On Feb 22, 2018 I ran an IdeaLab session for 300 high school students in Mumbai as part of the TiE Global Summit. IdeaLab is a fun, fast-paced activity where you develop a great idea in about an hour. IdeaLab is the first group activity for TiE Young Entrepreneurs, an invention education program.

1. IdeaLab
Or, how to create a good idea in about an hour!
Powered by: Shashi Jain | @skjain2 | #TieGlobalSummit

2. Hi, I’m Shashi
• TYE Global Education Director
• Intel Innovation Manager
• Founder of MatterCompilers
Life Begins Where your Comfort Zone Ends. -NEALE DONALD WALSCH

3. IdeaLab Workshop Timeline
• (:10) Overview - TYE Oregon
• (:05) Intro to IdeaLab
• (:15) Practice / Ice Breaker
• (:60) Develop Ideas
• (:20) Idea Expansion – Generate lots of ideas
• (:10) Idea Contraction – Mine the best concepts
• (:20-30) Teamwork: Develop a 1 minute pitch
• Present

4. TYE OREGON
OVERVIEW

5. “TYE seeks to promote risk-taking, leadership skills and innovation among
the next generation of earthlings. We use entrepreneurship as a tool to
teach fundamentals of building and running a business. Our intent is
NOT to create founders out of high school students (although, that may
happen). Instead, we believe the skills and traits that make up successful
entrepreneurs are essential in any walk of life: taking ownership, building
alliances, seeking help and applying feedback, motivating a team without
direct authority and above all, working through challenging situations
with grace and grit.”
TYE Oregon Manifesto

6. Entrepreneurship Lab in 3 Phases
Progressively More Independence, Expectations, Readiness
Phase 1 [Crawl]
• Curated Teams
• Learn Basics
• InventionLab
Phase 2 [Walk]
• Self-Organized
Teams
• Practice
• Local Comp
Phase 3 [Run]
• One Team
• Honed sharp by
mentors
• Global Comp

7. TYE Subjects
Idea Creation
Design
Thinking
Rapid
Prototyping
Customer
Development
Business
Model Canvas
Startup Math
Presentation
Skills /
Storytelling
Team Building
Team Contract

8. Our Inventions
Ayur Aid
Concussion Block
Dishes or Don’t
eMDreamDreamkit Sobek Body Armor
DroneON
Cleat Elite

9. IdeaLab
Ready to have fun?!

10. IdeaLab Workshop Timeline
• (:10) Overview - TYE Oregon
• (:05) Intro to IdeaLab
• (:15) Practice / Ice Breaker
• (:60) Develop Ideas
• (:20) Idea Expansion – Generate lots of ideas
• (:10) Idea Contraction – Mine the best concepts
• (:20-30) Teamwork: Develop a 1 minute pitch
• Present

11. “The best way to
have a great idea is
to generate lots of
ideas.”
Linus Pauling
Father of Molecular Biology
Nobel Peace Prize and Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Born in Portland, OR | OSU Graduate

12. Create one great idea in
one hour in 4 simple steps.
WHY ARE WE HERE?

13. And the Four Steps Are…
• Choose Limits (Goal, Theme, Time)
• Create a Lot of Ideas
• Multiply those Ideas
• Optimize for Practicality

14. IdeaLab Workshop Timeline
• (:10) Overview - TYE Oregon
• (:05) Intro to IdeaLab
• (:15) Practice / Ice Breaker
• (:60) Develop Ideas
• (:20) Idea Expansion – Generate lots of ideas
• (:10) Idea Contraction – Mine the best concepts
• (:20-30) Teamwork: Develop a 1 minute pitch
• Present

15. Parents & Teachers
Do take risks
Do think different

16. Ice Breaker – Practice Generating Ideas
INSTRUCTIONS
• Create a lot of ideas
• Quantity Matters
• Think Horizontally, Vertically, Laterally,
Humorously, Seriously, Practically…
• Suspend Judgment
• Challenge Status Quo
IDEAS
• Can you mix them up with water? Glue?
Something else?
• What happens if you heat them up? Cool
them down?
• Could you put something inside?
• Could you make them from another material?
• Don’t stop!

17. Let’s Get Crackin’
• Goal: MINIMUM of 75 different uses
• Theme: A daily object (you’ll see)
• Time: 5 minutes
• Prize 1 – Most Ideas (quantity matters!)
• Prize 2 – Most Unique Idea (quality matters!)

18. Warmed Up? Bugs Passions

19. IdeaLab Workshop Timeline
• (:10) Overview - TYE Oregon
• (:05) Intro to IdeaLab
• (:15) Practice / Ice Breaker
• (:60) Develop Ideas
• (:20) Idea Expansion – Generate lots of ideas
• (:10) Idea Contraction – Mine the best concepts
• (:20-30) Teamwork: Develop a 1 minute pitch
• Present

20. Ready for IdeaLab?
• Step 1: Generate Ideas (:10)
• Write 1-2 word concepts formed around the Theme
• Step 2: Multiply Ideas (:10)
• Create more concepts based on the Theme
• Step 3: Create Startup Concepts (:10)
• Use keywords to create several product or service concepts
• Step 4: Develop & Pitch Your Concept (:30)
• Form small groups and develop 1 min pitch
Ideas
Ideas
concept
s
pitch

21. Draw this on three sheets of paper
This is your Idea Canvas

22. Your Theme
Ultimate 3D Printing

24. Step 1a: Generate Ideas
• Write 1-4 word
concepts related to the
Theme.
• One concept per sticky
note.
• Don’t constrain
yourself
• Quantity! (best:60)
Theme: Ultimate 3D Printing

25. Step 1b: Generate Ideas
• Choose 4 Concept
Notes at random
• Place them in the
corners of the Idea
Canvas
• Do this for THREE
Idea Canvases
Theme: Ultimate 3D Printing

26. Step 2a: Multiply Ideas
• Pass your Idea Canvases to
someone else
• I’ll tell you how
• Goal: End up with none of
your own pages

27. Step 2b: Multiply Ideas
• Write 1-4 word concepts
below each Concept Note,
in each corner.
• These should be inspired
by all the words on the
page.
• Spend ~1 minute per
corner.
Theme: Ultimate 3D Printing
Shelter
Protection
Cold
Food
Built-in
Disaster
RefrigeratorHome

29. Step 2c: Spread Your Ideas
• Pass your Idea Canvases to
someone else
• I’ll tell you how
• Goal: End up with none of
your own pages

30. Step 3: Create Product/Service Concepts
• Write one-sentence product
concepts in the center
diamond.
• Can you invent a product
that solves a problem
relevant to you?
• Use the Theme and some of
the words written on the
Idea Canvas. It’s ok if you
can’t use them all.
• Repeat for all your idea
canvases.
3D Printing
Houses with
built-in art &
fridge.
Theme: Ultimate 3D Printing
Shelter
Protection
Cold
Food
Built-in
tattoo
art mehndi

32. Step 4a: Choose an Idea to Pitch
• Divide into small teams
• Discuss the product/service
concepts in the center diamond of
your Idea Canvases
• Pick one that you’d like to work
on or add/combine your ideas!
• Hint: Do a quick vote and remove
the ideas you definitely don’t
want!

33. Step 4b: Make your Idea Better
ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS
1. Who is it for (your customer)?
2. What problem does it solve for
them?
3. Do you know someone with this
problem? What is their story?
4. Does this idea require an
invention?
HOW DO YOU MAKE IT
BETTER?
• Yes, and
• Think about how people would use
it today, in one year, in 5 years. What
features are needed?
• Change your idea/invention to solve
a much bigger problem.

34. Step 4c: Create a 1min Pitch
WHAT IS A PITCH?
A pitch is a short story that expands
your idea/invention with more
details, an understanding of a
problem, and how it relates to you
or a customer. A great pitch will
convince others to join you or invest
in you.
ELEMENTS OF A PITCH
• Who are you?
• What is the problem you solve?
• What is your product or service?
• Who is your customer?
• What is your story?

35. One-Minute Pitch Example
THE IDEA
3D Printing Houses with built-in art and fridge.
• Making it Better
• Mobile, so print houses anywhere
• Solves the problem of temporary
housing in disasters
• Can print furniture, appliances, too
• Artwork makes people experiencing
disaster happy
THE PITCH
My name is Shashi. A few days ago I saw a news story of
an earthquake where hundreds of people lost their homes.
They had to live in a tent, maybe for months.
I’d like to introduce you to the InstaPrint House, a 3D
printed shelter for disaster relief. When a disaster
happens, a mobile trailer is brought in and transforms
into a 3D printer. It has enough supplies to print up to 5
houses complete with furniture, for victims.
In the future, it will print artwork and appliances too.
Maybe disasters will be a little easier to recover with the
InstaPrint House.

36. Step 4c: Now Your Turn! Create a 1min Pitch
INCLUDE THESE THINGS
• Who are you?
• What is your story?
• What is the problem you solve?
• What is your product or
service?
• Who is your customer?
• Give it a GREAT name!
SIMPLE EXAMPLE
My name is Shashi. A few days ago I saw a news story of
an earthquake where hundreds of people lost their homes.
They had to live in a tent, maybe for months.
I’d like to introduce you to the InstaPrint House, a 3D
printed shelter for disaster relief. When a disaster
happens, a mobile trailer is brought in and transforms
into a 3D printer. It has enough supplies to print up to 5
houses complete with furniture, for victims.
In the future, it will print artwork and appliances too.
Maybe disasters will be a little easier to recover with the
InstaPrint House.

37. Present
1 MIN PITCH

39. Three Takeaways
Set Clear Theme & Goals Combine Ideas,
Shamelessly
Create Urgency
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