Uber executive Leandre Johns encouraged students to think big, dream big and “experiment, experiment, experiment” at a Sept. 7 kickoff event for the UT Dallas Big Idea Competition, a program of the Naveen Jindal School of Management-based Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Formerly called the “Business Idea Competition,” the annual contest gives undergraduate and graduate students from all schools on campus the chance to develop, fine-tune and present their entrepreneurial ideas while competing for $20,000 in cash and scholarship prizes.
Big Idea Competition celebrity judge Guy Kawasaki will speak at the contest finals on Nov. 16. Kawasaki is an author and venture capitalist who coined the term “chief evangelist” when he worked in that role at Apple.
Johns, a Dallas area native who serves as Uber’s external affairs lead, told students at the kickoff event they are ideally situated to come up with bold new ideas that could change the world of business.
“Now is the perfect time,” he said. “You’ve got everything around you need, from classmates who can be co-founders to professors who can advise you to a student body that can be beta testers.”
Widely regarded as a pioneer in the sharing economy since it made its public debut in 2011, Uber has “developed a culture of experimentation, which is what has truly made us successful,” Johns said. “Without experimentation, you get stagnation and you get outpaced by other companies. You’ve got to continue to innovate and challenge the process you currently have.”
Johns talked in detail about Uber’s latest big idea: on-demand electric flying cars, also known as vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. “We are digging deeply into The Jetsons era where you can push a button and get a flight,” he said. “We’re fast-forwarding into the future.”
Uber plans to launch the concept in Dubai at Expo 2020, an exhibition that plans to focus on mobility, sustainability and opportunity; and has chosen Dallas/Fort Worth as the first American metro area for the experiment. Among the U.S. companies partnering with Uber are Fort Worth-based Bell Helicopters and Dallas-based Hillwood Properties, which has signed on to build “vertiports” at locations like DFW Airport, downtown Dallas “and maybe right here at UTD,” Johns said.
DFW was chosen for its rich aviation history, business-friendly government and its landscape. “We’ve got so much sprawl that it’s the perfect geographic layout for something like this,” said Johns, who grew up in Garland. He said a VTOL flight from DFW Airport to the Star in Frisco would take just eight minutes – compared to over an hour by car – and might eventually cost as little as $30 or $40.
UT Dallas students could come up with ideas just as bold as the flying car, Johns said. “Don’t get sidetracked by over-thinking all the risks that come with an idea. Take calculated risks, and make it happen now.”
His message resonated with students from across the campus, including Engineering and Computer Science student Brian Hoang, who attended the kickoff and called the Big Idea Competition “a great opportunity to take your idea, practice your pitch and gather feedback.”
“Regardless of whether you win or not, it’s a valuable practical experience, especially for first-time entrepreneurs,” said Hoang, who has already launched Immosis, an immersive reality software company for gamers and businesses.
“It’s all about growing your ideas, promoting a culture of innovation and bringing an idea to fruition,” said Jindal School senior Rahele Tesfu, a business administration major and native of Ethiopia who said she is brainstorming ideas about how people can get easier access to clothing from their countries of origin.
“Innovative ideas usually start with something you’re frustrated with and wish there was a solution for,” she said.
Steve Guengerich, executive director of the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, echoed Tesfu’s comments and said some of the best ideas are the ones that are closest to home.
“Inspiration comes from the most obvious place — personal experience, like hobbies or your career or conversations with family and friends,” said Guengerich, who encouraged students to conjure up a slew of big ideas. “Experiment on 20 of your ideas, throw out 19, and turn your best idea into the next generation’s Uber.””
Applications for the Big Idea Competition will be accepted until Oct. 13. The top 25 semifinalists will be chosen on Oct. 20 and semifinal rounds will be held Nov. 3. The final competition takes place Thursday, November 16. For more information, visit the Big Idea Competition web page.
