Gorilla Labs is a Venture builder (startup studio) designed to internalize ideation, rapidly iterate MVPs, and deploy accelerated go-to-market strategies for commercialization using Lean Startup methodology.
Co-founded by 2 INSEAD MBAs (Class of 2015)
Nikhil Jacob
Rubens Nigoghossian
More about venture builders:
http://venturebeat.com/2015/01/18/how-venture-builders-are-changing-the-startup-model/
What is a startup studio?
http://upstart.bizjournals.com/multimedia/interactives/2015/04/what-the-heck-is-a-startup-factory.html
Author's blog on experience in the Southeast Asia venture capital ecosystem
http://theventurevault.com/
2. WHAT WE DO
venture builder: an execution-focused approach to build new businesses
...ideating, testing,
and executing
revenue generating
concepts...
… with an exit
strategy in mind
A team of
dedicated,
professional
entrepreneurs...
3. go-to-market
PREPARATION
DISRUPTING THE INCUBATOR
entrepreneurs test filtered ideas until achieving product-market fit for funding
VERTICAL IDEATION TESTING
selection generation validation scaling
GROWTH
2
verticals
selected
140
ideas
generated
14
MVPs
tested
7
ventures
seed-funded
4
ventures at
Series A+
ENTREPRENEUR
4. PAIN POINTS
there are various pain points in the current incubator model
TALENT
Incentives attract
diverse pool;
program not long
enough (100 days) to
develop latent talent
IDEAS
Ideas are not pre-
validated for market
size and revenue
potential
GROWTH
Good processes in
place to validate
product/market fit
Mentorship and $
for qualified teams
Limited options for
liquidity
EXIT
FUNDING
Limited talent (ability to execute) and
lack of revenue potential (“uber for X”)
= limited path to liquidity for investors
5. OUR SOLUTION
we redefine the model from idea to execution focus
TALENT
Identify individuals with
track record of
executive capability;
recycle through testing
IDEAS
Internal ideation, pain
points, and business
model pivots to latent
markets
GROWTH
Good processes in
place to validate
product/market fit
Mentorship and $
for qualified teams
Position ventures
for corp acquisition
prospects
EXIT
FUNDING
INTERNALIZED talent and ideation
funneled through good process
enables a path to liquidity for
investors
6. venture builder
execution execution variable variableTalent
internal internal diverse diverseIdeas
high high low lowExit success
focused eCom / mktplace diverse singularVerticals
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
unique value proposition similar to Rocket, with separate vertical focus
Gorilla Labs AcceleratorsRocket Internet
enablerself-funded biz builder risk-taker
Startups
7. Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
Idea 1 test grow
Idea 2 test
Idea 3 test grow funding
Idea 4 test
Idea 5 test growth
TALENT MANAGEMENT
talent measured on alignment to process and metrics, not success vs failure
MVP Rotation
- Concept validation: 3 months, $40K
- If no validation, entrepreneur pivots to
new MVP
- Some MVPs expected to fail.
Entrepreneurs benefit from learning
curve and relocate to new process
Go-To-Market pursuit
- If MVP is validated, he/she continues
to Go-to-Market phase
- Less ventures expected to fail, co’s
evolve to seek funding during growth
- Depending on skillset/fit, entrepreneur
may spin off with funded venture
Professional entrepreneurs compensated with salary + equity to
lead the validation process towards a path of funding & growth
Multiple Entrepreneurs testing, pivoting, and advancing concepts
8. TALENT SOURCING
we have a clear path to identify and recruit highly talented individuals
MBA
Global MBA profile fit
Advisory
Advisory ecosystem
Global
Tap professional network
Leader Culture
Global
Professional
- strong connections
- available talent pool
- proven capabilities
- diverse industry scope
- seniority influence
- extensive talent reach
- global corporations
- top banking analysts
- reputed alma maters
9. TALENT PIPELINE
qualified candidates with expressed soft commitments
[CONFIDENTIAL]
eCommerce startup to series-B
Germany >> Private Equity / M&A
5 yrs banking / startups
INSEAD MBA
[CONFIDENTIAL]
FinTech startup >> CFO
Israel >> McKinsey
4 yrs consulting / startups
INSEAD MBA
[CONFIDENTIAL]
Rocket >> portfolio COO
Latin America >> McKinsey
5 yrs consulting / startups
access to Singaporean VCs
PRIVATE EQUITY / M&A
10. ANNUAL FUNDING MODEL
$(XX)M ask for 2-year operations to generate 4x net return in 6 years
14 MVPs
7 GTMs
4 start-ups to be funded
140 ideas
Series A
exit
Series B
exit
$1.5M
investment
for Y1-Y2
$20 M
gross return
based on exits
1
0
6
year
24
months
operation
6
entrepreneurs
staffed
2
startups
acquired
ACTIVITY INVESTOR FIGURES
4
startups
seeded
externally
Notes: Seed $0.5M fundraised externally, valuation at 5x revenue | Equity model: cap table and funnel metrics available upon request
confid
ential
confiden
tial
confiden
tial
12. go-to-market
GTM
BUSINESS MODEL
validate filtered ideas through process repeatedly until reaching product-market fit
VERTICAL IDEATION MVP
selection generation validation scaling
GROWTH
2
verticals
selected
140
ideas
generated
14
MVPs
tested
7
ventures
seed-funded
4
ventures at
Series A+
ENTREPRENEUR
13. where to play
○ Research trends / growth
○ Select top 5; map value chains
VERTICAL FOCUS
do what you know and build capabilities around it
MAP LANDSCAPE
ISOLATE TOP OPTIONS
SELECT VERTICAL(S)
vertical selection
○ Evaluate to BUILD - SELL - SCALE
○ Rank to vertical attractiveness criteria
research universe
○ Map sector options
○ Gather market data
Financial Services
Education Technology
14. SOURCE
IDEATE
ANALYZE
FILTER
BIZ MODEL SPINOFF
apply current tech to
new markets
PAIN POINTS
Industry experts &
Board of Advisors
EXPLORATION
○ expert interviews
○ ideation sessions
evaluate parameters
BUILD - SELL - SCALE
○ tech capacity
○ ops complexity
○ commercial ability
○ market size
ALIGNMENT
○ force rank
○ cluster by segment
IDEATION
ideas are commodities - ideate often and filter quickly
15. VALIDATION
experimental, iterative approach to learn customer needs
Idea
Product
Test
Analyze
➔Pain point
➔Solution
➔Value proposition
➔Customer deep-dive
➔Market segmentation
➔Early adopters
➔Beta version sales
➔Engage stakeholders
➔Data gathering
➔Online traffic
➔Sales traction
➔Customers feedback
16. GO-TO-MARKET
company is structured post-funding to high growth base
Market ready product
Go To Market plan Financials
➔Technology needs
➔Suppliers & other
stakeholders
➔Operations set-up
Team
➔Target segments
➔Distribution channels
➔Pricing
➔Advertising plan
➔Revenue model
(monetization)
➔Financial forecast & returns
➔Identify and secure funding
needs, define capital allocation
➔Define first roles to be filled
➔Recruiting & hiring key talent
CEO
Sales OpsTech
17. GROWTH / SCALE
venture to reach operational independence
Gorilla Labs role:
leadership guidance + approval of strategic decisions, as board members
Exit option:
opportunity for exit options during follow-on investment rounds
Follow plan
execution
Retain active board
member status
Close attention
to talent
Track financials &
funding needs
18. EXIT OPPORTUNITIES
Singapore liquidity trends favor M&A prospects vs. IPO
VALUATION TRENDS
- global corporations
- 1000+ startups
- 2 Unicorns ($1B+)
- 12 Centaurs ($100M+)
- 27 Ponies ($10M+)
- limited IPO activity
LIQUIDITY TRENDS
- approximately 32 startups acquired (average SGD$5-10M)
- Singapore is a hub for Asia HQ of many global companies
- M&A events more likely than IPO
20. SILVERBACK SQUAD
capable co-founders
Nikhil Jacob Rubens Nigoghossian
Head of Innovation
7+ years Finance / Strategy
VC fund inception / startup judge
INSEAD MBA ‘15
Head of Operations
8+ years Business Development / M&A
Startup / incubator projects
INSEAD MBA ‘15
Professional experience:
21. CRITICAL THINKER
connects the dots
creates order in chaos
not afraid to make the call
CREATIVITY
bends useful rules
breaks useless rules
pivot, pivot, pivot
TEAM BUILDER
constructively debates
sees the value of the sum
a coachable coach
MARKET FOCUS
knows a lot about a lot
obsessed with the customer
anticipates change
RISK APPETITE INTENSITY
AMBITIOUS GENUINELY NICE
ENTREPRENEURIAL
does more with less
bias towards action
hustles through hardship
ENTREPRENEUR TALENT PROFILE
who we look for
23. WHAT IS A STARTUP FACTORY
Source: http://upstart.bizjournals.com/multimedia/interactives/2015/04/what-the-heck-is-a-startup-factory.html
24. IDEATION OUTPUTS
sample of ideas generated among selected verticals
Education tech
● Prodigy-type loan offering for int’l
law/med grad students (high
earning potential)
● Integrated payment P2P app to
split and pay expenses
● Crowdsourcing for
social/renewable projects with
competitive ROI
● Blockchain for X (security
encryption for data transmission)
● Crowdsourced gifting (API with
amazon/facebook)
● GMAT test-prep distribution for
similar tests (CFA, CPA, etc)
● Education platform (learning
suggestor)
● Data visualization of educational
performance
● e-consulting platform utilizing PhDs
for projects
● Content creation - case / project
repository online for schools
SAMPLE IDEATION OUTPUTS
Finance / Payments
25. GROWTH TRENDS
capital is invested in revenue-generating businesses, not growth trends
http://tomtunguz.com/fastest-growing-areas-investment-2015/