The following is a “for starters” list of the many entrepreneurs, both corporate and social, whom John holds in high regard. Each has his, or her, own universe of experiences, and contacts, including links to books, articles, videos interviews etc. that could be of great value to any entrepreneur. As such, they are invited to use the Portal’s Message Board as an easy way to communicate similar links to interested entrepreneurs. All they have to due is suggest any article etc. with the appropriate link.
Dan Bricklin
Dan created VisiCalc, an automated spreadsheet which was the first “killer” application for personal computers. He did it while a student at Harvard Business School where the room he used is now named after him. VisiCalc, in turn, spawned Lotus 123. Dan has since been a serial entrepreneur and one of the Founders of the Mass Technology Leadership Council.
Richard Cavanagh
A best selling author of a book tracking successful entrepreneurs entitled, “The Winning Performance.” He was also President of The Conference Board, the world’s leading CEO networking organization. He now lectures on social entrepreneurialism at the Kennedy School, Harvard University. Dick is a graduate of the Harvard Business School and a member of the board of major corporations and foundations.
Sir Ronald Cohen
Ronald is considered England’s founder of both its venture capital industry and social investing, as well. As such, he co-founded Portland Trust to help the peace process in the Middle East with entrepreneurial projects designed to bring Israelis and Palestinians together in common goals. Sir Ronald is a graduate of Oxford and the Harvard Business School.
Joe Corcoran
Joe is a Founder of Corcoran/Jennison, a major housing real estate developer. Joe pioneered mixed income developments such as Harbor Point in Dorchester, Ma. when many doubted that they would succeed. Joe is a graduate of Boston College.
Bob Davis
Bob is an entrepreneur and best selling author. He Founded Lycos and sold it for 5.5 billion dollars. He is currently associated with Highland Capital Partners specializing in the media and Internet space. Bob is a graduate of Northeastern University and Babson College.
Professor Anthony DeRitis
Professor DeRitis is a musician, composer, and experienced high tech entrepreneur. He Chairs the Music Department at Northeastern University. He also created the highly imaginative OnLine Conservatory for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. As a social entrepreneur he promotes music as the international language of peace. Tony holds a PhD. in music composition from the University of California at Berkeley.
Chuck Feeney
Chuck made billions pioneering the concept of duty free shops at airports around the world. Then, he gave away all this money to a foundation to help encourage social entrepreneurs and related activities around the world Of further interest, is that this entity has to give away all the money by 2017, and then go out of business. It is also unique in that it seeks out what, and whom, to invest in rather than encourage proposals as traditional foundations do. Chuck is graduate of Cornell University, Hotel Management School.
Paul Gillin
Paul is founder of Gillin Communications, inc. and is one the most knowledgeable people on B2B social media in America. As such, he has authored highly acclaimed books on the subject, blogs etc. Paul is a veteran journalist and entrepreneur and was, previously, Editor in Chief at Computer World.
Bob Higgins
Bob is founder of the highly successful venture capital firm, Highland Capital Partners, Inc., where he specializes in the healthcare field. Bob was also the President of the New England Venture Capital association. He also lectures on entrepreneurialism at the Harvard Business School, the Kennedy School, and Harvard College. He is a graduate of Harvard College and the Harvard Business School.
Chris Horn
Chris was co-founder of Iona Technologies, a company whose IPO was the fifth largest in the history of NASDAQ. He is certainly Ireland’s most famous software entrepreneur. As a result, he inspired many other graduates of Ireland’s great universities to become entrepreneurs, as well. At the time, this was a whole new way of thinking in Ireland where failure at something could be held against one for generations. Chris is, currently, very much involved in encouraging entrepreneurialism in Ireland as a way of creating jobs. He is a graduate of Trinity College and holds a PHd in computer sciences.
Steve Jobs
Steve, unfortunately has passed on. However, he was a legendary entrepreneur because he had a unique ability to re-invent his company to meet market changes which is extremely difficult to do in the technology field. Cullinet Software created software to link Apple computers to the IBM mainframe, something that had never been done before. To introduce the joint venture between the two companies Steve stood in a huge IBM mainframe center in Palo Alto, California while John Cullinane used an Apple computer and mouse from a small cubicle in Cullinet Software’s headquarters in Westwood, Ma. What was ironic is that Steve had never been in an IBM mainframe site before, and John had never used a mouse before.
Roger Marino
Roger is the quintisential Northeastern graduate of his era. After graduating from Revere High School Northeastern accepted him as an engineering student and he proved he could do the work. His co-op experience inspired him and two other Northeastern students to form EMC, Inc. now Massachusetts’s most successful technology company. Roger also owned the Pittsburg Penquins hockey team and has invested in movie production.
Tom Meurer
Tom was one of Cullinane Corporation’s earliest Vice Presidents. He has great entrepreneurial skills and was key to its “bet your company” decision to enter the database software arena, a very risky thing to do with just 15 employees. He also was a successful entrepreneur in his own right, including founding E Classic Systems, specializing in ATM software that he sold at an excellent profit for investors. Tom is a graduate and loyal supporter of Notre Dame University.
Barry Murphy
Barry was formerly head of the government agency that was responsible for the indigenous Irish software industry. As such, his job was to promote the many software and high tech entrepreneurs that were beginning to emerge from the outstanding Irish universities at a time when Ireland did not understand or value entrepreneurs. He traveled to Israel to do research on the widely read paper, “Israel—a high tech role model for Ireland”. Barry would also become an entrepreneur in his own right with the formation of a company in the mobile telephone space, now a part Oracle. Barry is a graduate of University College-Cork.
Jon Nackerud
Jon first represented Cullinane Corporation on the West Coast as a consultant. This led to his becoming a Vice President in charge of all West Coast operations. He was also a key member of John Cullinane’s management team with an outstanding vision of new directions in technology. Eventually, he formed Relational Technology, Inc., to promote INGRIS, a relational database management system. He was also key in helping John do a turn around at Cullinet Software, Inc.
Professor William Sahlman
Bill, along with Howard Stevenson, pioneered entrepreneurial studies at the Harvard Business School. It has been said that Bill has, personally, taught 50% of the venture capitalists in the world. He also is an investor in a large number of entrepreneurial ventures.
Dr. Richard Scott
Dr. Scott is one of the leading knee surgeons in the world. He does his operations at both New England Baptist and the Brigham & Woman’s Hospitals. He is also an entrepreneur. He invented a special prosthetic for knee replacements which is marketed by Johnson & Johnson. There are now in excess of 2,500,000 installed worldwide.
Ray Stata
Ray founded Analog Devices, Inc, as well as being a long time investor in high tech startups. Also, he is very much committed to education in the math and sciences for young people as well as being a key patron of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Ray is a graduate of MIT.
Tom Stemberg
Tom is the founder of Staples, Inc. a store that revolutionized the marketing of office supplies and created the superstore industry. He built it in a 19 billion dollar enterprise. Tom is now is associated with Highland Capital Partners specializing in investments in the consumer space. Tom is a graduate of Harvard, and the Harvard Business School.
Clayton Turnbull
Clayton owns approximately 15 Dunkin Doughnuts franchises, most of which are in the inner city of Boston. As such, he represents the next generation of minority entrepreneurs who not only is very successful but politically involved and active as a social entrepreneur, as well.
Bill Warner
Bill founded Avid Technology a pioneer in video and audio editing as well as a dedicated entrepreneur. He created the highly successful “unconference” with the Mass Technology Leadership Council to spur innovation. Bill is a graduate of MIT.
George White
George was instrumental in getting Cullinane Corporation funded as well participating in its growth as a key Board member. He has also been a serial entrepreneur in his own right including the formation of Alphanumeric, Inc., Camex, ACI etc. George is a graduate of Harvard College.
Beth Williams
Beth Williams is an inner city entrepreneur and has been building Roxbury Technologies, and creating jobs ever since its Founder, and her father, Archie Williams passed away. Ironically, much of the early encouragement for the company came as a result of Archie having the opportunity to meet and play golf with Tom Stemberg, then Chairman of Staples, Inc. The result was a copier cartridge refurbishing contract with Staples. This chance meeting came about as a result of Diddy Cullinane’s Black & White on Green golf tournament where Boston minority entrepreneurs could meet with the CEOS of major corporations in a social setting, often, for the first time.
Hansjorg Wyss
Mr. Wyss recently sold his company, Synthes, to Johnson & Johnson for nine billion dollars. What he did that made a small company so successful is that, over time, he convinced surgeons to use Synthes’s new technology as a better way to heal bone fractures. Recently, he funded the Wyss Institute with the largest personal gift in Harvard’s history. The Wyss Institute’s goal is to encourage biologically inspired engineering in such a way that it would result in more, successful entrepreneurial ventures evolving from Harvard in the healthcare field. Hansjorg is also a social entrepreneur having created the Wyss Foundation to help preserve the natural beauty of the Western United States for future generations.
Entrepreneurship in Ireland