119: Valentina Assenova. Silicon Valley can learn from the rest of the world about human actualization

ProfessorValentina Assenova studies entrepreneurship at two levels.  First, she looks at what incubators and accelerators do to support aspiring leaders – all the way from Soweto in South Africa to Silicon Valley.    In this line of work, what she finds isthat developing human potential through exposure to business practices and through the cultivation of funding relationships can make a big difference to startup success across the board, although the nature of that development must reflect the needs of those who enroll.   Second, she examines how the formality of institutions reflects acountry’s overall system for achieving internationally competitive economic activity.   In this line, the findingssupport the idea that every country has its own cultural, social, and economic strengths that can serve as the basis of prosperity.