Harvard's Hidden History

LBS

The Entrepreneur’s Journey: Lessons From Along The Way

News from LBS

“Entrepreneurship is often likened to a journey: the route from concept to success being long, sometimes circuitous and frequently arduous.

“A good deal has been written in the media, press and business literature about the stages of entrepreneurship, the dynamics of innovation and the processes involved; as well as the values of resilience, tenacity, passion and belief.

“But what about real-life stories? What can we learn from the experiences of real people who have hung their ambition on a dream and given it all in the pursuit of success?”

Students Explore ESG Investing During NYC Ecosystem Deep Dive

News from Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business

A goal of the trek was connect firms tackling ESG issues with MBA students who want to apply their skills in the space. David Tran photo

“Tuckies have long been associated with wanting to make an impact on the world.

“And now with the proliferation of sustainable investing platforms across the asset management industry, new opportunities are emerging for them to do so.

“From courses to workshops, Tuck is helping students gain exposure and experience in this emerging field. On a recent Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investing trek in New York City, led by John McKinley, for example, students met with top sustainable investing executives across the industry. These included senior members of BlackRock’s sustainable investing, investment stewardship, and fixed income teams, as well as thought leaders and investors from Morgan Stanley’s global sustainable finance group, Perella Weinberg Partners, and the Principles for Responsible Investment.””

LBS

Cryptocurrencies – The Ultimate Weapon Of Mass Disruption

News from LBS

“As an investment, cryptocurrencies have been hailed and denounced in equal measure. Bitcoin has seen its value surge from a £130 in 2013 to almost £15,000 and [in late 2018] is now worth £4,200.

“The figures are dramatic: One of the first real world Bitcoin transactions in 2010 – for two pizzas, paid for with 10,000 Bitcoins – would see those same pizzas worth approximately £49 million, at today’s exchange rate. However, cryptocurrencies were originally designed to free money, payments and people from centralised entities, not to fuel speculators’ greed.”

At a recent meeting, the MIT AI Ethics Reading Group debated options for teaching ethics in a traditional computer science curriculum. Postdoc Abby Jaques (left) is developing ethics modules that can be incorporated into existing coursework. Photo by Kim Martineau

Student Group Explores The Ethical Dimensions Of Artificial Intelligence

News from MIT Sloan School of Management

“For years, the tech industry followed a move-fast-and-break-things approach, and few people seemed to mind as a wave of astonishing new tools for communicating and navigating the world appeared on the market.

“Now, amid rising concerns about the spread of fake news, the misuse of personal data, and the potential for machine-learning algorithms to discriminate at scale, people are taking stock of what the industry broke. Into this moment of reckoning come three MIT students, Irene Chen, Leilani Gilpin, and Harini Suresh, who are the founders of the new MIT AI Ethics Reading Group.”

Adriana Varella and Nilton Maltz, Digital DNA, 2005, Printed circuit boards on fiberglass and Styrofoam, Anonymous loan.

Harvard Business School Is New Home For ‘Digital DNA’

News from HBS

“Digital DNA, the seven-foot-tall outdoor sculpture by artists Adriana Varella and Nilton Maltz, has found a new home on the campus of Harvard Business School. Originally commissioned by the city of Palo Alto in the early 2000’s, it resided in Lytton Plaza in the center of the city until making the cross-country trek last Spring.

“Digital DNA is a large egg-shaped form made of recycled circuit boards and fiberglass polystyrene bead foam. Many of the boards are etched with phrases crowd-sourced from people of all walks of life, who shared with Varella their thoughts about technology as the ‘circuits in their lives.’ Phrases appear in a variety of languages, and they speak to a wide variety of ways in which technology and humanity intersect. When the city decided to deaccession the work, an anonymous art collector stepped in to purchase it. It is on loan to Harvard for a five-year term.

“Over time in Palo Alto the piece fell into disrepair, requiring extensive treatment by Varella to make it ready for its new home outside the Harvard Innovation Lab on Western Avenue in Allston. Situated directly between the Harvard Business School and the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the iLab is a hub of innovation open to students and faculty across the University who are interested in entrepreneurship.”

Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below.