Are You an Entrepreneur?

Do you have what it takes?

Entrepreneurs come in all shapes and forms - some are young, some are old. Some have awesome tech skills, while others have a great idea and know how to find the people with the tech skills to bring it to life. In this Forbes magazine article Parmy Olson reports on a young man and the robots he created.

Silas Adekunle was 25 years old when he met with Apple to display the robot he created and called MekaMon. What began as a 15 minute meeting has turned into a successful distribution deal with Apple. Adekunle's MekaMon robots are being offered in Apple stores and sold as battle-bots. Part of his success is due to the robots' quality, animation, and affordability. But another part is due to timing - these robots also use augmented reality - an area in which Apple is very interested.

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Discussion Questions/Activities
  1. Entrepreneurs can be found in any field, not just technology. However, having tech skills can still be extremely advantageous. Involve the class in a discussion about what it takes to be an entrepreneur and how technology can help.
  2. Divide the class into small groups and have each group research an entrepreneur in the field of technology. The Supporting Web Links section has several items that might be helpful. Groups may choose to research someone who has become famous such as Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg, or they may choose to explore someone who is still working their way up. Groups should create a presentation to showcase their findings with the class.
  3. As an individual project, ask students to identify and interview an entrepreneur of their choice. Students should attempt to obtain basic background information for bio purposes. What is the entrepreneur working on currently? What is/was their motivation? What is their educational background? What advice do they have for students? Students may want to record their interview (with permission) or simply take notes. Students should write a brief report or share their recording with the class.

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