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Online Webinar - From Unicorn to Zombie: What We Can Learn From WeWork’s Demise

WeWork took the business world by storm, turning a simple idea into a $47 billion venture. But mismanagement quickly turned WeWork from a business unicorn into a now-forgotten zombie. 

Boise State University hosted a panel of experts who discussed how small business owners can avoid making the same mistakes that brought about WeWork’s demise. Watch the recorded panel discussion below to discover additional learning opportunities through Boise State’s new Business Creation Certificate, brought to you by the Online Bachelor of Business Administration in Management program.

Live webinar recording from May 20, 2021

Watch the recording

Panelists

Karen Nicholas, Ph.D.

Karen Nicholas received her Ph.D. in management from West Virginia University and has lived and worked in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, the Bahamas, and many countries in Europe. She currently teaches in the areas of strategy, innovation, and change management, with interests in entrepreneurship and statistics.

Prior to returning to graduate studies at WVU, Karen was an entrepreneur with her own consulting and software firms. Typically working with high-technology firms, Karen has experience with a range of both large and small firms. Her research interests focus on inter-firm networks, examining firms’ collections of alliances. Networks are examined for their role in the mobility of resources, including knowledge resources and social resources such as status.

Steven J. Hyde, Ph.D.

Steven Hyde is an assistant professor of management in the College of Business and Economics at Boise State University. Steven received his Ph.D. in management from the University of Texas at San Antonio. His research focuses on topics related to executives, machine learning, corporate governance, motivation and deception. Steven teaches Strategic Tools and Business Policy and Strategy.

Ian Bellais

Ian has successfully launched five companies validating his expertise in business development and partner channels. His leadership extends to his role as an adjunct professor of marketing, customer service, and entrepreneurship.

Ian provides executive leadership through a CRO-level role that involves forward-thinking strategy and collaboration with the company’s executive leadership. He also develops accurate models to shape holistic revenue strategies and execute tactical initiatives across the sales, marketing, and partner management departments to support and deliver +$20M in annual revenues from an HR solutions integrator and SaaS platform.

Jess Cooper Whiting

Jess has launched five different organizations and spent years as a startup consultant. She spends her time between Boise and Silicon Valley. While in Boise, she led the startup community for several years bringing in the top global investors to Boise and changing the ecosystem while helping launch programs like Boise Startup Week, Trailhead, VR events, hack-a-thons, Unity licensing, and several pitch competitions. She helped startups here in the Treasure Valley quietly raise millions of dollars leading to successful exits.

Jess worked in the venture capital industry early in her career and specializes in AR/VR, autonomous systems, tech and crypto. Most recently, Jess has focused her efforts globally, matching hundreds of the best global startups to top strategic Silicon Valley investors. She and her husband are also working on a predictive model for scaling startups to assist VCs and CEOs.