Acquisition, Customer Development, Government and Security

Why Companies and Government Do “Innovation Theater” Instead of Actual Innovation

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 15, 2019

The type of disruption most companies and government agencies are facing is a once-in-every-few-centuries event. Ultimately, companies and government agencies need to stop doing this or they will fail. By process I mean all the tools that allow companies and government to scale repeatable execution. Process Versus Product.

Government

Government Technical Review Acquisition Metrics

Hacking for Defense @ Stanford 2021 Lessons Learned Presentations

Steve Blank

JUNE 8, 2021

Hacking for Defense has teams of students working to understand and solve national security problems. This was followed by an 8-minute slide presentation describing their customer discovery journey over the 10 weeks. This was my sixth time teaching a virtual class during the lockdown – and for our students likely their 15th or more.

Lean

Lean Security Asia SBIR

Nokia as “He Who Must Not Be Named” and the Helsinki Spring

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 10, 2011

I presented to 1,000’s of entrepreneurs, talked to 17 startups, gave 12 lectures, had 9 interviews, chatted with 8 VC’s, sat on 4 panels, talked policy with 2 government ministers, 2 members of parliament, 1 head of a public pension fund and was in 1 TV-documentary. Toxic Business Press and Contradictory Government Incentives.

Finland

Finland Naming Russia Government

Hacking for Defense @ Stanford 2020 Lesson Learned Presentations

Steve Blank

JUNE 12, 2020

Second, doing customer discovery via video actually increased the number of interviews the students were able to do each week. The eight teams spoke to over 945 beneficiaries, stakeholders, requirements writers, program managers, warfighters, legal, security, customers, etc.

Oakland

Oakland Asia Lean Video

Technology, Innovation, and Modern War – Class 3

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 6, 2020

We just held our third session of our new national security class Technology, Innovation and Modern War. So, it’s incumbent on us to think about the ramifications of these acquisition decisions. Advancements in these technologies will be driven by consumer demand and the potential for profit- not government directives.

Technology

Technology Afghanistan Iraq Vietnam

The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency Goes Lean

Steve Blank

AUGUST 29, 2016

We tend to associate the government with words like bureaucracy rather than lean innovation. But smart people within government agencies are working to change the culture and embrace new ways of doing things. Putting lean principles into NGA’s acquisition practices. The NGA, an organization within the U.S.

Lean

Lean Silicon Valley Government Acquisition

The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency Goes Lean

Steve Blank

AUGUST 29, 2016

We tend to associate the government with words like bureaucracy rather than lean innovation. But smart people within government agencies are working to change the culture and embrace new ways of doing things. Putting lean principles into NGA’s acquisition practices. The NGA, an organization within the U.S.

Lean

Lean Silicon Valley Government Acquisition

Hacking for Defense @ Stanford 2019

Steve Blank

JUNE 7, 2019

The eight teams spoke to over 820 beneficiaries, stakeholders, requirements writers, program managers, warfighters, legal, security, customers, etc. Followed by an 8-minute slide presentation follow their customer discovery journey over the 10-weeks. All the presentations are worth a watch. Team: Panacea. Team: Embargo NK.

Oakland

Oakland Lean SBIR Afghanistan

Hacking for Defense @ Stanford – Making the World a Safer Place

Steve Blank

JANUARY 26, 2016

Join a select cross-disciplinary class that will put you hands-on with the masters of lean innovation to help bring rapid-fire innovative solutions to address threats to our national security. All while we’re still writing a Request for a Proposal from within the US Government procurement and acquisition channels.

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley North Korea Agile Lean

Fly High

Steve Blank

APRIL 29, 2013

Unfortunately the class operates much like the military acquisition system: the project specification has minimal input from real world users, the product gets built with a waterfall engineering process, and there’s no input on whether the product actually meets real world needs until the product is delivered. We do what?

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley Colorado Lean Connecticut

Hacking for Defense & Hacking for Diplomacy – Educator/Sponsor Class

Steve Blank

AUGUST 1, 2016

So I was astonished how ready and eager students were for a class that combines the toughest problems in national security, with learning Lean Innovation methods. Over half the student teams have decided to continue working on national security projects. Engage directly with potential government problem sponsors.

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley Southern California San Diego Lean

Hacking for Defense @ Stanford – Lessons Learned Presentations

Steve Blank

JUNE 3, 2016

Over half the student teams have decided to continue working on national security projects after this class. Few consider opportunities to make the world safer with the Department of Defense, Intelligence Community or other government agencies. Over half the student teams have decided to continue working on national security projects.

Agile

Agile Security Audio Video

Hacking for Defense & Hacking for Diplomacy – Educator/Sponsor Class

Steve Blank

AUGUST 1, 2016

So I was astonished how ready and eager students were for a class that combines the toughest problems in national security, with learning Lean Innovation methods. Over half the student teams have decided to continue working on national security projects. Engage directly with potential government problem sponsors.

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley Southern California San Diego Lean

Fly High

Steve Blank

APRIL 29, 2013

Unfortunately the class operates much like the military acquisition system: the project specification has minimal input from real world users, the product gets built with a waterfall engineering process, and there’s no input on whether the product actually meets real world needs until the product is delivered. We do what?

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley Colorado Lean Connecticut

Corporate Venture Capital: Obligatory or Oxymoron?

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 6, 2015

We never seek any rights to give Amex preferential treatment at the time of a potential acquisition. There is a possibility that Amex may explore acquisitions within the Amex Ventures portfolio, but those discussions will be on market terms similar to those with other potential acquirers.”. Can the founders communicate well?

Venture Capital

Venture Capital Balance Sheet Technical Review Portfolio

Why Innovation Heroes are a Sign of a Dysfunctional Organization

Steve Blank

AUGUST 25, 2021

A week ago I got invited to an “innovation hero” award ceremony at a government agency. Inspired by her own work problem, she talked to her peers and other stakeholders, built multiple minimum viable products, and figured out how to get engineering, policy, legal, security and everyone else in the enterprise to actually approve it.

Non-Compete

Non-Compete Government Incubator Design

Hacking for Defense @ Stanford 2017 – Lessons Learned Presentations

Steve Blank

JUNE 8, 2017

Few consider opportunities to make the world safer with the Department of Defense, Intelligence Community or other government agencies. The Hacking for Defense class was designed as “fundamental research” to be shared broadly and the results are not subject to restriction for proprietary or national security reasons. This is the End.

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley Southern California Lean San Diego

Hacking for Defense @ Stanford 2018 – wonder and awe

Steve Blank

JUNE 8, 2018

Six teams spoke to over 600 beneficiaries, stakeholders, requirements writers, program managers, warfighters, legal, security, customers, etc. Each of their slide presentations follow their customer discovery journey. Watching them I was left with wonder and awe about what they accomplished in 10 weeks.

Southern California

Southern California San Diego Mississippi SBIR

When Big Companies Are Dead But Don’t Know It

Steve Blank

JUNE 7, 2010

The engineering co-founder had created a consumer electronics security product that created an entirely new category. The acquisition turned out to be a culture clash of titanic proportions, kind of like the irresistible force meets the immovable object, as the great startup founder ran headlong into the excellent operating guy.

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley Cofounder Acquisition Kansas

Crazy! 189 Answers To The Top Startup Questions On Your Mind

maplebutter.com

JANUARY 8, 2013

Government grants – Credit cards / debt. 2) Co-Founders are the largest form of dilution (if you’re raising) 3) Everything around LeanStartup / Customer Development 4) Understand the micro economics of your business early. Acquisition / Lifetime Value, etc. the overseas business is a $billion security market.

Technical Review

Technical Review Startup Cofounder Software Review

Where is the best place to find a rockstar developer to bring it to life?

www.quora.com

JANUARY 16, 2011

" => I have not bothered to put up a landing page, survey to test customer demand, or done any customer development whatsoever. "Where is the best place to find a rockstar developer to bring it to life?" Building a scalable, profitable, customer acquisition engine.

Developer

Developer Technical Review Cofounder Technical Cofounder

StartUpRoar

Why Companies and Government Do “Innovation Theater” Instead of Actual Innovation

Hacking for Defense @ Stanford 2021 Lessons Learned Presentations

Trending Sources

Nokia as “He Who Must Not Be Named” and the Helsinki Spring

Hacking for Defense @ Stanford 2020 Lesson Learned Presentations

Technology, Innovation, and Modern War – Class 3

The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency Goes Lean

The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency Goes Lean

Hacking for Defense @ Stanford 2019

Hacking for Defense @ Stanford – Making the World a Safer Place

Fly High

Hacking for Defense & Hacking for Diplomacy – Educator/Sponsor Class

Hacking for Defense @ Stanford – Lessons Learned Presentations

Hacking for Defense & Hacking for Diplomacy – Educator/Sponsor Class

Fly High

Corporate Venture Capital: Obligatory or Oxymoron?

Why Innovation Heroes are a Sign of a Dysfunctional Organization

Hacking for Defense @ Stanford 2017 – Lessons Learned Presentations

Hacking for Defense @ Stanford 2018 – wonder and awe

When Big Companies Are Dead But Don’t Know It

Crazy! 189 Answers To The Top Startup Questions On Your Mind

Where is the best place to find a rockstar developer to bring it to life?

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