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Uber-ization: Overvalued Business Model or Underexploited Platform
Pace University’s Entrepreneurship Lab and the MIT Enterprise Forum of NYC are hosting an Expert Panel: UBER-IZATION: OVERVALUED BUSINESS MODEL OR UNDEREXPLOITED PLATFORM
On Thursday, November 5th 2015
5:30 p.m.—8:30 p.m.
Bianco Room, One Pace Plaza
New York City Campus, NY 10038
Members of the Pace community may request a ticket by e-mailing: entrepreneurship@pace.edu
For those outside the Pace community, order tickets at: http://bit.ly/uber-ization
Agenda
5:30 – 6:00 Registration and Networking
6:00 – 7:30 Panel Discussion and Q&A
7:30 – 8:30 Drinks and Networking
Description
Meet the leaders of Axial, Fivver, PRIV and Handy - four exciting gig/shared economy start-ups you should get to know. MIT Sloan Fellow Michael Schrage will facilitate a panel discussion on the hows and whys of making these business models succeed for customers, participants and investors alike.
What skills and talents win? What management cliches are doomed to obsolete anachronisms? What ways to measure, match and monetize human capital in these marketplaces work best? Is there a tad too much froth?
In market sectors from beauty and wellness to talent to enterprise support, the opportunities for ingenuity and impact appear rife. This panel examines how real they are.
Welcome
Bruce Bachenheimer, Executive Director, Entrepreneurship Lab
Bruce Bachenheimer is a Clinical Professor of Management and Executive Director of the Entrepreneurship Lab at Pace University. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses, primarily in the areas of entrepreneurship, management, and strategy. He is also the creator and organizer of the annual Pace Pitch Contest and Pace Business Plan Competition. Mr. Bachenheimer is a member of the Board and past Chair of the New York City Chapter of the MIT Enterprise Forum and has served on the organization’s Global Board. He serves on the Board of Directors & Advisors of LeadAmerica and has served as a consultant to governmental organizations and a variety of new ventures. He has been widely quoted in a variety of domestic and international publications and interviewed on radio and television
Moderator
Michael Schrage, Research Fellow, MIT Center for Digital Business & Visiting Fellow, Imperial College Dept. of innovation and Entrepreneurship
Michael Schrage is a fellow with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School's Initiative on the Digital Economy and a visiting scholar at Imperial College’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship program, Michael Schrage is author of ’The Innovator’s Hypothesis’ [MIT Press 2014] and ‘Who Do You Want Your Customers To Become?’ [Harvard Business Review Press 2012]. His research, writing and advisory work focuses on the ‘behavioral economics’ of models, prototypes and experiments as collaborative media for managing ‘innovation risk.’ He describes this as ‘behavioral OR.’
His current research explores the role of two-sided markets and ’network effects’ in shaping innovation and human capital investment. He is an angel investor in several digital media and ‘machine learning’ start-ups. A featured and top trafficked blogger for the Harvard Business Review site, his work has been published the Sloan Management Review, the Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Nikkei Asian Review, the CACM as well as peer-reviewed publications.
Panelists
Umang Dua, Founder and COO, Handy
As Handy’s COO, Umang plays a pivotal role in increasing Handy’s footprint, both across North America and abroad, spearheading new market rollout and managing the company’s aggressive growth. From home cleaning to handyman services, Handy instantly matches thousands of customers every week with trusted professionals in cities all around the world. With a seamless 60-second booking process, secure payment, and a 100% money-back guarantee, Handy is the easiest, most convenient way to book home services.
While in college, Umang founded his first startup College Connect, an online platform that connected international college and business school applicants with enrolled students around the world. After college, Umang worked briefly at McKinsey & Company but soon left to study at Harvard Business School. It was there that Umang met his Handy co-founder, Oisin Hanrahan. In 2012, the two launched Handy as the on-demand platform for home services, connecting consumers with quality home service professionals.
Currently living in New York, Umang is passionate about global politics and an avid traveler.
David Manela, Chief Revenue Officer, Fiverr
David Manela is the Chief Revenue Officer of Fiverr, the world’s largest marketplace for creative and professional services. As Fiverr’s CRO, he is responsible for driving Fiverr's aggressive growth, including acquisition, engagement, and category strategies across all Fiverr 150+ marketplace categories. Prior to Fiverr, David played a pivotal role at ideel, where he led the company’s marketing, merchandising, planning, and e-commerce functions. He helped grow the company from a startup to an online retailer of $130M+, earning recognition from Inc. magazine as “America’s Fastest Growing Private Company.” David earned his MBA in finance from Rouen Graduate School of Management and an MA in European history from the University of Rouen in France. He and his wife live in New York City with their two children.
Allison Tepley, SVP Marketing & Business Development, AXIAL.net
Axial, founded in 2009, provides a network of 20,000 CEOs, buyers, lenders, investors and advisors with the keys to run business development activities. Prior to Axial, Allison held senior marketing roles at Google, AOL and several start-ups prior to management consulting at BCG. She graduated from Harvard Business School in 2005.
Joseph Terzi, Co-Founder & CEO, PRIV
Since 2010, Joseph has been developing iOS, Android, and web applications. He developed multiple hi tech apps for national luxury beauty brands, as well as innovative software solutions for the management and operations of dispatch-orientated service businesses that rely on fast, location based, peer-to-peer communication. Joseph still works closely with PRIV CTO in all matters relating to tech.
Joseph graduated from Columbia University in 2004. He has founded and run companies in diverse sectors including land development and fashion.