Venture studios are hard to execute, but when they work, they really work.
High Alpha has mastered the process to launch 30+ SaaS companies.
Here's a breakdown:
1. Sprint Week:
3 times per year, the whole team goes out-of-of-office for one week to start new companies.
All ideas are B2B software that addresses a user pain or fills a market need they have previously identified in specific industries.
Their process:
2. Nail the Pitch
The goal at the end of the week is to get funded. Pitch decks are the language of VC. Each includes:
- Brand identity
- Product roadmap
- Model of the product
- Go-to-market strategy
- Established price-point
- Headcount assumptions
3. Full Immersion
During sprint week the whole team is all in. Focused on this one task.
They are unreachable to their portfolio companies, put up out-of-office messages, and tell their families to expect late nights.
4. Bias Towards Yes
It's easy to kill early ideas.
The approach is “If I had to start a business in this space, I would do it like this.”
You want to find one nugget of truth from a customer interview on which to build a business.
5. Survival of the Fittest
The limited amount of time drives a sense of urgency to accomplish more.
There is no follow-up meeting next week. This is it.
At the end of the week, you either get funded or die. Competition is real.
6. Cross-Functional Teams
Each team is staffed with one person from each of the critical functions:
- design
- product
- marketing/sales
- business analyst
- investment partner "the decider"
Each team also has a subject matter expert for the buyer's perspective & feedback.
TLDR on High Alpha venture studio process:
- Sprint Weeks
- Nail the Pitch
- Full Immersion
- Bias Towards Yes
- Survival of the Fittest
- Cross-Functional Teams