BUILDING AN A+ TEAM

GROUP-4 MEMBERSGROUP-4 MEMBERS

Ralph Matthew A. Ong

(M997Z245)Ha Phuoc Vu(M997Z244)

Tran Khai Khuong

(M997Z212)

Melva Hermayanty Saragih

(M997Z227)

Chien Pham Dinh

(M997Z201)

INTRODUCTION Josh Schwarzapel, the co-founder of Cooliris. Josh studied Entrepreneurship at Stanford.Soujanya Bhumkar is the CEO of Cooliris.The technical team, Austin and Kyan, were

working feverishly for months, but they needed more engineers.

Josh accepted the challenge to help Cooliris to expand by building a world-class technical team.

BACKGROUND AND HISTORY At the time of cooliris founding, internet was undergoing a

fundamental transformation. A host of new-websites had venture-funded, had sprung up to empower everyday users to become content publishers by posting blogs, making profiles, publishing videos, and sharing photos.

Narrow search terms returned hundreds of thousands of results, and information coming from the social graph on sites such as Facebook and MySpace was becoming too lengthy to consume.

Soujanya, Josh, and Austin founded Cooliris in January 2006 with the idea that internet has become the fundamental element in the lives of billions of people, the user interaction metaphors had changed very little since the first browsers.

BACKGROUND AND HISTORY Internet had always been characterized by a

clunky, non-intuitive navigation experience. In 2005, Soujanya and Mayank Mehta started to

communicate and talked about how to make the internet a more rich experience. Soujanya had an idea of creating a mouse-over preview of any embedded link on a web page.

In September 2006, Josh, Soujanya, and Austin had released Cooliris Preview as a free browser plug-in.

BACKGROUND AND HISTORYThe technical team came to realize the

fundamental value created a richer web navigation experience and dreamt up a second product named, Piclens.

Piclens allowed users to view online photos from photo sharing sites or online image searches as full-screen slideshows rather than low-quality thumbnail images or larger files that had to be downloaded individually.

The team built their product as well as their vision began to evolve into something better.

BACKGROUND AND HISTORY The team realized the challenge of improving web

navigation extended beyond a browser add-in to the fundamental waysin which we access, discover, and navigate through information.

They began soliciting feedbacks to investors and industry friends on how to take their ideas into the next level.

In one meeting, Randy Komisar, partner oat KPCB, suggested that his firm might be able to provide some fundings and incubate the company in their adjacent offices.

After several weeks, Cooliris received and signed a term sheet for investment and took up residence in the KPCB incubator immediately next door to offices to such famous venture capitalists as John Doerr and Brook Byers.

COOLIRIS HIRING PROCESS

IdentificationThe next big item on the agenda was to hire a

top-tier technical team to execute on the

company’s technical vision;

They need team-members who were both

entrepreneurial and technically brilliant.

The first step in hiring processStart by tapping their social networks;

Cooliris would pay you $1,000 if you

recommended the candidate they

eventually hired;

Josh also searched online databases

such as LinkedIn and Google, looking

for technical talent at similar companies

as well as with search terms such as

“3D graphics engineer.”

Josh posted advertisements on LinkedIn

and the Bay Area edition of Craigslist.

Choosing…Over 1,200 resumes were reviewed based on

either a good school background, relevant

experience, or preferably both.

Josh contacted 400 candidates via email to

invite them to talk more with Cooliris.

InterviewThe Cooliris team brought in 50 candidates for a first round

interview;

Josh or Soujanya would give the candidate a ten-minute

outline of Cooliris’s vision and the products that had

already been developed;

After the interview, the Cooliris team decided to invite 9

candidates back for a final round interview.

The final interviewRevealing a little more about the

exciting future of the company;

From nine candidates, they could

find five very strong candidates;

Cooliris could finally add

desperately needed resources to

the skeleton technical team who

had already been stretched to

the maximum.

Question 1How would you go about indentifying the

right candidates and striking a balance between ingenuity and experience?

Where exactly would you search for them?How do you successfully attract your top

choices to join your venture?

Where exactly would you search for them?They are starting a new entrepreneur, they should have

asked the professional searching companies. Since, they are: Well-trained and experienced recruitment specialists

nationwideNationwide database of the largest number of highly

talented candidatesA Strict recruitment process and a proven recruitment

methodCooliris’s social networksOnline databases such as LinkedIn and GoogleAn other important way to search for them is: making

them to search for you. Building brand, company images and choosing suitable for

your media or ads to seed this message to them

How do you successfully attract your top choices to join your venture?Compensation (If you pay the lowest, it will be

nearly impossible to attract top-notch talent )Interesting workAn exciting work environmentBonusesStock optionsGood retirement planInsuranceGenerous vacation package, sick days and personal

time offA flexible work schedule

Question #2Make a list of what Cooliris is doing right and

doing wrong, if anything, with its current recruiting process? How should they improve

it?

Cooliris is doing rightRecruit duos, trios and teams, not only individuals.Meet the recruit’s spouses or significant others and

figure out how to meet their needs as well.Have multiple people reach out to them during the

recruiting process to see if they have questions or concerns.

Ask recruits about their favorite causes, and how the venture might be able to help them serve those causes.

Follow up every few months to try again.

Cooliris is doing wrongThe team build the product their vision of the

company began to evolve into something bigger.The challenge of improving web navigation

extended beyond a browser add-in to the fundamental ways.

Cooliris team might not know or have links to all the best technical people.

How should they improve it?Be selective in hiring. Match values, not just

skillsUse teams of talented people. Give them the

power to decide.Partners must win also.Provide high rewards for the right results,

compensation, benefits, ownership.Preach what you practice. Communicate the

vision goals and values of your venture.Use honest 2 way communication to build trust.

Tell people how they are doing and where they stand.

Question #3How should recruiting process differ for

hiring various functional positions in this venture? For example, do the same rules

apply to hiring engineers as sales and business development talent?

Recruiting process should be different for hiring various functional positions in this venture. For example there are some differences between hiring engineers as a sales and as a business development such as on:

1. Personality test- For a sales, company need to make sure the sales

have good skill in communication. Because a sales engineer will meet a lot of people and have the opportunity to travel and live in all parts of the globe.

- For a business development, company need to know the strong leadership and creative of the candidate.

2. Qualitative test- For Sales engineer, company should measure the

sales extensive knowledge of their technologically and scientifically advanced products, components and processes. Because sales will use their technical skills to demonstrate to potential customers how and why the products or services they are selling would suit the customer better than competitors’ products.

- For business development talent, company should measure capability of managerial as well as high intelligence. Because the man as business development need to control all of system management such as project performance, profit and efficiency, and build development sustainability.