You’ve Been Involved From the Start. What Led to the Inception of the Sprint Accelerator?

I’ve always been fascinated with the concept of innovation through the power of constraint (time, resources, money, etc). I was talking about this idea and more specifically the newly launched Nike Accelerator with a lady in a bar during the middle party at last year’s Big Kansas City conference. That lady was Lesa Mitchell who just so happened to be going to Portland to visit the Nike Accelerator the very next week. She invited me along and after a little convincing (mainly my wife) I jumped on a last minute flight to the Pacific Northwest.

The 24 hour trip really changed me. On my return flight, I started the pitch deck that would need to convince our execs. It wasn’t an easy task but with the undying support of my now boss/passionate KC community advocate, Kevin McGinnis, we were handed the keys to the building on January of this year.

What’s the Itch This Scratches for You?

I have a low tolerance for process and bureaucracy, a trait that doesn’t make for a long and happy life in the average corporation. I’ve built a reputation within Sprint as someone who solves old problems in brand new ways.

My happiest times on the job have been building something from scratch or breaking a process/product that needs to be fixed. Once things go into “operational” mode, I tend to get extremely bored.

With the First Demo Day Under Your Belt, What’s Your Takeaway?

Our company bent over backwards to do remarkable things in the last 9 months. After the project was approved, we secured a building, did some light renovation, and brought resources to bear that we’ve never before exposed to the public.

Even at what seemed to be a break neck speed of pace we had moments where it was hard for a large corporation to move like a startup. Not a huge surprise but definitely an opportunity as we move into our next programs.

What Is Your Latest Epiphany?

Entrepreneurs share remarkable traits. They focus on solving problems. They are horizontally networked with a bunch of people who can do the stuff they can’t. They put stuff into market knowing that they’re going to learn, iterate and start the process all over again.

I’m a believer that this “entrepreneurial mindset” isn’t something reserved for a couple guys in a garage but the way successful companies are winning in the marketplace today. Finding these people and giving them the opportunity to practice this skillset is critical regardless of company size.

There’s so Much Press and Hype Around Entrepreneurship. Does Intrapreneurship Deserve More Attention or No?

Absolutely. The employee skill set that big companies value is changing. As I’ve hired, I place a significantly smaller amount of value in someone’s fancy schooling/credentials and much more into what they’ve done so far in life or their propensity to build something.

Intrapreneurship as a word is just about as old as I am but there are very few companies that understand what exactly it is. It isn’t something you can necessarily teach employees. It’s something you have to allow to happen. Sprint has been extremely understanding of my intrapreneurial efforts giving me the freedom to try a few things out whether successful or not.