Innovation Lag: Security Slowdowns, Kodak's Polaroid War
Today, we're diving into the challenges hindering innovation, especially in sectors critical to national security. Steve Blank highlights the frustrating delays in security clearances, a major bottleneck for startups eager to contribute. Imagine a year-long wait before getting paid, a situation that effectively shuts out many promising ventures. This directly impacts the Department of Defense's ability to adapt and innovate rapidly, despite ongoing efforts to improve.
Blank also unearths the "Secret History" of Kodak's aggressive moves against Polaroid, a cautionary tale about partnerships turned sour and the potentially destructive nature of market competition. This is a reminder that even established giants can make strategic missteps with long-lasting consequences. He also emphasizes the value of the “Venture Mindset” for founders trying to chase deals, which connects to his work teaching the Lean Launchpad and Hacking for Defense courses at Stanford, which just completed another year of student-led innovation in tackling real-world problems with almost 1,000 customer interviews.
Why it matters: These issues impact not only individual companies but also national competitiveness and security. Streamlining processes like security clearances and fostering a more collaborative environment are crucial for unlocking innovation and ensuring the U.S. stays ahead in an era of intense global competition. We need to learn from history, like the Kodak/Polaroid saga, and embrace a mindset that values both competition and strategic partnerships.
Articles
Articles included in this digest.
Security Clearances at the Speed of Startups
Imagine you got a job offer from a company but weren’t allowed to start work – or get paid – for almost a year. And if you can’t pass a security clearance your offer is rescinded. Or you get offered an internship but can’t work on the most inte...
Source: Steve Blank | 01:00 PM
Why Large Organizations Struggle With Disruption, and What to Do About It
Seemingly overnight, disruption has allowed challengers to threaten the dominance of companies and government agencies as many of their existing systems have now been leapfrogged. How an organization reacts to this type of disruption determines wheth...
Source: Steve Blank | 01:00 PM
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Lean LaunchPad @Stanford 2024 – 8 Teams In, 8 Companies Out
This post previously appeared in Poets and Quants. We just finished the 14th annual Lean LaunchPad class at Stanford. The class had gotten so popular that in 2021 we started teaching it in both the winter and spring sessions. During the quarter the e...
Source: Steve Blank | 01:00 PM
Hacking for Defense @ Stanford 2024 – Lessons Learned Presentations
We just finished our 9th annual Hacking for Defense class at Stanford. What a year. Hacking for Defense, now in 60 universities, has teams of students working to understand and help solve national security problems. At Stanford this quarter the 8 tea...
Source: Steve Blank | 01:00 PM
You’re Invited: Hacking for Defense and Lean LaunchPad Final Presentations
Join us for the final presentations of our two Stanford classes this Tuesday June 4th and Wednesday June 5th. Tuesday = Hacking for Defense Wednesday = Lean Launchpad The presentations just get better every year. Attend in person or via Zoom. This y...
Source: Steve Blank | 01:00 PM
Gordon Bell R.I.P.
Gordon Bell passed on this month. I was a latecomer in Gordon Bell’s life. But he made a lasting impact on mine. The first time I laid eyes on Gordon Bell was in 1984 outside a restaurant in a Boston suburb when he pulled up in a Porsche. I was the ...
Source: Steve Blank | 01:00 PM
The Venture Mindset – Worth A Read
Ilya Strebulaev at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Director of the Stanford Venture Capital Initiative just came out with a book that should be on your reading list – The Venture Mindset. The books premise is that Venture Capitalists (wh...
Source: Steve Blank | 01:00 PM
Secret History – When Kodak Went to War with Polaroid
This part 2 of the Secret History of Polaroid and Edwin Land. Read part 1 for context. Kodak and Polaroid, the two most famous camera companies of the 20th century, had a great partnership for 20+ years. Then in an inexplicable turnabout Kodak decide...
Source: Steve Blank | 01:00 PM
The Secret History of Polaroid CEO Edwin Land
The connections between the world of national security and commercial companies still has surprises. December 1976 – Vandenberg Air Force Base, U.S. military space port on the coast of California As a Titan IIID rocket blasted off, it carried a...
Source: Steve Blank | 01:00 PM
Founders Need to Be Ruthless When Chasing Deals
One of the most exciting things a startup CEO in a business-to-business market can hear from a potential customer is, “We’re excited. When can you come back and show us a prototype?” This can be the beginning of a profitable customer relationship or ...
Source: Steve Blank | 01:00 PM
Is a $100 Million Enough?
This article first appeared in Inc. Capitalism has been good to me. After serving in the military during Vietnam, I came home and had a career in eight startups. I got to retire when I was 45. Over the last quarter century, in my third career, I help...
Source: Steve Blank | 02:00 PM
Apple Vision Pro – Tech in the Search of a Market
A version of this article previously appeared in Fortune. If you haven’t been paying attention Apple has started shipping its Apple Vision Pro, its take on a headset that combines Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). The product is an ama...
Source: Steve Blank | 02:00 PM
Technology, Innovation, and Great Power Competition – 2023 Wrap Up
We just wrapped up the third year of our Technology, Innovation, and Great Power Competition class –part of Stanford’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation. Joe Felter, Mike Brown and I teach the class to: Give our students an appreci...
Source: Steve Blank | 02:00 PM
The Department of Defense Is Getting Its Innovation Act Together – But More Can Be Done
This post previously appeared in Defense News and C4SIR. Despite the clear and present danger of threats from China and elsewhere, there’s no agreement on what types of adversaries we’ll face; how we’ll fight, organize, and train; and what wea...
Source: Steve Blank | 02:00 PM
The Secret History of Minnesota: Engineering Research Associates
This post is the latest in the “Secret History Series.” They’ll make much more sense if you watch the video or read some of the earlier posts for context. See the Secret History bibliography for sources and supplemental reading. Silicon Valley emerge...
Source: Steve Blank | 02:00 PM