Eric Ries
Encyclopedia
Eric Ries is a Silicon Valley
entrepreneur
and author recognized for pioneering the Lean Startup
movement, a new-business strategy which directs startup companies
to allocate their resources as efficiently as possible. He is also a well-known blog
ger within the technology entrepreneur community.
in computer science
from Yale University
in 2001. While still an undergraduate at Yale, he began his career as an entrepreneur by co-founding CatalystRecruiting.com, an online database of student resume
s. From 2001 to 2003 he worked as a senior engineer at There.com. In 2004 Ries and There.com founder Will Harvey
co-founded IMVU
, a social network, where he worked until 2009.
Ries was named one of the Best Young Entrepreneurs of Tech by Bloomberg Businessweek in 2007.
Since 2008, Ries has blogged, written, and spoken at meetings and conferences about his "Lean Startup" methodology. He also serves as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Harvard Business School
. In August 2011 he was named to the strategic advisory board of Alphabet Energy, Inc., a manufacturer of thermoelectric materials for waste-heat
recovery.
, and blogs on his personal blog, "Startup Lessons Learned".
Among the startups which have applied Ries' strategies are Dropbox, Grockit
, and KISSmetrics.
Ries released his book, The Lean Startup, in September 2011.
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
and author recognized for pioneering the Lean Startup
Lean Startup
"Lean startup" is a term coined by Eric Ries, his method advocates the creation of rapid prototypes designed to test market assumptions, and uses customer feedback to evolve them much faster than via more traditional product development practices, such as the Waterfall model...
movement, a new-business strategy which directs startup companies
Startup company
A startup company or startup is a company with a limited operating history. These companies, generally newly created, are in a phase of development and research for markets...
to allocate their resources as efficiently as possible. He is also a well-known blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ger within the technology entrepreneur community.
Biography
Ries earned a B.S.Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 2001. While still an undergraduate at Yale, he began his career as an entrepreneur by co-founding CatalystRecruiting.com, an online database of student resume
Résumé
A résumé is a document used by individuals to present their background and skillsets. Résumés can be used for a variety of reasons but most often to secure new employment. A typical résumé contains a summary of relevant job experience and education...
s. From 2001 to 2003 he worked as a senior engineer at There.com. In 2004 Ries and There.com founder Will Harvey
Will Harvey
Will Harvey is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur who, at the age of 15, achieved fame for writing Music Construction Set, the first commercial sheet music processor for home computers...
co-founded IMVU
IMVU
IMVU, Inc. is an online social entertainment destination in which members use 3D avatars to meet new people, chat, create, and play games created by Fydor Guthenschlag. IMVU has over 50 million registered users, 10 million unique visitors per month and three million monthly active users...
, a social network, where he worked until 2009.
Ries was named one of the Best Young Entrepreneurs of Tech by Bloomberg Businessweek in 2007.
Since 2008, Ries has blogged, written, and spoken at meetings and conferences about his "Lean Startup" methodology. He also serves as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
. In August 2011 he was named to the strategic advisory board of Alphabet Energy, Inc., a manufacturer of thermoelectric materials for waste-heat
Waste heat
Waste heat sometimes called Secondary heat or Low-grade heat refers to heat produced by machines, electrical equipment and industrial processes for which no useful application is found. Energy is often produced by a heat engine, running on a source of high-temperature heat...
recovery.
The Lean Startup
Ries coined the term "Lean Startup" in 2008. His new-business strategy developed a following among Silicon Valley startups as well as entrepreneur groups which meet regularly to discuss his methodology. The Lean Startup espouses starting small, designing products with the smallest set of features to please a customer base, and moving products into the marketplace quickly to test reaction and make more changes after that. Ries speaks on the subject at tech conferences, including the Web 2.0 SummitWeb 2.0 Summit
The Web 2.0 Summit is an annual event, held in San Francisco, California, featuring discussions about the World Wide Web. The event was started in 2004 by Tim O'Reilly, who is also widely credited with coining the term "Web 2.0"...
, and blogs on his personal blog, "Startup Lessons Learned".
Among the startups which have applied Ries' strategies are Dropbox, Grockit
Grockit
Grockit is an online social learning game company. Grockit prepares students for the SAT, ACT, GMAT, LSAT and GRE standardized exams. Students can take practice tests while collaborating online with other users. Grockit was founded in 2006 by Farbood Nivi...
, and KISSmetrics.
Ries released his book, The Lean Startup, in September 2011.