Al Kapoor has an extensive experience in entrepreneurship, multi-national businesses, turn-around of private businesses, and venture capital. He started Millennium Ventures Group in 1997 after graduating from B-school to find, start or acquire and operate companies. Since then he has grown the firm with five portfolio companies in a broad range of industries including three late stage turn around and two start-ups. Articles on his companies and on him have appeared in leading newspapers applauding them for creating jobs and stimulating growth. Al started his professional career at Cummins Engine, a Fortune 500 company renowned for its exemplary management practices. He quickly moved up the ranks to become one of the youngest project leaders in new product development. He also worked with another multi-national BMW in Munich Germany in 1996. At BMW he advised its senior executives on operations strategy. At Millennium Ventures Group, Al has developed and successfully used a methodology for purposeful innovation. This has now been documented into a first of its kind book authored by him. His book, Pushing the Frontier is slated to be published in U.S and abroad in 2015. This groundbreaking book, that has taken ten years to write, proposes traits for new venture innovation. The book release is timed well with the growing concern about innovation and job creation in the U.S economy. Al s prior article and case study on venture creation have been published by Harvard University and Harvard Business School respectively. Al was inducted into Sigma Xi, International Honor Society for Scientific Research in 1991 and into Young Presidents Organization YPO in 1999. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a MS in Engineering from Iowa State University and a Bachelor s in Technology from IIT Bombay.

As I was thinking about entrepreneurship, I happened to read an article on the future of optics. The article said that optics had great potential that had not been fully realized in the field of medicine and other areas. That article stuck in my head and I started doing research. I found several small companies that has knowledge in the optics field but had not realized their potential. My interest in turning around companies led me to work with many of these companies that have now become great success. I was able to identify R&D opportunities that led to the development of innovative products. These companies have  launched a range of innovative products including laser guides on smart missiles, blood analyzers, first small fingerprinting devices for security, galvanometer-based scanners, and augmented reality. 

 

I love entrepreneurship and being around entrepreneurs is very exciting for me. The journey of an entrepreneur is not easy and I would very much like to help other entrepreneurs succeed. Personally the TiE environment gives me great joy and I like the impact it creates. 

In my own journey I have learned so much and I like to share that. In fact I am writing a book on this subject.  There are so many who dream about revolutionary change. Yet less than half of them act on it and even fewer actually create an organization to make the impact. Moreover, business executives spend billion of dollars on innovation, the engine of organic growth, though only a quarter of it is productive.  I hope my book helps demystifies the concept building phase and inspires would-be pioneers to be successful at invention or discovery within or outside existing organizations.

The reach was expanded and we were able to bring tie to a larger audience. We focused on the three pillars of TiE – Networking, Mentoring and Education and I feel wonderful to see how impactful TiE-Boston has been. 

When Desh Deshpande  Kanwal Rekhi, C. K Prahlad and others formed TIE they believed that it was an organization that could benefit not just the Silicon Valley but the world at large.  So they formed an umbrella organization that could help grow chapters in other cities and countries. They succeeded and today TiE has 60 chapters in 20 country spurring entrepreneurship around the globe.  

TiE-Global has done a great job thus far of creating a framework that allowed TIE to expand globally.  TiE angels have provided significant funding.  The mentorship has helped so many win business plan competitions world over. 

While the local TiE chapters have been great places for networking, education and mentoring, members have not yet had the opportunity to leverage the power of the TiE-Global network. 

We are using technology to leverage that power. Our website has been revamped. We will allow for members to seek mentoring not just from local TiE chapters, but also from the world over. Given that business is becoming global, this is a great value-add. We are planning to create a TiE app that gives great deal of information. For example, charter members can be alerted as to who else from their area of interest in the world became a charter member.  We are also creating TiE-Talks on the model of Ted Talks that leverages the talent of the leading lights in our organization.  I am excited about this opportunity and I look forward to seeing its impact. 

One makes time. My wife was pregnant when I led TiECON. We have three children and we live in a age where the fathers work as hard as moms in raising children.  I enjoy being a father. I enjoy cooking. Perhaps the secret is just to do the things you like. 

Thank you.