1Mby1M Entrepreneurship Case Study with Sramana Mitra

The 1Mby1M Methodology is based on case studies. In each course, Sramana Mitra shares the tribal knowledge of tech entrepreneurs by giving students the rare seat at the table with the entrepreneurs, investors and thought leaders who provide the most instructive perspectives on how to build a thriving business. Through these conversations, students gain access to case studies exploring the alleys of entrepreneurship. Sramana’s synthesis of key learnings and incisive analysis add great depth to each discussion.

Entrepreneurship is not a career. It is a way of life.

For me, this journey began as a graduate student at MIT in 1994. The world watched Netscape go public that spring, and the Internet swept over us like a virus. As I wrote my Masters thesis, I also wrote my first business plan. We were, as a generation, shaping the Internet during those early years, and, my degree in hand, I was ready to jump into the unknown – from then on really, I have been jumping into unknowns at every turn.

Fortunately I’ve had great mentors – people who took an interest in my destiny, stopped along the way, and taught me a thing or two. In turn, I have tried to stop along the way to pass on certain nuggets of my own learning. In the summer of 2006, as the technology industry resurfaced from the nuclear winter that followed the dotcom meltdown, I was invited to speak at a startup workshop.

My session was supposed to focus on Positioning. At a Silicon Valley law firm, some sixty entrepreneurs packed a conference room to listen to me. I asked each to pitch his business idea in one minute, following which I gave feedback for another minute or two. My 90-minute rapid-fire session, alas, was not enough to accommodate all the pitches. In the lobby, even as we spilled onto the front steps, I tried to respond to some more, but it was hardly satisfactory.

In fact, it has always frustrated me to realize that I did not have enough time in my day to stop for each entrepreneur who asked for guidance. Friends – seasoned entrepreneurs – have expressed the same frustration.

In 2006, I started capturing case studies of technology entrepreneurs and their journeys, systematically. My thought then was that I have access to successful entrepreneurs. They’re willing to share their journeys with me. Most first-time entrepreneurs around the world do not have such access. How can they learn from the masters?

Over time, thousands of entrepreneurs have shared their journeys with me. This tribal knowledge has now been encapsulated in the 1Mby1M methodology and curriculum.

You can easily simulate the experience of having lunch with Ross Mason who built Mulesoft to a Unicorn or with Sridhar Vembu who bootstrapped his Unicorn, Zoho.

This course shares one such entrepreneurship case study. Let’s get started!