William (Bill) Diffenderffer

Background

Bill has been an attorney who has lead billion dollar financial transactions, a Partner in IBM’s Business Consulting Services Group where he was a leader of its global travel and transportation practice and the CEO of two travel technology companies, one of which was then the world’s third largest provider of computer reservation systems for the travel industry. In 1998 he started up Xtra OnLine, a provider of webbased travel technology products. Xtra OnLine product and services are still provided today.

In 2005, as CEO, he started up the ultra low cost Skybus Airlines. Then in 2011 he started up Silvercar, the very cool car rental company now growing across the US. He also is the author of _The Samurai Leader: Winning Business Battles with the Wisdom, Honor and Courage of the Samurai Code. _He now teaches entrepreneurship at Ohio State University. His goal is to become the wise old man sitting under a palm tree at a beach offering advice on the meaning of life to anyone who’ll pay him a dollar.

Areas of Expertise

Entrepreneurship

Education

L.L.M. Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, DC J. D. Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, DC B.B.A. (General Business) University of Miami, Miami, FL

Courses

BUSADM 3531 Entrepreneurship and Innovation: General, StartupBased Entrepreneurship

Transformation of knowledge captured through creative, personcentered design into conceptual, viable, commercial concepts in the area of product/service based general entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial startups. Examination of a variety of business models appropriate for commercializing product/service based conceptualizations. Prereq: 3510, and Design 2700 and MechEng or ISE 5682.

BUSMHR 3510 Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Examines the many dimensions of new business creation and the fostering of innovation. Prereq: Not open to students with credit for 490, 490.01, 3510.01 or 3510.02.

BUSMHR 3510.01 Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Examines the many dimensions of new business creation and the fostering of innovation. Prereq: Not open to students with credit for 490, 490.01, 3510.01 or 3510.02.

BUSMHR 3542 The Accelerator: Planning the Entrepreneurial Venture

Practicum experience for exploring personal entrepreneurship and creating new ventures. Prereq: 2500 (290). Not open to students with credit for BusMHR 491.

BUSMHR 7522 Entrepreneurship and the Business Plan

Experiential opportunities in entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial concepts, and financing and executing the business plan. Prereq: Not open to students with credit for 7520 or 7521 (825).