Sam Bhagwat: Solving Important Problems
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Transcript of Sam Bhagwat: Solving Important Problems
Solving important problems
Sam BhagwatCFO, Blueseed
Method: agnostic to definition of “important.”
Focus: positioning oneself in current institutional blind spots.
Metaphor: A ladder to pick well-developed, medium-hanging fruit all the low-hanging fruit opportunists missed.
Solution is moderately capital-intensive
Problem considered
political
Solution combines two disparate fields
Solution has little new tech
Solving important problems
Sam BhagwatCFO, Blueseed
Capital intensivity
Corporate planning / real estate inv.
Small business
Blue-ocean
Lean Startup
New business model
Low capital
High Capital
Old business model
Large CapexDeep-pocketed eccentric / crafty pitch
Typical Silicon Valley VCBanks, companies
Politics vs. technology
Engineering
Policy innovation
Radical pragmatism
Lobbying
Problem considered political
Technology solution
Problem considered technological
Political solution
Adjacency distance (“X for Y”)
• What are the core competencies required?
• And how far apart are they in skill-space?
Adjacency distance (“X for Y”)Communications satellite (1960)
Solar
Communication tech
Rocketry
Music distribution
Computers
Maritime
Immigration law/politics
Silicon Valley
Blueseed (2011)
iPod (2001)
Paypal (1998)
large
small
large
small
large
Electronic communication
Payment processing
medium
Adjacency distance
Breakthrough improvement
Incremental improvement
Crazy sh*t
Repurposing
Technological innovation
Invention vs. repurposing
Crazy & loaded
Clever
Skilled tinkerer
Low
High
Large: Disparate
Small: Overlapping
Brilliant
Solving important problems
Solution is moderately capital-intensive
Problem considered
political
Solution combines two disparate fields
Solution has little new tech
Sam BhagwatCFO, Blueseed
Additional reading• Working on important problems:
– “Good and Bad Procrastination,” Paul Graham, http://www.paulgraham.com/procrastination.html
• Working on important problems & capital-intensivity:– “What Happened To The Future?”, Bruce Gibney, Founders’ Fund: http://
www.foundersfund.com/the-future• On multiple competencies: “Career advice,” Scott Adams, http://
dilbertblog.typepad.com/the_dilbert_blog/2007/07/career-advice.html