The Entrepreneurial Process Workshop @ GATHER+962 27-28 February 2015 By Danny Warshay dwarshay@dewventures.com www.dewventures.com What you will learn Master a deliberate entrepreneurial process Apply entrepreneurial approaches to solve social challenges Develop entrepreneurial confidence Hone your analytical and communication skills Build your entrepreneurial network onsite and through an invitation to join the private Warshay Innovation network of all of my alumni worldwide Objectives and Methodology Entrepreneurship is innovation in practice: Transforming ideas into opportunities, and, through a deliberate process, opportunities into commercial realities. This GATHER+962 entrepreneurship workshop will present elements of this entrepreneurial process through Harvard Business School case studies that illustrate essential elements of an entrepreneurial framework and highlight practical approaches to entrepreneurial success. Our primary objective is to expose you to case-based fundamentals of the entrepreneurial process that will provide practical skills, perspectives, and motivation. We will also emphasize social entrepreneurship to dovetail with the major themes of this conference. The format of this workshop will follow a typical Harvard Business School methodology. It will expose GATHER +962 participants to the rhythm and demands of a Socratic case study approach. And it will challenge you to apply your own experience and what you learn through your own analyses of the cases and supplementary readings in workshop discussions. It is critical that you read and analyze the cases and supplementary readings before you come to the workshop sessions, and come ready to be called on to start and participate in the discussion. In short, this Socratic case study approach will present topics on entrepreneurship in a context that will simulate the real-life entrepreneurial contexts. And in particular, we will look to draw explicitly on some of your own experience – entrepreneurial and otherwise. Through this workshop, we intend for participants to focus on specific demands of the entrepreneurial process, and, throughout even these two sessions, to develop additional confidence and acquire some of the tools needed to begin to approach your challenges more entrepreneurially. This intensive workshop will be rigorous. Participants who meet this challenge and who work hard will find the process satisfying, and will reap significant rewards for the commitment and investment you make. At the same time, we also intend for this to be an exciting and fun experience. Having now taught The Entrepreneurial Process Workshop in business, governmental and academic contexts in Egypt, Portugal, Israel, China, Bahrain, South Africa, Palestine and throughout the United States, as full-semester courses at Brown for years, and in the
Sofaer iMBA and Executive MBA programs at Tel Aviv University, I will do whatever I can to help participants to initiate and develop relationships with my professional colleagues and former students throughout my networks at universities, companies, and social ventures around the world. In short, I fully intend to do whatever I can to help make this first workshop experience together fruitful and have long-term impact. Workshop Participation Your active and high-quality participation in workshop discussions is the key to a successful Socratic-based workshop. And the basis for high-quality workshop participation is diligent preparation. Before these sessions, you should spend sufficient time reading, assessing, and analyzing each case study. Each discussion will begin with a cold call of a participant to begin, typically following the Sahlman POCD approach that you will read about in Some Thoughts On Business Plans, and then with his or her own plan of action (e.g., “what would you do if you were the in charge, and why?”). Throughout the rest of the session, you will be asked to support or challenge the initial opening. This Socratic method will enable participants to discover, analyze, and demonstrate mastery over the key issues of the case. Reading the supplementary notes will arm you with tools and vocabulary required to analyze cases. It is essential to remember that just like in your own experience, in these case studies, there are no black and white correct answers. There are multiple answers and points of view that are worth our considering and discussing, and therefore it is essential that all participants feel comfortable voicing their own personal points of view and recommendations. You all bring extensive experience to our discussions, and we are all eager to hear your points of view. I am especially interested in hearing points of view that may be different from my own. Throughout the workshop, participants will gain additional confidence in participating and contributing to these case discussions, and will learn from the diverse opinions expressed. Warshay Innovation Network Alumni of all of Danny’s courses and workshops worldwide are eligible to join the private online Warshay Innovation Network (WIN). Members affiliate with their specific course or workshop group, and then can interact, discuss, post ideas, share resources, and collaborate on entrepreneurial opportunities with all members of the network. They can access course materials and watch videos of class guests, and they can also easily stay in touch with me and with each other, and use the alumni map to make new contacts with fellow WIN alumni all over the world. Thank you to Andrew Skinner (Brown Entrepreneurial Process Spring ’06) for developing WIN and to Lawrence Chan (Brown Entrepreneurial Process Fall '09) for generously hosting WIN on Akliz. To Apply If you are interested in participating in this workshop at GATHER+962, please e-mail gather@seedsofpeace.org and Professor Danny Warshay (dwarshay@dewentures.com) with the subject line: “GATHER+962 Entrepreneurial Process Workshop”. Because space is limited, please share with us why you would like to participate.
Testimonials “Entrepreneurship is the energy that inspires and motivates people with commitment for action. And this energy requires sharpening and guidance. Taking an entrepreneurship workshop with Danny will provide entrepreneurs with the essential dose of concepts and frameworks needed to develop and nurture any entrepreneurial idea. To be able to maximize learning, deep analysis of the cases and material and full engagement and participation will definitely allow participants to reflect on and share their unique experience. I recall that the Palestinian context was always floating in the background while reflecting on the case discussions led by Danny. Gradually I learned that commitment, teamwork and a good and simple business/social model would open a new path: a path of fulfilling and promising future. Enjoy your learning journey!” Marwan Durzi, Ramallah MPA/Harvard University, MBA/Kellogg School of Management Attended Danny Warshay’s Executive MBA Course at Tel Aviv University “Attending Danny Warshay‟s “The Entrepreneurial Process” course was one of the best choices I made. The course‟s methodology of analyzing Harvard case studies is designed to reflect all you learn about business and entrepreneurship in real-life examples, where you enrich your analysis skills, learn from others‟ experiences and mistakes and come up with the most innovative and suitable solutions for you as an entrepreneur. Remember, being a Palestinian entrepreneur is challenging, just like any entrepreneur in the rest of the world. This workshop will show you “how to think” not “what to do” when you face challenges or difficulties. I remember very well how much Danny wanted to conduct this workshop in Palestine, because he believed that Palestine has inspirational and skillful entrepreneurs just like anywhere in the globe. Don‟t hesitate to learn and draw on the best of Danny‟s passion, energetic way of discussing the cases, and most importantly his experience as a successful entrepreneur." Nadeen Baboun, Bethlehem MBA/Tel Aviv University Attended Danny Warshay’s International MBA Course at Tel Aviv University “As a former student of Danny‟s myself, it was an honor to share his unique teaching ability, passion, and wisdom with the Core18 Fellowship in Jerusalem - incubating the Jewish social ventures of Young Israeli and American entrepreneurs. Danny did not hesitate once and brought both personal and professional insights relevant to the group‟s work in Israel and the Jewish world at large. The feedback I heard most frequently from the participants was, „Knowing all of Danny‟s entrepreneurial and academic achievements – we were so pleasantly surprised to encounter someone so down to earth, friendly, and truly invested in us – he absolutely broke the mold!’” Jonah Fisher, Jerusalem Program Coordinator, Core18 Leaders Lab Attended Danny Warshay’s workshop at Core18 Leaders Lab summer 2014 and Entrepreneurial Process Course at Brown University "As an organization that often hosts international trainers, we were dazzled by the high ratings Danny's workshop received from our participants. Danny's entrepreneurship workshop was challenging and interesting, and participants asked for more from him. Our participants benefited greatly from Danny's global and extensive entrepreneurship experience, and learned a lot from him. We hope to be able to host Danny on a regular basis." Ambar Renova, Ramallah Digital Entrepreneurship Programs Manager, PNB/Leaders Palestine
Who’s leading The Entrepreneurial Process Workshop? Danny Warshay dwarshay@dewventures.com www.dewventures.com Danny Warshay has devoted his career to building, managing and harvesting high-growth entrepreneurial ventures. He began his entrepreneurial pursuits while an undergraduate at Brown, as co-founder of Clearview Software, which Apple acquired in 1989. He then codeveloped Specialized Systems and Software-a custom software development firm sold to Medline Industries. Danny led the growth of Anchor Communications, a startup magazine and Internet publishing company sold in two parts to A.H. Belo Corporation and Miller Publishing Group. As co-founder and managing director of Health Business Partners – the nutrition industry’s premier venture capital and financial advisory firm – Danny built and led the firm's venture capital practice. Danny’s corporate experience came at Procter & Gamble as a member of the Duncan Hines Brand Management team, where he managed the development and marketing of new products. One of Danny’s business passions is Open-Book Management – an approach to empowering, motivating and rewarding employees through exposure to all relevant measures and financial literacy, and by providing a meaningful stake in the outcome through employee ownership. He has spoken in national forums and has been interviewed in Inc. Magazine on the topic, and coaches companies interested in embracing this approach. Danny is an entrepreneurship professor at Brown University where he teaches the Entrepreneurial Process – a foundation course that he developed in the interdisciplinary Business, Entrepreneurship, and Organizations program (BEO). In the Critical Review, this course was recognized as the highest rated course at Brown. He is also a member of the faculty of Tel Aviv University’s MBA program where he teaches in the program’s summer trimester. Danny teaches workshop versions of his Entrepreneurial Process courses internationally. Selected countries: China, Egypt, Portugal, Bahrain, Slovenia, South Africa, Israel, Palestine and throughout the United States. In recognition of his active support for Brown students in and out of the classroom, in 2011 Danny was awarded the first ever Nathalie Rutherford Pierrepont Prize for Leadership, Career Advising, and Motivation. Google’s University Program awarded Brown’s BEO Program an unrestricted grant to recognize the impact Danny’s teaching has had on his students, several of whom have gone on to work at Google. Danny has served on the boards of numerous startups and on a variety of non-profit boards focused on health and education including RISE, which provides educational opportunity for the children of incarcerated parents. He was a founding board member of the Brown University Entrepreneurship Program where he is now a Trustee Emeritus;
and he is an Honorary Life President of the Brown University Hillel Foundation where for four years he served as President during the foundation’s $12 million capital campaign and construction of its 28,000 square foot new facility. To recognize Danny’s leadership, Brown Hillel annually awards the Danny Warshay ’87 Exceptional Leadership Award to the student who has most clearly demonstrated the leadership qualities of mentoring, modeling and community building. Danny was also the 2006 recipient of the Merrill L. Hassenfeld Leadership in Community Service Award. Danny received a B.A. in History, magna cum laude, from Brown University (Junior Year at Hebrew University in Jerusalem) and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. In addition to spending time with his wonderful wife and three terrific children, Danny loves the mental and physical challenges and rewards of vinyasa yoga. He is also an avid (and tortured) Cleveland sports fan.