Welcome! Lecture 1 Business, Law and Innovation Prof. Dell

My Background Grew up in Houston President of the computer club at MHS Tulane, Political Economy UT Law School, J.D. Winstead Sechrest & Minick Enterprise Partners Crosspoint Venture Partners Impact Venture Partners Austin Ventures Columbia Business School UT Law School Founder: Buzzsaw.com (ADSK), MesssageOne (DELL), SharedEarth.com Investor: OpenTable (OPEN), HotJobs (YHOO), Connectify (KANA), Civitas Learning….and far many more that completely failed!

Don’t Freak Out This class is different from any other you’ve taken at UT. That is a good thing. We will not study black letter law per se, ipso facto, res ipsa loquiter. We are here to: 1) Peer into practitioner’s view of how technology startups get built 2) Think about why businesses use technology 3) Understand why business and life are so interconnected 4) Learn from the wisdom & experience of others 5) Gain a basic practical understanding of business, finance, negotiation and intellectual property 6) Find a meaningful path in life 7) Have a good time (as mush as is possible in a classroom) Ok?

Specifically, We’ll Cover: a) Section I - What We Hope to Accomplish b) Section II - March of Innovation c) Section III - Technology and Business d) Section IV - Business Basics e) Section V - Start-ups (a/k/a What I’m Working on) f) Section VI - Venture Capital g) Section VII - Intellectual Property h) Section VIII - Entrepreneurial Finance i) Section IX - System Theory and Network Dynamics j) Section X - Network Dynamics in Business k) Section XI - Decision Making l) Section XII - Negotiation m) Section XIII - Seeking a Meaningful Life

Goal of the Class I want you to commit yourself right now to one thing: Be Passionate About Something. “I solemnly swear that I will endeavor to find or pursue something I am obsessively passionate about during the course of this semester. I will commit myself to studying this topic through the lens of the ideas discussed in this class. In doing so, I will seek to gain a set of skills that will enable me to effectively face all the challenges I will encounter in my life. I promise to do this for myself and no other purpose, especially not my grade, so help me [fill in the name of your deity of choice].”

Grades (Remember Your Solemn Oath) 3) Grades (20% class participation; 30% midterm; 50% final) a) Class participation is based on attendance and the quality of your comments made during class. You are expected to come to every class. At the end of the semester I will ask you to submit a record of how many classes you attended during the semester. If you are going to be absent, please do not send me an about it. You are permitted to miss two classes before your attendance will negatively impact your grade. b) There will be a midterm during the semester. It will consist of a real world startup presenting their business to the class. You will be asked to write a two page analysis of the startup. Your grade will be based on: i) your ability to adequately analyze the various elements of the startup, and ii) the quality of your thinking. d) There is no final exam, instead there is a final project. Students may work individually or in small groups no greater than four. The project shall consist of an in-class presentation. The topic of the final project is up to you. You may analyze an industry, an established company, a startup, a business concept, a new technology, anything you like. The only parameter is that analysis must incorporate the principles covered in class. Examples of exemplary final projects that were awarded the high grades are available here: If you have any additional questions regarding the final, don’t hesitate to ask!

Syllabus – How the Class Works You’ll see on the syllabus each class is broken down. We will have somewhat of flipped classroom model, where a lot of instruction is meant to happen outside the class room. You’ll be asked to review presentations and reading materials beforehand and we’ll discuss them and engage in class exercises often. The more you prepare the more interesting the class discussions will be.

Administrative All class material can be found at: My is: My assistant Catherine’s is The TA’s name is: The TA’s is: My office hours are right before this class. If you wish to make an appointment for office hours, please (the TA). I’m happy to meet with you for any reason during the course of the semester. Again, welcome!

Questions?