Nathan Furr, PhD
Brigham Young University
Professor of innovation and entrepreneurship at Brigham Young University (ranked top five in entrepreneurship education), and a visiting scholar at INSEAD and ESSEC, Furr is a recognized expert in the fields of innovation and entrepreneurship. His most recent book, "The Innovator's Method" (Harvard Business Review Press, September 2014), combines the two, bringing the radical "lean start-up" approach to innovation into established organizations. His previous book, "Nail It Then Scale It" (NISI Institute, 2011), underscores that the seeds to entrepreneurial success are sown before you build anything.
The principles and best practices framed in both books are rooted in Professor Furr's decades of innovation and technology strategy research, which has been published in leading journals, such as the Strategic Management Journal, Organization Science, and Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, and has received numerous national and international awards from the Academy of Management, the Kauffman Foundation, the Sloan Foundation, and other prestigious academic institutions. Based on this research, Professor Furr has created or taught interdisciplinary innovation programs at BYU, Stanford, ESSEC and other schools.
His numerous published papers and speaking engagements zero in on how to capture new opportunities, how to balance the need for execution and flexibility, how firms develop innovative business models, and the impact of learning on new market success. Professor Furr also co-founded the International Business Model Competition, an event that reinforces the methodologies he teaches, attracting more than 2,500 teams from more than 250 universities around the world.
Professionally, Professor Furr has acted as the founder or advisor to corporations and startups in healthcare, clean technology, professional services, internet, retail and financial services industries. He also sits on the investment board of the Kickstart Seed Fund, an innovative early-stage venture fund, and previously served as a consultant with Monitor Group, working with senior executives on a range of strategic market and discovery initiatives. His clients have included such leading companies as AT&T, Sony, Tec de Monterrey and USTAR, among many others.
Professor Furr earned his Ph.D. from the Stanford Technology Ventures Program at Stanford University. He also holds BA, MA and MBA degrees.
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