great post man- and truthfully refreshing to have a "strategy of career" post around someone so involved in the strategy of this industry. the last idea is a striking one to me; after hearing him at Pop!Tech and listening to him in conversation, @AlecJRoss should be in touch with him. the two would move so much with their abilities and contacts... would be an awesome play for this admin, if not setting hire policy to influence.
andrewhyde
· 1 month ago
I would have loved to go to poptech this year, next year! Next year!
michaelcummings
· 1 month ago
Microsoft will never take him back because they will be percieved as uncommitted to their decisions, and cast even greater doubt in peoples minds about the company. Maybe there was a reason they made the decision, but you are likely right that they didnt really see what they were doing.
I see Don moving on with a smaller startup and helping them build up. I think there is a satisfying feeling of building something up, and at Microsoft he did what he could for small businesses, but ultimately couldnt make a large impact on specific businesses.
We'll see what he does though...
Tyler Willis
· 1 month ago
Involver, obviously :)
I actually think there's a decent chance at a First Round Capital or similar organization working with Don to add value to portfolio companies and source new deals. With the connections he has and the insight into building big ideas, Don would make a great seed/a round VC -- not sure if he'd be interested in being an investor, but it would be a good fit.
Don Dodge
· 1 month ago
Andrew, You are pretty close. There are several more big companies that might be interesting; amazon (cloud), Cisco (cloud/collaboration), and AOL.
There is also the Venture Capital path. There are several VC firms that could be interesting.
Lots to consider. I'll let you know when I have narrowed down the choices.
All Comments
I see Don moving on with a smaller startup and helping them build up. I think there is a satisfying feeling of building something up, and at Microsoft he did what he could for small businesses, but ultimately couldnt make a large impact on specific businesses.
We'll see what he does though...
I actually think there's a decent chance at a First Round Capital or similar organization working with Don to add value to portfolio companies and source new deals. With the connections he has and the insight into building big ideas, Don would make a great seed/a round VC -- not sure if he'd be interested in being an investor, but it would be a good fit.
There is also the Venture Capital path. There are several VC firms that could be interesting.
Lots to consider. I'll let you know when I have narrowed down the choices.
Don