1. Product Poker
Your Action! // Workshop Session
1) Under the gun
You are a startup coming to market with an offering that combines new we technology with a live
community experience. Your launch city has been chosen, logistics are (mostly) online, and the
project remains a secret. Launch is scheduled for a month from now. You hear about a
company doing a similar go­to­market plan and targeting launch in ten days in your target city.
Choose a poker strategy and describe in a sentence: what would you do and why?
2) The street beat
One of your friends is in law school and comes up with an idea for how beat cops can save time
and hassle in their day to day work life. Your friend claims that her boyfriend (a police officer)
loves the idea and thinks it could be the next big thing. You estimate you personally are in a
position to make this product yourself, if you quit your job to work on it.
Choose a poker strategy and describe in a sentence: what would you do and why?

2. 3) Bootstrapper’s dilemma
Congratulations, you and your friends have bootstrapped a company to a point where you can
work on it full time, taking only a minor pay cut as you leave your corporate on­demand taxidermy
gig. You can continue to pursue the niche market where you have found initial fit, or raise venture
capital to go up­market?
Choose a poker strategy and describe in a sentence: what would you do and why?
4) N.A.S.Z.W.G.
You quit college to start a social network and it took over the world. To make as much money as
possible you decide to share your network’s data with online commerce sites, and vice versa.
Doing this will require a drastic amendment to the site’s terms of service, which you expect to
trigger an outcry from consumer rights organizations. Hint: you have an option to make the data
sharing practically invisible to the user.
Choose a poker strategy and describe in a sentence: what would you do and why?

3. 5) The sound of silence
Your revolutionary music app has changed how people access, listen to, share, and pay for their
tunes. Active user numbers are in the tens of millions and paying users comprise around a
quarter of the active user base. Your company is not profitable and has no prospect to be given
● current metrics for consumption rates by user
● current conversion rate from free to paid
● current price you charge
● current ad revenue you collect
● current licensing arrangements with the music publishers
Choose a poker strategy and describe in a sentence: what would you do and why?