lecture 2: techniques for brainstorming and building teams
TRANSCRIPT
Duke ECE 490L: How to Start New Ventures in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Poornima [email protected]
Jeff Glass [email protected]
Akshay [email protected]
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Review
• Ideation
• Invention & Re-Invention
• Thought Crime
• Techniques - Mind Mapping
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Resources
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Agenda
• Creativity
• Brainstorming
• Team Building
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What is creativity?
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“Creativity is the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality. Creativity involves two processes: thinking, then producing. Innovation is the production or implementation of an idea. If you have ideas, but don’t act on them, you are imaginative but not creative.” — Linda Naiman
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Is there a process?
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Thinking, then producing.
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Imaginative, but not creative.
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Resist the urge to build.
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Romantic period.
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Ingredients for creativity.
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1. Rules & regulations.
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2. Explore.
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3. Let go.
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Start small.
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Think about one problem.
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Put the product before the company.
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Legal structure is for protection.
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You still need an idea.
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But not legally.
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Square.
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Simple Re-Inventions
• Illumoscope - Raleigh, NC
• Micro Phone Lens - Seattle, WA
• Hex: A copter than anyone can fly!
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Your idea is good but it can be better.
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Some knowledge and skills.
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Know what you know.
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Recruit for the rest.
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Begin with brainstorming.
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Brainstorming is not about feasibility.
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Brainstorming is not about productization.
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Brainstorming is about imagination.
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Brainstorming is about vision.
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Brainstorming
• Work on ideas individually first!
• Brainstorm with a team.
• Setup ground rules:
• Pick a time everyone is available
• 1-2 hours per session with breaks
• Don’t discount or judge any ideas!
• 1 person at a time has the floor.
• Take your time & don’t rush.
• Capture all ideas & connections - be sure to record everything!
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Benefits of Brainstorming
• Gauge the following from participants
• Level of interest
• Quality of contributions
• Chemistry and camaraderie
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Supplemental Reading: 5 Powerful Ways to Brainstorm with Teams,An Outsider’s Outlook: Bringing in People to Brainstorm for Your Startup
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Alone v. Team
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MONEY INTELLIGENCE vs. mint
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• Identify your skills and look for complementary skills.
• Don’t do a sales pitch. Instead get people involved in the process e.g. brainstorming.
• Be wary of those who come after you.
• Conversation topics to cover:
• Bad experiences you both might have had in the past.
• Setup a clear standard for communicating both the positive and negative.
• Make sure there is alignment when it comes to values and the direction of the company and product.
Co-Founders
Supplemental Reading: Conversations Potential Co-Founders Should Have
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Right time to recruit.
Supplemental Reading: How to Keep Your Startup Engineer Sane, Recruiting for a Startup? First Figure Out Who & What You Want.
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Vision vs. Implementation
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Communicate your vision clearly.
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• Roles
• Entrepreneur: motivates and keeps team focused.
• Innovator: has novel technology or idea.
• Technologist: bridges gap between technology and business.
• Investor: is the backer and helps scale the business (product -> company).
• Abilities vs. Capabilities
• What skill set do you absolutely need?
• Allocation time to train and understand direction
• Micromanaging vs. Delegating
• Polling vs. check-ins
• Test: can focus on just your role and contributions?
Team Building
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• Outsourced or Part-Time Team
• Set a budget
• Set clear deliverables
• Hire those that demonstrate self-leadership
• Start with sample projects
Part Time or Outsourced Team
Supplemental Reading: How to Make Progress with Part Timers, Optimizing Outsourcing
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Dissolve a Partnership
• What is the stake they leave with?
• Who controls the assets?
• Bringing someone new in.
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Let an Employee Go
• What is the stake they leave with?
• Transition vs abrupt departure.
• Finding a replacement.
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Your idea, product, and company will live on!
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What about in this class?
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What if we cannot agree on an idea?
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What if we need to dissolve a team?
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Remember this is your sandbox.
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Review
• Creativity
• Brainstorming
• Team Building
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