The majority of new businesses don't survive their first year. Launching Successful Ventures teaches students the nuts and bolts of creating new ventures while helping them avoid the common pitfalls that often lead to failure. Entrepreneurial exercises, case studies, step-by-step guidelines, and in-depth coverage of important financial topics such as managing cash flow, equity capital, and debt and investment capital are designed to help students build sustainable, lucrative ventures. Authored by successful serial entrepreneurs and award-winning researchers Michael Fountain and Tom Zimmerer, this new text provides a concise, practical guide for students seeking to develop high-growth ventures.
Michael Fountain serves as the Founding Director of the University of South Florida Center for Entrepreneurship. He also serves as the Director of the USF Student Innovation Incubator. Michael served as the National Director of the National Consortium for Life Science Entrepreneurship from 1999-2004 and as an Entrepreneur -in-Residence at the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Dr. Fountain currently holds Five professorships including:
The John & Beverley Grant Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship, the Muma College of Business
Professor, USF Industrial Management and Systems Engineering
Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, the Morsani College of Medicine
Professor, USF College of Pharmacy
Professor, USF Institute for Advanced Discovery and Innovation
Dr. Fountain founded or co-founded eleven new ventures based on his research, three of which became publicly traded companies. Michael holds 30 issued United States patents and over 100 international patents. These patented technology platforms are currently utilized in over 180 products.
Dr. Fountain has published over 70 peer-reviewed publications.
During his corporate career Michael served as the Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Board and Chief Scientific Officer of a number of public and private companies.
Tom Zimmerer has spent the majority of his career in academics serving as the Entrepreneurial Scholar in Residence at the University of South Florida's Center for Entrepreneurship. Prior to that he served as the dean of the School of Business at Saint Leo University and the Director of the Breech School of Business at Drury University.
Tom held the Allen and Ruth Harris Chair of Excellence at East Tennessee State University. While a professor at Clemson University he was the co-founder of Clemson University Emerging Technology and Marketing Center.
Tom has published 10 textbooks and over 200 articles and professional papers. In 1984 he was honored by the Industrial Research Institute with the Maurice Holland award.
Tom was a consultant and executive trainer to over 100 United States and international businesses, governments, universities and trade and professional associations.
