Thomas Hellman is the Director of the W. Maurice Young Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Research Center at the University of British Columbia. Thomas is a keen observer of entrepreneurs. He has created a number of case studies of entrepreneurship in British Columbia and beyond that give anyone involved in business development much to think about.
The first resource Thomas has created is the BC Innovation Council BC Case Studies. These case studies provide specific highlight areas (e.g., marketing, stategy, and product development) that companies had to go through. Each case study provides background on the company and business problem they solved along with key success factors.
We often think in our social media, Internet enabled, fast paced world that business concepts and financing are all new. The reality is that new technology, new markets, communications, and financing are challenges that individuals have been dealing with for thousands of years. To put this in perspective, read Thomas’ case study on Musings of a Queen. If you were Isabelle, Queen of Spain, would you have financed Christopher Columbus?
