available from Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle, from Flipkart in India, and from Smashwords.com in all e-book formats.

Taking On Microsoft And Google From India: InstaColl Founders Sumanth Raghavendra, Kaushal Cavale, And Their Mentor Sabeer Bhatia (Part 6)

SM: I really like to go-to-market strategy. Who developed it?

SR and KC: The three of us together.

SM: It seems that Sabeer’s role today is very active. Is that right?

SR and KC: Absolutely. He has told us that the first phone call he makes when he wakes up and his last phone call before going to sleep are to us. >>>

Vision India 2020 Book Review: Take With You The Boldness

Shrey Goyal’s review for The God of Small Things blog is titled, “Visions India 2020: Take With You The Boldness,” and continues with:

“While every book is prone to being judged by its cover, Sramana Mitra’s Vision India 2020 is not your average ‘India Shining’ coffee table read. Neither does it make empty assertions of ‘India Rising’ with false reassurances of global supremacy. It is, in fact, exactly what it claims to be: a vision, backed with intricate research, deep insights and realizable roadmaps, all set in an imagined, yet realistic future.”

You can read the rest of this review here.

Vision India 2020 by Sramana Mitra is available from Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle, from Flipkart in India, and from Smashwords.com in all e-book formats.

Taking On Microsoft And Google From India: InstaColl Founders Sumanth Raghavendra, Kaushal Cavale, And Their Mentor Sabeer Bhatia (Part 5)

SM: Do you have a sense of who your 70,000 beta users are? Have you asked them why they are interested in your product?

SR and KC: Most of them are people who have already tried apps such as Google Docs and are obviously not satisfied. They want a collaborative app but are not willing to sacrifice features. We feel that Google Docs and Zoho users who want all the advanced Office features plus the collaboration free are the low-hanging fruit. >>>