Lecture 2: Techniques for Brainstorming and Building Teams

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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Announcements

• Everyone on the listserv? [email protected]

• Everyone on Balsamiq?

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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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