igniter exploration deck
DESCRIPTION
A conversation primer in the exploration of practical approaches to transformative venturing and investment.TRANSCRIPT
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Exploration Deck
A conversation primer in the exploration of practical
approaches to transformative venturing and investment.
![Page 2: Igniter Exploration Deck](https://reader034.vdocument.in/reader034/viewer/2022051411/5406e1e28d7f72b90a8b482d/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License. (Michael A. B. Lewkowitz - Igniter Incorporated - [email protected]) 2
Common experiences in venturing call for new approaches
• Common experiences:– The earlier the stage, the less applicable
or effective conventional management practices tend to be
– The deeper the level of system change being sought, the less effective conventional planning approaches tend to being
– The ‘earlier’ and ‘deeper’ the venture, the greater the influence of the values and style of key stakeholders and leadership
• Essentially, transformative venturing is about creating a stable state far from equilibrium.
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• Venture investing involves 3 forms of capital– Financial– Social– Intellectual
• In the overlaps there is leverage– financial + social = ?– financial + intellectual = ?– social + intellectual = ?
• At the centre is the fulcrum where the most powerful approaches will be found– financial + social + intellectual = ?
Venture investing involves much more than just dollars
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Look ‘early’ and ‘deep’ to develop the most applicable approaches
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Initial observations in transformative venturing
Challenge is to employ capital (all forms in synergy)
as a productive catalyst
Requisite Conditions•Basic financial stability•Core competency coverage
Readiness indicators •Trust•Clarity•Momentum
Accelerating conditions•‘Venture vortex’ alignment•Active, appropriate network
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Initial thoughts on practices for transformative venturing and investing
Conventional Strategy
Systems Strategy
Transformative investment practice*
Intellectual •expert advice•directive
•wisdom in community•co-creative engagement
1.“Venture Votex”2.“Viable System Model”
Financial •invest in plans•seek surety•control risk
•invest in conditions•create space•comfort with unknown
3.“Deal Day”4.“Seed stability fund”
Social •directly managed•linear•referral based
•dynamic•fluid•interconnected
5.“Iggy-Active Network”
* Further explanation on the following slides.
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Practice 1:“Venture Vortex”
• A comprehensive venture alignment framework– Frames questioning– Describes
interconnection– Aids in due
diligence and optimization
• The greater the alignment of the venture, the greater the efficacy of the investment
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Practice 2:“Viable System Model”• Developed by Stafford Beer• Systems science of
organization– For business system
diagnostic and design• Core principles for
designing and organizing a venture to fulfill a purpose– Wikipedia
• http://tinyurl.com/3cfyz9
– Highlights on Igniter blog• http://tinyurl.com/23v7yt
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Practice 3:“Deal Day”
• A co-creative approach to deal structuring• 1 day session with venture team, investors, and key
community members– Review and update Venture Vortex alignment assessment– Determine venture condition measures and activities
• Requisite conditions– Basic financial stability– Core competence coverage
• Accelerating conditions– Venture Vortex alignment– Active and appropriate network
– Structure deal to most catalyze venture conditions and take advantage of the clout in the investment process
• Recognize capital’s clout as attractor, influencer, and enforcer
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Practice 4:“Seed stability fund”
• First, and foremost, ensure plan for basic financial stability– Financial capital
• Basic cash-flow break-even, or• Sufficient to achieve crtical milestones that will enable next round funding
(also sufficient time to close funding)
– Social capital• Key connections and relationships related to the above milestones
– Intellectual capital• Venture Vortex alignment to focus in on core activities and identify key
milestones, activities, and resources• Shared experiences from venturers that established basic financial
stability
• Second, and possibly in parallel, additional capital can be applied for investment in accelerating conditions
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Practice 5:“Iggy-active network”
• Whole portfolio network activation– Leverage social capital from past investments– Enable social capital sharing and leverage among the
investees• Supported through online network development
– LinkedIn• Document work history on behalf of investees’ key personnel• Encourage them to connect their network
– offers the network of entire portfolio and their networks to their contacts
– Social networking community platform• E.g. Ning + del.icio.us (or Twine)• Shared learning... intelligence... consciousness...
– Pro-actively leverage for• Deal flow, due diligence, specific capital/resource support requests
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Process of exploration
• Those who are on ‘the frontier’ of transformative venturing and investing have a wealth of experience and observations that have yet to be articulated and turned into practice– Step 1: explore and articulate that wealth
• Series of intentional conversations with investors on ‘the frontier’
– Step 2: transform insights into implementable practices• Some initial concepts have been presented in this deck
– Step 3: just do it - put it into practice• Currently envisioned as small, dedicated, time-limited experimental fund
(e.g. 5 investments, 18 months)
– Step 4: revisit and.. repeat?
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YOU ARE
HERE
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✴Access to a global network of facilitators and change agents.
✴Observing change first hand for over 40 years with affiliates in 36 nations.
Mission: To enhance people’s capacity to participate in the creation of a more human world through training in group
facilitation and leadership methods, and facilitating community and organizational development.
An accomplished venture builder with over a decade of experience founding, advising, professional investment, and
managing emerging entities with a vision.
✴Founded: 6 ✴ Incubated: 2✴Funding raised: > $6M ✴Managed: 3✴Advised: 5
Mission: To co-create a comprehensive example of the
practical structures for common people to meet their primary needs in a way
that reflects balance among people and the planet by 2015.
On the leading edge of change, consistently delivering quality programs
to hundreds of communities and organisations.
Exploration guides
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Exploration Deck
A conversation primer in the exploration of practical
approaches to transformative venturing and investment.