This document discusses where good ideas come from and developing stories for new projects or companies. It explains that ideas come from a combination of external changes in the world, new knowledge and people, and learning from mistakes. Good stories for new ventures should be tested and involve problem-solution frameworks like NABC (Need-Approach-Benefit-Competition). High concept pitches that combine trends and companies or geographies are also discussed as a way to start conversations. The document provides examples of different types of stories for investors versus customers.

1. Ikhlaq Sidhu
Ikhlaq Sidhu,
Founding Faculty Director
Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology
IEOR Emerging Area Professor
Department of Industrial Engineering, UC Berkeley
Opportunity Identification
for Project

2. Ikhlaq Sidhu
So, where do good ideas come from?
Ikhlaq Sidhu

3. Ikhlaq Sidhu
So, where do good ideas come from?
Answer:
Idea
(starting)
Ikhlaq Sidhu

4. Ikhlaq Sidhu
Ikhlaq Sidhu

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How it really works:
Ideation Journey
Momentum
External
World
is changing
Background
of team/ * New knowledge and new people
* Mistakes, learning an new
possibilities at each step
A path to join a larger industry conversation
Adjacent
Possibility
Ikhlaq Sidhu

6. Ikhlaq Sidhu
New Ventures and (Transformative) Projects Always Start
with a Story which must be Tested for Resonance
External
World
is changing
Background
of team/
Story Types: start with a guess
• NABC
• I observed …
• A transformed with B
Ikhlaq Sidhu

7. Ikhlaq Sidhu
External
World
is changing
Background
of team/
Execution and
Traction
New Venture and (Transformative) Projects Always Start with a
Story which must be Tested for Resonance
Story is important for 2 reasons:
1. Alignment and feedback
2. Scale and stakeholders
Story Types: (start with a guess)
• NABC
• I observed …
• A transformed with B
Ikhlaq Sidhu

8. Ikhlaq Sidhu
This pitch was submitted by Matt Bremerkamp from Pressed, a time management app.
"Pressed is an intelligent personal assistant designed to keep people focused on
whatever goals they have; like working out, eating healthier, or even just drinking
more water.
Want to run a 5k? Pressed will learn that your office isn’t the place to remind you
to train. However, it may notice you’ve been at home for a while and may have
the time to get out there and break a sweat."
Also go to https://slidebean.com/blog/startups/elevator-pitch-deck
How would your story be different
Is anything else missing?
Ikhlaq Sidhu

9. Ikhlaq Sidhu
If you were going to write a new movie, where
would you start?
See http://venturehacks.com/
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10. Ikhlaq Sidhu
If you were going to write a new movie, where would you start?
Venture Story Development: Peter Thiel, Marc
Andreessen, and others: “Remakes” and “Transforms”
See http://venturehacks.com/
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If you were going to write a new movie, where would you start?
Story Development: Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen, and
others: “Remakes” and “Transforms”
See http://venturehacks.com/
Western
Genre
Space
Movie
Jaws In Space
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12. Ikhlaq Sidhu
• If you were going to write a new movie, where
would you start?
Story Development: Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen, and
others: “Remakes” and “Transforms”
See http://venturehacks.com/
Western
Genre
Space
Movie
Jaws In Space
Star Wars Alien
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13. Ikhlaq Sidhu
This is called a “high concept pitch”. It works for companies also.
Internet
Trend
USA
Today
or other
Newspaper
Yahoo
• Trick: No one else is doing it already
• Fits on a business card. Gets a conversation started.
Trend + Company
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This is called a “high concept pitch”. It works for companies also.
Flickr Video
Youtube
Company
+
Trend
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This is called a “high concept pitch”. It works for companies also.
Amazon China?
Company + Geography
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16. Ikhlaq Sidhu
This is called a “high concept pitch”. It works for companies also.
Big Data China?
Amazon China?
Company + Geography
Trend + Geography
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17. Ikhlaq Sidhu
This is called a “high concept pitch”. It works for companies also.
Privacy,
Traceless
Image
?
SMS
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Two Types of Stories
Slides: AKA Dirty Dozen Version 1: (most basic)
1. The Problem you are solving
2. The Solution you propose
3. The value proposition for your users and
customers
4. The Market size and opportunity
5. A description of actual product—how it
works and what it looks like
6. The Sales, Distribution and Revenue Model
7. What’s unique about the technology—often
referred to as the unique selling proposition
8. The competitive landscape
9. The team
10. The financial projections, your funding
needs and financing strategy
11. Your timeline
12. Your “ask”. The “ask” is an industry term
for “what are you asking your audience to
do?
Investor/Management Story:
• TV or Print Commercial
• Product announcement
• Customer Case Study:
• Problem
• Solution
• Result
Customer Story
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Examples of Change
New Regulations,
taxes, laws
Customer
Behaviors
New Technical trends
and capabilities
Be aware of news stories that are might affect
areas of your expertise
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20. Ikhlaq Sidhu
Meet Larry Bock
• Serial entrepreneur and seed
stage high technology and life
sciences venture capitalist
• Founded, co-founded or
provided early stage financing to
40 companies that have
achieved a cumulative market
capitalization of over $40 Billion.
-------------------------------------
• How does he do it?
http://www.linkedin.com/in/larrybock
Berkeley Method: Connector Models
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A: You are a typical the customer.
• Its something you really care about.
• “There must be a better way”
B: You are working and you have a problem
• You require a better tool, which you can not find
• You decide to create that tool yourself
Berkeley Method: Your own frustration – ie your own story.
Ikhlaq Sidhu