D’Amore-McKim Study Abroad Explores Israel As Innovation Hub
The D’Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University unveiled a new study abroad pilot program that hosted five MBA students on a two-week guided tour of Israel’s past, present, and future this summer. The new International New Venture program, a joint venture between D’Amore-McKim and Ben Gurion University of the Negev, combines “historic and cultural experiences with big business and young start-up visits.”
How Rutgers Encourages Startups to Combat Sexual Misconduct
As Silicon Valley startups continue their apocryphal rise, an avalanche of sexual misconduct allegations has emerged. Rutgers Business School recently discussed the issue, arguing that high-ranking figures in the industry should sign a “No Go, Bro” clause, putting pressure on investors and board members to actively combat any and all misconduct.
As more and more victims of sexual misconduct publicly speak out against their perpetrators, and the Cosby’s, O’Reilly’s, Ailes’, Weinstein’s, and Trump’s of the world are forced to shed the cloak of darkness, the pressure is on for other industries outside entertainment and politics to address toxic work environments that silently condone harassment.
This is especially true in Silicon Valley, where recent high-profile sexual misconduct cases like Social Finance CEO Mike Cagney, UploadVR’s Taylor Freeman, and the recent suit VC firm Benchmark filed against Uber’s Travis Kalanick suggest an end to investor passivity.
The article outlines specific ways that investors can use its decision-making process to affect change from the top. For starters, boards need to establish clear guidelines regarding workplace culture, behavior, and ethics. When abuses of power are built into the very fabric of a company, it becomes easy to normalize misconduct.
Investors need to incorporate contractual language to prevent touchy-feely CEOs from walking away unscathed from a situation in which they misbehave.
“Before making a big investment in a startup, investors should use their power to require CEOs to sign a clause under which they forfeit a large proportion, or potentially all, of their stock, if fired for misconduct, including reasons such as sexual harassment and misrepresentations to investors.”
Ultimately, consumers need to send a clear message to the investors and boards of the companies we patronize that they have to “have to get beyond old-boy and young-bro Silicon Valley psychology [and] exercise their leverage to deter value-destroying misconduct.”
You can check out the entire Rutgers Business School article here.
Zipcar Founder and MIT Sloan Grad Robin Chase Offers Entrepreneur Advice
Last month, Zipcar founder and “Peers Inc” author Robin Chase, ‘86, spoke at MIT Sloan‘s Women in Management’s Push for Parity Week, offering three incredibly valuable lessons to those in attendance.
Sloan Startup Uses Data to Out-Design Bottled Water
Bottled water is a problem, but how can you “out-design” it? Sean Grundy, Frank Lee and Eliza Becton, a trio of MIT Sloan 2013 alumni, recently earned another round of investment funding for their smart water cooler company Bevi, which uses data to tap into the bottled water market.
MIT Sloan Executive Startup on How To Sell Themselves
Brian Eastwood from the MIT Sloan School of Management recently discussed how TechEmergence founder Dan Faggella metabolized important lessons contained within the Negotiation for Executives program to sell his first startup, the e-commerce platform, The Science of Skill.
Metro Jobs Report: Startup Experts, a De-Globalized World and more
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