This text--a combination of Harvard Cases and text-- examines the entrepreneurial process from the initial idea through business operations to harvest. It provides the knowledge and skills required for students pursuing careers as entrepreneurs as well as valuable ideas for those in a more structured business setting. Most importantly, it takes a close look at the process of identifying and pursuing opportunity, which has become increasingly important in restoring the competitive position of many U.S. industries in a global marketplace.
Howard Stevenson has been a donor and a fundraiser for most of his life. He believes in "giving back" through financial and nonfinancial (expertise and experience) contributions to nonprofit organizations. He has served as vice provost of Harvard University, senior associate dean of Harvard Business School (HBS), chair of the Harvard Business School Press, chair of National Public Radio, chair of Sudbury Valley Trustees, a trustee of the Massachusetts Nature Conservancy, and a member of the board of both the Boston Ballet and Mount Auburn Hospital. In all of these organizations, fundraising was an important part of the strategy. He has personally touched gifts totaling many hundreds of million dollars, and has led the teams that secured some of the largest gifts in these organizations' histories. These significant gifts ranged from tens of thousands to more than $100 million.
In his other lives, Stevenson has been an entrepreneur, professor and author. He was the founder and first president of the Baupost Group, Inc., which manages partnerships investing in liquid securities for wealthy families. He now serves as co-chair of the Advisory Board of Baupost LLC, a $21 billion registered investment company. His HBS legacy, in addition to having touched the lives of thousands of students, is the establishment of its entrepreneurship program. Upon his recent retirement, a chair was named in his honor. Stevenson also is a prolific author, having published eleven books, and hundreds of articles and case studies.
