Professor Velle Kolde

11/16/2015

Twelve teams of entrepreneurs at Startup Weekend Spokane did. With help and guidance from the coaches, mentors, and judges these teams developed com

06/22/2015

At the University of Washington for the EMBA Council Western Regional meeting. Seattle is beautiful this time of year. After lunch we took a walk through campus. Is it just me, or the undergrads look younger and younger every year.

05/19/2015

35 years ago I was a senior at WSU studying for finals when St Helens erupted and covered Pullman in ash and Darkness. It was a Pompeii day.

05/11/2015

Congratulations to Keri Andrews and youkickass.com for kicking ass on Shark Tank. Three offers (and might have got a fourth, but Mark Cuban accepted the full ask!) Youkickass was Keri's capstone project in the Executive MBA program. Go Cougs!

04/28/2015

Recent Executive MBA graduate Keri Andrews will be presenting her Capstone project on Shark Tank on May 8. Congratulations Keri!

03/30/2015

Caught on up on some business reading. First, "Zero to One, Notes on Startups and How to Build the Future" by Peter Thiel. I loved this book, clearly one of the best on the entrepreneurship books in years, and a good compliment to a book by another PayPal founder, "The Hard Thing about Hard Things", by Ben Horowitz. Thiel's insights are worthwhile.
Second is "Me, Inc" by Gene Simmons - yes the guitarist/vocalist from KISS. Gene has been serious about business since he was kid, and his acumen and hard work built the KISS empire. The advice he gives is targeted at 20 somethings that launching their careers, but I still enjoyed his perspectives on business formation and relentlessly seeking/pursuing opportunity.

03/18/2015

Last Friday evening students and alumni from Management, Information Systems, & Entrepreneurship (MISE) gathered at the Coug owned Efeste Winery in Woodinville. Great networking and great wine. Merlot fans should try Upright, a direct response to Sideways smile emoticon, and Cab lovers will like Big Papa. In this picture, MISE Department head Ken Butterfield addresses the group.

03/09/2015

Visited the WeWork www.wework.com in Seattle last week. Resources and support for entrepreneurs from incubators has never been better. One of EMBA graduates took her Capstone project and turned into a company www.kidsgoco.com She is a member of WeWork.

WeWork is a platform for creators. We provide the space, community, and services you need to create your life's work.

03/05/2015

At the CougsFirst trade show in Bellevue, promoting Cougs doing business with Cougs. Former Cougar quarterbacks Alex Brink and Jason Gesser stopped by to learn more about our top rated online Executive MBA program.

03/01/2015

Driving season is around the corner. Yesterday we held our annual high performance driving Instructor Clinic. Attendance was record high 138 instructors and candidates! Keynote speaker was racer, driving coach, and author Ross Bentley www.speedsecrets.com. I have attended many of Ross' courses and seminars over the years, and every time I learn a lot. He is the Yoda of driver coaching and instructing.

02/27/2015

Started in my role as an advisor to a Global Case Competition team. The challenge is the waste plastics problem in Brazil. The team will develop a solution that addresses the complexity of waste management (political, socio-cultural, scientific, economic, educational, etc), is cost effective, sustainable, and can implemented within 5 years. The students on this multidisciplinary team have energy and some out-of-the-box ideas - this is going to fun!

02/22/2015

Taken the from our deck at the Serena Hotel. This is where to stay when visiting Zanzibar.