Startup. Com: The Success Of Entrepreneurship's Success In Sahlman

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For many new ventures, the entrepreneurial team is often considered one of the most important factors that determine the success of the business (Sahlman). A breakthrough idea or brilliant new market opportunity cannot be built nor sustained without a “superb entrepreneur” and the support of a “first-rate team”, which appeals to both investors outside the company and propagates a strong culture inside the organization (Bygrave). As demonstrated in the film, Startup.com, human capital not only consists of individual skills to produce an entrepreneurial idea, but it also encompasses the necessary social networks and team dynamics needed for collaborative tasks to sustain an opportunity. The documentary provides a rare and intimate look at govWorks, …show more content…

The entire documentary is centered on the lead entrepreneur, Kaleil Isaza Tuzman, and his attempt at balancing opportunity, resources, and relationships at govWorks. As the person who originally derived the idea of paying parking tickets online, he has many of the critical personal attributes of a successful entrepreneur that was noted in William Bygrave’s The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship. For example, in terms of achieved characteristics and tangible assets, Kaleil graduated from Harvard University and his previous experience as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs gave him credibility as well as superior knowledge on how to raise capital. This is evident in his unfaltering tone and winning smile during his elevator pitch and interactions with various investors. Bygrave also believes that a successful entrepreneur has many behavioral and ascribed characteristics like determination and dedication, which allows them to “implement their venture with total commitment.” Not only did Kaleil resign from a high paying and stable job at Goldman Sachs to devote “all of his time to govWorks”, he also worked …show more content…

Unlike Kaleil and his focus on money, Tom is more relationship-oriented. “I would rather see the business fail than lose our friendship.” Tom also shows his dedication to the business and his employees by sacrificing time with his daughter. However, he is easily frustrated and succumbs to adversity. For example, when he realized that he could not be the co-CEO, he made irrational decisions to leave the company and ask Kaleil for a termination letter only to regret the actions afterwards. Not only did this complicate their friendship, but it also made the company appear disjointed in front of the board and other potential investors. In addition, he is not a good communicator and could not remember the city in which Maynard Jackson (a board member and presenter at the meeting) served as mayor. Furthermore, while Kaleil had financial expertises, Tom’s background highlighted many professional deficiencies. Despite his title as head of technology, he had a lack of experience in the core technological underpinning of the company, which led to many disputes with other employees as well as

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