After having conducted hundreds of hours of research to unearth the best practices out there for venture studio operations, I was particularly excited when our studio team recently embarked on the much acclaimed Design Sprint process, made famous by Google Ventures. For Hunsicker specifically, we decided to use the process to focus on our Studio Playbook. Spoiler alert: we came up with a portfolio company that doubled as a deal-flow generator instead.

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GV’s Design Sprint process to build and test product prototypes in a concentrated and highly curated 5 days has been used by countless startups and product teams, inspired numerous books and podcasts, and in the process, has created a cult-like following within the world of startups. Naturally, as venture builders ourselves, our curiosity was piqued. For our team, running an internal Sprint Week on our playbook would not only allow us to test the curriculum for ourselves, but it would also result in a battle-tested operational toolbox. At least, those were our assumptions. Our takeaway: the sprint process is pretty damn valuable - with a few minor notes, of course.

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Overview of Hunsicker's Sprint Week Experience

Day 1

• We had everyone on our team together and involved throughout, staying together in an AirBnB and working offsite during the day at a local university’s common space for the 5-day duration.
• We established a big goal: “Maximize the efficiency and odds of success of our portfolio companies through our superior process.” 
• We traveled some seemingly random tangents and lines of thinking to eventually get to the good stuff.
• Our expert interviews had a BIG impact on our final destination.

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Day 2

• Group brainstorming was exciting but we started to coalesce around certain specific concepts.
• Individual brainstorming and research let each participant personalize their contribution.
• Sketching 20+ solutions to an idea may seem intimidating (it is). Allow yourself to jump the internal hurdle of thinking every one of your ideas must be winners and just spitball. You'll be surprised at how easily the creativity begins to flow.

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Day 3

• Following the prescribed itinerary, we ended up trying to storyboard our prototype too soon while concurrently brainstorming new ideas to add to the storyboard too late.
• We realized that the way we set our goals and questions for the week that we were on the path to creating a prototype of our playbook. 
• We charged forward into planning for the concept the process had hatched - a platform that could revolutionize the way millions of people could collaborate around societal/problems and solutions and how those solutions could collectively be turned into action.

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Day 4

• Finished up storyboarding & dove into prototyping, using Keynote.
• Divided up the different elements of the simulated platform between each member so they could work to their strengths.
• Time pressure of the impending customer interviews provided necessary urgency to “get r done”

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Day 5…and beyond

• Given our broad “customer base” we opted to conduct interviews virtually rather than in person, which caused a string of unintended consequences and yielded questionable customer feedback.
• To correct for that, and to keep momentum going, we added another day to conduct in person customer engagements where we got better data - both positive and that provided opportunities to improve the prototype.
• We continue to build. In tandem with our other portfolio companies in the works, we left our Sprint Week with an actionable product we're excited to continue pushing through our playbook.

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Lessons learned for other early stage users of the Sprint Week model:

• The duration of your timeline makes a big impact. Be intentional of how long or short you extend the horizon.
• Striking a balance between groupthink and individual creativity requires discipline that the structured timeframe is helpful at combating. 
• Keep your original problem statement, objectives, and goals determined on Day 1 in mind when deciding and voting on elements of team members’ solutions ← this is especially tricky when you’re a young entity and have LOTS of questions you could use solutions to!
• Interviewed customers have no context or expectations as to what you’re intending to provide, so limited functionality within your prototype is okay.
• In the age of virtual and hybrid work, the value of an in-person customer interview experience can’t be beat.

Final Thoughts

GV’s Sprint process is aptly named, and as such, it’s tiring. Expect long of hours with teammates and results your team can’t predict. Try to stay diligent in adherence to the rules, guidelines, and timing of the Sprint, but allow flexibility at points where your team needs it most. When you’re on to something, the natural energy of the excitement of the team will be a tell-tale sign to keep going.

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Throughout our five days, the Hunsicker team bushwacked our way into a stand-alone business that could revolutionize collaboration around societal problems and solutions. Did we expect to come out with that result? Not at all. Yet, as a venture studio dedicated to creating revolutionary companies that benefit all people and increase access across the board, we’re here to defy expectations. Sometimes those expectations are our own.

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If you’re interested in learning more about the Sprint Week process as designed by top thinkers at Google Ventures in greater detail, visit https://www.thesprintbook.com/ to learn more.

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