EarCheck is a story of a technology in search of a market.  It traces the evolution of the EarCheck ‘product’ from conception in 1984 by a Pediatrician and his Scientist brother, through the tumultuous and sequential ownership by a Research University, a Venture Technology Consortium, a Start-Up Firm, a large Medical Supply Firm, a Marketing and Sales specialty firm, a ‘new-age’ Business and Technology Broker, and two aspiring Entrepreneurs in search of an opportunity to commercialize.  It covers the topics of:

· A technology alone does not make a product

· Firms large and small both create and block innovation and opportunity

· Opportunity, team, resource and a lead entrepreneur/champion are essential

· The potential to buy versus build a business

· The inter-relationship and inter-dependency of many internal and external factors with the progression of an opportunity

Learning Goals and Objectives

• To understand how organizations large & small inhibit and support innovation
• To identify barriers and supports in organizations
• To consider initial steps to overcoming the barriers
• To understand the relationship between ideas and opportunities
• To assess personal readiness for entrepreneurial thinking and innovation

Key Words: Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Management, Marketing, Obstacles to Success, Opportunity Recognition, Marshalling Resources; Key Hires; Managing a New Enterprise; Marketing; Shopping for Opportunity; Market and Industry Forces

Teaching Notes

There is an 8-page teaching note available for this case written by Professor Dennis Ceru.

DVD

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