Associate vice president for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Jim Chung, currently on a multi-country trip to the East Asia, will speak at a GWtalks event in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Wednesday.
Mr. Chung, who ran a startup boot camp for the Okinawa Institute for Science and Technology over the weekend, has been meeting with agencies and community groups on his trip, including the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises.
Mr. Chung will discuss the characteristics of successful startups with 50 alumni, parents and friends of the university, including Sandiaga Uno, M.B.A. ’92, co-founder of Saratoga Capital.
“Using the lean startup approach we’ve learned the key to being successful—or at least reducing risk as much as possible—is to connect as early as possible with your potential customers,” Mr. Chung said. “The discussion is going to be about how we’ve learned what makes for a more successful startup.”
Indonesia is a good country for the topic, Mr. Chung said. It is a developing nation with resources and interests in the science and technology sectors.
“It’s been identified by the [U.S.] State Department as a high-potential innovation hub,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of potential there for this kind of approach to have a real impact in the way startups are being launched.”
The event will be a way to connect with alumni and let them know about GW’s efforts in innovation and entrepreneurship, Mr. Chung said. The university’s participation in DC I-Corps, for example, has helped bridge the gap between researchers and consumers, turning GW into a critical hub for entrepreneurial research in recent years.
“I’m also really excited to see what’s going on in the startup community in Indonesia,” Mr. Chung said. “Being able to connect with the alumni community will give me that inside perspective.”
GWtalks showcases the university’s top academic leaders and faculty members discussing global topics with international alumni, parents and friends. It is hosted by International Advancement within the Division of Development and Alumni Relations.
The discussion series was launched last summer and has featured events with School of Business Dean Linda Livingstone, Columbian College of Arts and Sciences Dean Ben Vinson III and Graduate School of Political Management Director Mark Kennedy, among others.