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| In their recent merger announcement, AT&T and SBC astutely observed that there are two ways of changing the world - invention and operation -
but that rarely do the two come together in one company. Nowhere is this dichotomy more apparent than in R&D-driven technology
startups, where the dynamics of developing and implementing the first release of a viable new platform often clash with
the requirements for operating a successful, delivery-driven company.
1dot0 was formed to directly address this issue,
explicitly recognizing a split between invention and operation and focusing solely on the invention phase. Our company's name, "1dot0", refers
to the initial release of a new technology product - the 1.0 release - which is our target. |
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| 1dot0 is a new kind of technology startup - one in which the express focus is on invention
and creation, not ongoing operations. We believe that these two goals require differing cultures, organizational structures and styles,
and that our strengths and interests lie in the more entrepreneurial early stages of product development. Our goal is not to create a
single, vertical, value-adding entity and then to operate that entity for maximum profit, but rather to create an "intellectual capital
machine" that repeatedly produces new value-adding entities to be spun out into stand-alone businesses. Rather than focusing on a single
vertical business, 1dot0 will focus on a single phase of the value creation process. |
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| 1dot0 will work on four to five new products each year, bringing these products from conception
and business plan through initial production release. Once any of the products is market ready and delivered to the initial customers, the
product will be spun out into a stand-alone business with separate professional management for continuing sales, development and operation. |
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| Our strategy requires that we focus on two straightforward (though by no means simple) tasks: developing a reliable, steady
stream of marketable concepts; and managing a focused delivery effort against those concepts. We believe that we have developed a worthwhile
concept and program and that we have the talent and focus to see it through. |
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| Our products will meet several significant, common requirements. |
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- First, each product that we create will have a targeted time to market of less than 18 months for its initial release. This
requirement forces us to focus on deliverable concepts, and more importantly, demands that we focus on concepts with sufficient
market potential where a first release can be substantially viable.
- Second, where appropriate, each product will be partially funded (and pre-sold) through investment by individuals and businesses
identified as potential customers. For all but retail-oriented products, this requirement forces us to ensure likely market acceptance
early in the product lifecycle, avoiding the pitfall of development for development's sake.
- Third, each product will have target revenue in excess of 100x the initial development costs. This requirement forces us
into areas where we can recognize a significant return on investment while simultaneously providing more than adequate upside
for downstream investors and operations.
- Finally, each product's first release can be built by a relatively small team of fewer than a dozen engineers, allowing us to
focus on the core value add of our product set and ensuring that the company remains at a nimble and manageable size.
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| Our current list of intended products spans a wide range of markets and industries, including consumer-oriented, internet-delivered
services and high-end commercial enterprise applications. In each case we believe that the intended market is either not served or substantially underserved,
and that our team has either a unique insight or skill set that should drive the success of the product and thus the company. |
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| 1dot0 differs from traditional "incubators" in that we are providing neither resources for
outside entrepreneurs nor development services for outside product ideas or businesses. The
1dot0 products are
the creations of the 1dot0 team. |
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