This lecture was delivered to the students at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering for the course How to Form New Ventures in Electrical and Computer Engineering. The lecture focuses on providing students with brainstorming and team building techniques.

1. Duke ECE 490L: How to Start New Ventures in
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Poornima Vijayashanker
poornima@femgineer.com
Jeff Glass
jeff.glass@duke.edu
Akshay Raut
ar118@duke.edu
1

2. Review
• Ideation
• Invention & Re-Invention
• Thought Crime
• Techniques - Mind Mapping
Duke ECE 490L
2

3. Announcements
• Everyone on the listserv? duke-ece-490l@googlegroups.com
• Everyone on Balsamiq?
Duke ECE 490L
3

4. Resources
4

5. Agenda
• Creativity
• Brainstorming
• Team Building
Duke ECE 490L
5

6. What is creativity?
Duke ECE 490L
6

7. “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
Duke ECE 490L
7

8. Is there a process?
Duke ECE 490L
8

9. Thinking, then producing.
Duke ECE 490L
9

10. Imaginative, but not creative.
Duke ECE 490L
10

11. Resist the urge to build.
Duke ECE 490L
11

12. Romantic period.
Duke ECE 490L
12

13. Ingredients for creativity.
Duke ECE 490L
13

14. 1. Rules & regulations.
Duke ECE 490L
14

15. 2. Explore.
Duke ECE 490L
15

16. 3. Let go.
Duke ECE 490L
16

17. Start small.
Duke ECE 490L
17

18. Think about one problem.
Duke ECE 490L
18

19. Put the product before the company.
Duke ECE 490L
19

20. Legal structure is for protection.
Duke ECE 490L
20

21. You still need an idea.
Duke ECE 490L
21

22. But not legally.
Duke ECE 490L
22

23. Square.
Duke ECE 490L
23

24. Simple Re-Inventions
• Illumoscope - Raleigh, NC
• Micro Phone Lens - Seattle, WA
• Hex: A copter than anyone can fly!
Duke ECE 490L
24

25. Your idea is good but it can be better.
Duke ECE 490L
25

26. Duke ECE 490L
26

27. Duke ECE 490L
Some knowledge and skills.
27

28. Duke ECE 490L
Know what you know.
28

29. Duke ECE 490L
Recruit for the rest.
29

30. Duke ECE 490L
Begin with brainstorming.
30

31. Duke ECE 490L
Brainstorming is not about feasibility.
31

32. Duke ECE 490L
Brainstorming is not about productization.
32

33. Duke ECE 490L
Brainstorming is about imagination.
33

34. Duke ECE 490L
Brainstorming is about vision.
34

35. 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!
Duke ECE 490L
35

36. Benefits of Brainstorming
• Gauge the following from participants
• Level of interest
• Quality of contributions
• Chemistry and camaraderie
Duke ECE 490L
Supplemental Reading: 5 Powerful Ways to Brainstorm with Teams,
An Outsider’s Outlook: Bringing in People to Brainstorm for Your Startup
36

37. Duke ECE 490L
Alone v. Team
37

38. Duke ECE 490L
MONEY INTELLIGENCE vs. mint
38

39. Duke ECE 490L
• 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
39

40. Duke ECE 490L
Right time to recruit.
Supplemental Reading: How to Keep Your Startup Engineer Sane, Recruiting for a Startup?
First Figure Out Who & What You Want.
40

41. Duke ECE 490L
Vision vs. Implementation
41

42. Duke ECE 490L
Communicate your vision clearly.
42

43. Duke ECE 490L
• 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
43

44. Duke ECE 490L
• 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
44

45. Dissolve a Partnership
• What is the stake they leave with?
• Who controls the assets?
• Bringing someone new in.
Duke ECE 490L
45

46. Let an Employee Go
• What is the stake they leave with?
• Transition vs abrupt departure.
• Finding a replacement.
Duke ECE 490L
46

47. Duke ECE 490L
Your idea, product, and company will live on!
47

48. Duke ECE 490L
What about in this class?
48

49. Duke ECE 490L
What if we cannot agree on an idea?
49

50. Duke ECE 490L
What if we need to dissolve a team?
50

51. Duke ECE 490L
Remember this is your sandbox.
51

52. Review
• Creativity
• Brainstorming
• Team Building
Duke ECE 490L
52