The world needs more entrepreneurs! This presentation aims to encourage, inspire and assist young entrepreneurs in transforming their passions into businesses and changing the world in the process. It includes 6 tips to launch your own startup, illustrated by lessons learned from launching Playfish and other ventures. These slides accompanied a talk given at the Founder Institute and later at the Betagroup.
4. 2.5 years post launch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZZj8pyHnXY
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5. Why launching matters
World in crisis Create
needs value
innovation and jobs
Make meaning Getting
and live longer started is
toughest
Watch: www.bluezones.com
Read: “The Art of the Start” – G Kawasaki
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15. 4 Brainstorm transformative solutions
aim to change the world, not just your town or your country
Act: team + pen & paper + lots of <your favourite drink>
Outcome: a series of potential solutions
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18. Games as social experiences
with friends and family
Cooperation Communication
Friendship
Competition Expression
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Photo credit: jay1441
19. 3 Filter your solutions down to
ONE BIG IDEA
Are you solving the problem you initially selected?
Does anyone care (enough to use or to pay) ?
Can it be built (by you or by someone else)?
Would it scale (success x 1 billion) ?
Why now? Any tectonic shifts?
Outcome: one liner description of your idea
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22. to reach 1 billion users
access
barriers Lower cost
PS3
More social
Xbox More immediate
360
More real
Wii
iPhone / mobile
Free-to-play / online / social
0 10m 50m 100m 500m 1Bn audience
27. Blue Ocean check: Playfish
Create Eliminate
a new utility distribution costs
Fun from playing with friends Design for viral distribution
Reduce Raise
development costs monetization ceiling
Release early, run as service Micro-transactions & advertising
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28. “No battle plan ever survives contact
with the ennemy” – von Moltke
2 Build don’t plan
Forecasts are usually (dramatically) wrong
Keep your plan short
Prototyping is key to test your ideas
Timebox your development
Help others visualise your solution
Planning: www.sequoiacap.com/ideas
Building: must be able to hand prototype over to a test user
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31. redder = smarter*
1
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* Source: 500,000 datapoints from Playfish’s hit social game ‘Who Has The Biggest Brain?’
The game is available at http://apps.facebook.com/biggestbrain
32. 1 Make mistakes, and iterate
Measure Nurture Evolve
Think: what will your feedback loop consist of?
Build: an offering capable of adapting quickly to feedback
33. Product success = create hits
+$$
time
-$$
Success = F (P, Q)
price quantity
34. Service success = nurture hits
+$$
time
-$$ Success = F(α, β, γ)
virality, engagement, monetization
37. 0 When traction, think BIG, think FAST
Ensure cash is not a limiting factor
Go global early – new growth model
Hire the very best people you can afford
Create constant feedback loops
Change the world
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38. Playfish story
Oct 2007 2008 Nov 2009
Playfish starts in UK Opened offices Acquired by EA
$3m seed in US, China, Arctic for $400m
4 founders Raised $18m
Created great games
Dec 2007 Oct 2009 2010
Who Has the Biggest Brain? 12 live games FIFA & MADDEN
1st game released 200 million games distributed First billion $ franchises
Sent to 100 friends 60 million monthly active users on Facebook
High growth, high margin
40. Getting ready to launch
6 Start with a team and an attitude
5 Define your passion, chose your problem
4 Brainstorm transformative solutions
3 Filter your solutions down to ONE BIG IDEA
2 Build don’t plan
1 Make mistakes and iterate
0 When traction, think BIG, think FAST