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    "title": "Artöm Mazurchak: posts tagged Stanford",
    "_rss_description": "Product notes by Artem Mazurchak: JTBD interviews, customer segmentation, strategy sessions and AI. Founder of Biz-cen.ru and Lashoestring.com, writing from Berlin.",
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    "home_page_url": "https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/?go=tags\/stanford\/",
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    "authors": [
        {
            "name": "Artöm Mazurchak",
            "url": "https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/",
            "avatar": "https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/userpic\/userpic@2x.jpg?1700581632"
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        {
            "id": "99",
            "url": "https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/?go=all\/strategy-session-for-products\/",
            "title": "Strategy Session for Products: Building a 1–5 Year Plan to Hit Goals or Design a New Future",
            "content_html": "<p>Methodologist Georgy Shchedrovitsky developed a way to organize a team’s thinking and actions so it can deliver large, complex projects. I built my strategy session format on these principles. In this article, I explain how the session works and what a company gets at the end.<\/p>\n<h2>Why a strategy session matters — and what happens there<\/h2>\n<p>To work on big projects, you first need to pause and design the future. If you only follow trends, the project may either never happen — or it will happen with major difficulties and not in the form you originally planned.<\/p>\n<p>The reason is simple: we’re <a href=\"https:\/\/mazurchak.com\/?go=all\/the-fourth-revolution-ai-how-do-we-use-past-lessons-why-cant-we\/\">standing at the edge of a new industrial revolution<\/a>. Old rules stop working, and new rules are still being created. The winners are the projects that shape those rules. Strategy sessions are where teams do exactly that.<\/p>\n<p>Most teams are good at day-to-day execution and quick results. But sometimes there is no shared understanding of where the company is going:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>what Point A looks like today and what future the company wants;<\/li>\n<li>what context the company will operate in — and whether it plans to influence it;<\/li>\n<li>what each department must do to reach Point B.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"e2-text-picture\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/departmentx2.jpg\" width=\"2098\" height=\"655\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<div class=\"e2-text-caption\">Here is how one department’s scheme looks: a person plays a specific role inside the department. The department operates in a certain context. Tasks move the department toward it goal.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"e2-text-picture\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/team_schemex2.jpg\" width=\"2098\" height=\"967\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<div class=\"e2-text-caption\">And here’s what teamwork sometimes looks like: each department is on its own, with its own goals and its own way to reach them.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"e2-text-picture\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/unitetheteamx2.jpg\" width=\"2098\" height=\"967\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<div class=\"e2-text-caption\">But it should look different: the team has one shared goal. Everyone moves toward it in sync and understands what is expected from them at any moment. To see this goal clearly, people need to take <i>a reflective position<\/i> — step back and look at their work from the outside.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>So what’s the real difference between these two pictures? In the “right” one, at Point A the team first builds a shared view of:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>the single context of the company;<\/li>\n<li>how departments connect and communicate to each other;<\/li>\n<li>what roles people play inside departments.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Only then does everyone start to shape Point B — and design the context they want to end up in.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2>Planning the future: small company vs. big company<\/h2>\n<p>The approach differs depending on how many resources you have.<\/p>\n<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" class=\"e2-text-table\">\n<tr>\n<td><b>A product with limited resources<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>A product with a lot of resources<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Often follows external trends. Treats the existing context as the “rules of the game” for the next year.<\/td>\n<td>Can hold a position longer and set the context for the whole market. Often builds strategy for 3–5–10 year.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<p><i>Take Elon Musk’s Neuralink: a chip implanted in the head that lets you control a computer with your thoughts. It has been tested on paralyzed people — and it works. It’s possible that in 10, 20, or 30 years many of us will use such chips. <b>Musk is shaping the context we may all live in.<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n<h2>A key step: define Point A metrics through a company funnel<\/h2>\n<p>An important part of the session is to define your current metrics at Point A. The easiest way is a shared company funnel, where each conversion is owned by a specific department. Even if the company has no historical data, you can still assume a funnel to make the goal measurable.<\/p>\n<div class=\"e2-text-picture\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/simple_funnelx2-4.jpg\" width=\"2098\" height=\"621\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<div class=\"e2-text-caption\">Seeing the company as a funnel helps you consistently generate projects that improve conversion at each level. This is a very simplified version — in reality, the funnel is much bigger.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>When the funnel is ready, you can focus on three things:<\/p>\n<p><b>1. Create a list of projects that can significantly improve conversion between stages and key metrics.<\/b> These are not just operational tasks — they are new initiatives. For example: a new client acquisition approach, a new market segment, a new process.<\/p>\n<p>Projects are designed for specific funnel stages. Moving stage by stage, we:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>make sure we covered all key parts of the business, which helps us generate more ideas;<\/li>\n<li>discuss ideas tied to a specific stage, not in general terms;<\/li>\n<li>we’ll rank the projects and focus on the ones most likely to benefit the company.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>2.  Check if the projects are good enough to reach the strategic goal.<\/b> Maybe you need a fundamental shift and must rethink how the system works.<\/p>\n<p><i>Example: when I built an office rental service, we started with an ad-based model. At some point, we realized it couldn’t scale results fast enough. We created a new approach that didn’t exist in the market: we began closing brokerage deals remotely. The company increased revenue 5x in two years.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>3. Define success metrics.<\/b> Founders might name top-level numbers — revenue, market share, etc. Then the team builds the funnel from the bottom up and clarifies how each department will move toward the goal.<\/p>\n<div class=\"e2-text-picture\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/planningx2-1.jpg\" width=\"2098\" height=\"878\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<div class=\"e2-text-caption\">Only after the ideal outcome is defined can we move on to a real plan and concrete steps. It answers one question: “What exactly do we need to do to get to point B?”<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>How Shchedrovitsky’s approach turns strategy into results<\/h2>\n<p>The approach fits into four steps.<\/p>\n<h3>Step 0. Build a map for a new project<\/h3>\n<p>If you already found your market, go to the next step. But if you’re planning a big, long project (3–5 years), first map it and answer key questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>What future does the organization want to live in, and how do you see it?<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Can the organization design that future?<\/b><\/li>\n<li>How does the organization act, and what is its role?<\/li>\n<li>How does the organization deliver value — what problem does it solve?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Step 1. Think of your project as a funnel<\/h3>\n<p>Map the business as a funnel, align on one North Star Metric so everyone shares a clear view of what matters most.<\/p>\n<h3>Step 2. Each department prepares in advance<\/h3>\n<p>Each department:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>describes the context, object, and role of key people in deparment;<\/li>\n<li>fills in Point A data for its part of the funnel;<\/li>\n<li>prepares a plan with obvious solutions to save time during group discussion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Step 3. Run a shared meeting<\/h3>\n<p>First you set the overall frame for the session. Then each department presents its Point A and Point B.<\/p>\n<p>Then the team describes the projects at a high level so everyone understands their purpose and value in the same way. At this stage, we don’t go into details, so we don’t spend too much time discussing one idea. <b>During other teams’ presentations, people add important facts and clarifications, and if you already have a working business model, this kind of discussion usually takes about 95% of the whole strategy session. If you’re just starting out, you’ll spend more time defining point B.<\/b><\/p>\n<div class=\"e2-text-picture\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/projectsx2.jpg\" width=\"2098\" height=\"878\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<div class=\"e2-text-caption\">In the end, you get a table of potential projects for each department.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Six principles and a quick glossary<\/h2>\n<p>Before we go into each principle, let’s align on terms.<\/p>\n<p><i>Imagine a factory line. Today it is assembled as-is — that’s Point A. In a year, it should run faster and more stable — that’s Point B. Each machine has an input, output, and a handover point. If you mix up operations, the line stops. If you set the handover and order correctly, speed and quality grow.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Teams work the same way: we take work from neighbors, do our part, hand it over — and we can see where effect is lost on the path from Point A to Point B. Sometimes you just need better handover discipline. Sometimes you need to rebuild part of the “line” so the move to Point B can really start.<\/p>\n<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" class=\"e2-text-table\">\n<tr>\n<td><b>Term<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Definition<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Example<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Points A and B<\/td>\n<td>A is the current state; B is the desired state.<\/td>\n<td>Average client launch time is 120 days (A). Target is 90 (B). The team forecasts, rebuilds the process, and agrees on cross-team projects to hit the goal.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Context<\/td>\n<td>The situation in which the company’s activity unfolds.<\/td>\n<td>Sales and marketing saw the situation differently. After discussing the shared context, they built a fuller picture of where the company stands and how to use trends.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Person<\/td>\n<td>A person’s role inside the organization, visible as a network of connections in real work.<\/td>\n<td>The marketing head could invent and test new acquisition methods, but had no time because of operations. After defining their Point A and Point B, the team created a project to reorganize that person’s work.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Reflective position<\/td>\n<td>An “above the action” position: stepping out of your role, context and organisation.<\/td>\n<td>Marketing takes traffic and outputs qualified leads → sales takes leads and outputs a service package → the client starts using the product.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Action position<\/td>\n<td>Participants come ready to take responsibility for execution, not just dream or complain.<\/td>\n<td>“Let’s build an AI support bot: it can solve 60% of tasks while keeping NPS as high as with humans support. I know how to start.”<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Self-movement<\/td>\n<td>Internal activity and motion of a system or person. Management is only possible when there is self-movement.<\/td>\n<td>Anton is interested in AI and product and has suggested ideas. He may be ready to lead a project that matches his interests.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Management<\/td>\n<td>Influencing a moving object by using its own movement to reach the organization’s goal.<\/td>\n<td>We choose a project and check it supports the goal. Knowing the trajectory of self-movement, we adjust course so the project doesn’t drift away.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Work assembly<\/td>\n<td>How scattered tasks become one flow from request to result.<\/td>\n<td>Request → qualification → demo → proposal → contract → launch, with named owners.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Schematization<\/td>\n<td>Putting the situation on a board as a scheme. It helps build a shared language: key elements, connections, and how the scheme links to the goal.<\/td>\n<td>The goal was higher margins. When the acquisition system was mapped, it became clear current channels can’t deliver clients at the needed cost. The team invented a new acquisition method.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Organization \/ object<\/td>\n<td>Describing how elements are assembled into a whole and what connections bind them.<\/td>\n<td>In sales, a Business Developer did partners + closing + client support. Two problems: losing clients when BD quits; hard to measure BD efficiency. After analysis, the team split roles: SDR (attraction), BD (signing), Accounting (relationship growth).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Owner<\/td>\n<td>The person accountable for a specific area and its metric.<\/td>\n<td>Sales lead owns qualification.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<h2>Principle 1. The future isn’t something that happens — it’s made from the position you choose to take<\/h2>\n<p><b>Core idea. <\/b>You don’t need to guess the future — you can build it. To do that, you take and hold a position to “pull” the market into the reality you want (think Nike and sports culture, or Amazon and one-day delivery). The team chooses Point B and acts instead of chasing trends. This matters even more in the AI era, where new norms are still being set — and the future belongs to those who set them.<\/p>\n<p><b>Business questions it answers<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What position do we hold so the desired future becomes real?<\/li>\n<li>What external conditions can we use to our advantage?<\/li>\n<li>What opportunities and projects must we create to “bring” the future closer?<\/li>\n<li>What should we refuse to avoid chasing hype?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>How it works in the session<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fix Point A and construct Point B.<\/li>\n<li>Map key elements of the future reality: the company’s core purpose, the rules of the game, critical assumptions.<\/li>\n<li>Turn the position into strategic “yes\/no” choices and a set of key projects.<\/li>\n<li>Align departments into one movement toward Point B.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Impact<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The team stops chasing trends and starts setting new rules in its niche.<\/li>\n<li>Functions align into one trajectory, reducing waste.<\/li>\n<li>Focused action speeds up results.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Principle 2. Reflection is a position “above” action<\/h2>\n<p><b>Core idea.<\/b> Stepping above operations lets you see the activity map, the gaps between Point A actions and Point B goals — and then build a focused plan.<\/p>\n<p><b>Business questions<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Are we doing the wrong things right now? What is truly priority?<\/li>\n<li>Which processes and projects are “weeds” that must be removed?<\/li>\n<li>Which market signals matter — and what should we ignore to stay on course?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>How it works<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Set the time horizon: how far ahead you plan.<\/li>\n<li>Look at the company across organization, people, and context. Fix Points A and B across these layers.<\/li>\n<li>Identify gaps and form projects needed to close them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Impact<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Better prioritization, less operational noise.<\/li>\n<li>Less wasted time and money; the Point B vector stays clear.<\/li>\n<li>Plans become concrete and doable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Principle 3. You can manage only what is already moving<\/h2>\n<p><b>Core idea. <\/b>Any project is based on self-movement. Management is trajectory correction — you can’t manage something static. In the session, we look at how departments and leaders actually move: where initiatives go, what motives drive them, and where movement needs adjustment.<\/p>\n<div class=\"e2-text-picture\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/guidingx2.jpg\" width=\"2098\" height=\"598\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<div class=\"e2-text-caption\">Management is only possible when something is moving—only then can we correct its direction.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><b>Business questions<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Where is the self-movement of each department and key person directed?<\/li>\n<li>Which projects steer that movement — and do they lead to company goals?<\/li>\n<li>What must be tuned or replaced so movement goes the right way?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>How it works<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Analyze current and desired positions, review ongoing initiatives, plan new ones.<\/li>\n<li>Build projects that set the right direction frame.<\/li>\n<li>Agree what self-movement matches Point B, and what must change.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Impact<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You find inertia and “dead zones” faster and focus efforts where there is real traction.<\/li>\n<li>Teams become more proactive and autonomous.<\/li>\n<li>If a department’s trajectory conflicts with Point B, it becomes clear where adjustments are needed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Principle 4. Schematization moves the situation to the board — so reality becomes clear.<\/h2>\n<p><b>Core idea.<\/b> A shared picture is born on a scheme. A scheme forces you to be precise and fix the essence without long speeches. That reduces misinterpretation and speeds up alignment.<\/p>\n<p><b>Business questions<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What is the company’s core position — and what reality are we building on purpose?<br \/>\n<i>– Where is it a task (solvable inside the current structure) vs. a problem (needs structural change)?<\/i><\/li>\n<li>If we can describe Point B, why aren’t we there yet?<\/li>\n<li>Which dependencies between functions are critical? What must be rebuilt from scratch?<\/li>\n<li>How do we measure success, and what are the decision boundaries and rules?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>How it works<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Put the situation on the board: objects, connections, forces, shared terms.<\/li>\n<li>Add rules, constraints, critical assumptions; mark disputed areas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Impact<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>One shared meaning and “rules of the game,” fewer conflicts.<\/li>\n<li>Faster decisions, cheaper coordination.<\/li>\n<li>Clearer prioritization: resources go to key elements, not noise.<\/li>\n<li>Less rework: the scheme becomes a reference for process and communication design.<\/li>\n<li>More stability in turbulence: the scheme is an anchor for adjustments.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Principle 5. View the situation in layers — context, organization, person<\/h2>\n<p><b>Core idea. <\/b>A situation has multiple layers. To manage it, you must see context, the organization’s structure, and real people with their self-movement — and connect these layers to one goal.<\/p>\n<p><b>Business questions<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Which contextual limits and opportunities define the playing field?<\/li>\n<li>How are processes, roles, and resources built — and do they match Point B?<\/li>\n<li>Where do gaps between layers appear?<\/li>\n<li>Which changes in one layer will create the biggest effect in others?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>How it works<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>For each department, create a 3-column table: Points A and B for context, organization, person.<\/li>\n<li>Identify gaps and causes; mark contradictions and hidden assumptions.<\/li>\n<li>Form projects that stitch layers together (rules, processes, roles, incentives). Decide what must be rebuilt from scratch.<\/li>\n<li>Set local KPIs\/OKR per layer and cross-layer metrics (funnel conversions).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Impact<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Better cross-functional initiatives, because teams understand each other through joint discussion.<\/li>\n<li>Stronger ownership of goals: people see their impact on the whole.<\/li>\n<li>Faster root-cause discovery (not just symptoms).<\/li>\n<li>Management becomes systemic, not firefighting.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Principle 6. Company activity exists on four levels: operations, projects, programs, ideas<\/h2>\n<p><b>Core idea.<\/b> Any activity stands on the level of ideas. Ideas define what we do, why, and why it matters. Major results and key changes are not achieved at the operational level. So in a strategy session, we work at least at the project level — ideally at the program level.<\/p>\n<p><b>Business questions<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>At what level are we solving the problem now — and why are we stuck there?<\/li>\n<li>What must move from operations to project or program level to create a breakthrough?<\/li>\n<li>Where do we lack ideas or a conceptual frame for meaningful decisions?<\/li>\n<li>How do we measure progress and effect at each level — alone and together?<\/li>\n<li>Which decisions fail because levels are mixed up, and how do we fix it?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>How it works<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Introduce shared terminology for levels and label all initiatives.<\/li>\n<li>Review the portfolio: mark the current and target level for each initiative.<\/li>\n<li>Identify program tracks for 6–18 months with owners and shared metrics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Impact<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Operations stop eating strategy; focus stays on what matters.<\/li>\n<li>Nonlinear shifts appear through program effects and capability building.<\/li>\n<li>A shared mission and strategic narrative form.<\/li>\n<li>Resource planning improves across time horizons and decision levels.<\/li>\n<li>The organization learns faster: good solutions become standardized and scaled.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How the strategy session runs<\/h2>\n<h3>Before the session: departments prepare materials<\/h3>\n<p>Each department creates a presentation where it:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>describes its activity;<\/li>\n<li>explains its part of the funnel;<\/li>\n<li>shows which projects were done and how they changed the funnel.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For companies launching a new project with a long planning horizon, the main goal at this stage is to agree what will be done at all. Only then does it make sense to discuss preparation in detail.<\/p>\n<h3>During the session: two offline days<\/h3>\n<p>Early start. One big wall for schemes and flipcharts. A screen for presentations. We work in blocks with short pauses to process.<\/p>\n<p><b>Day 1: <\/b>build a shared picture. Each department shows Point A, Point B, and its plan. Other teams add their understanding and propose projects.<\/p>\n<p><b>Day 2:<\/b> continue presentations and project discussion. At the end, we summarize: everyone can share impressions and highlight projects they believe are strategically critical.<\/p>\n<h3>After the session: build an open backlog and align plans<\/h3>\n<p>Each department builds an open backlog and prioritizes projects. Then there is a setup meeting: each team presents its plan for the next quarter and the projects it will deliver.<\/p>\n<p>After the quarter ends, you run another meeting to review the results:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>check how the department’s funnel metrics changed;<\/li>\n<li>see blockers and delivery speed for each department;<\/li>\n<li>if new projects appeared during the quarter, assign priorities and, if needed, take them into work;<\/li>\n<li>each department builds the next quarter plan.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>What you will have after the session<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A single movement map: how it is now → how it should be.<\/li>\n<li>A target scheme of how the company should be structured.<\/li>\n<li>One prioritized list of tasks with owners and metrics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How I can help your team<\/h2>\n<p>For the past several years, I’ve been systematically studying the work of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Idealized-Design-Dissolve-Tomorrows-paperback\/dp\/0137071116?sr=8-9\">Russell Ackoff<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.litres.ru\/book\/georgiy-schedrovicki\/orgupravlencheskoe-myshlenie-ideologiya-metodologiya-6606999\/\">Georgy Shchedrovitsky<\/a>. I earned an MBA and studied at Stanford and Berkeley. I’ve been applying this foundation in practice for the last seven years, facilitating strategic sessions for both B2B and B2C projects. A typical group ranges from five to forty participants.<\/p>\n<p>If the approach described in the article resonates with you, you can run a strategy session on your own—this page includes everything you need. If you’d like support, I’m ready to guide you step by step.<\/p>\n",
            "summary": "Methodologist Georgy Shchedrovitsky developed a way to organize a team’s thinking and actions so it can deliver large, complex projects",
            "date_published": "2025-12-17T17:09:10+02:00",
            "date_modified": "2026-02-15T06:55:15+02:00",
            "tags": [
                "Berkley",
                "entrepreneurship",
                "leadership",
                "product",
                "Stanford",
                "strategy",
                "Strategy Session",
                "systems"
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            "id": "90",
            "url": "https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/?go=all\/the-us-module-ny-san-francisco-berkeley-stanford-nasa\/",
            "title": "The US Module: NY, San Francisco, Berkeley, Stanford, NASA",
            "content_html": "<p>The official name of the module is “Understanding Entrepreneurship and Innovation.” For me, it’s not about the academic content but about the experience. This is my first time in the US. Before the program started, I spent a few days in New York → then flew to San Francisco → the main program took place in Berkeley → we visited Facebook and Bagaveev, plus the Computer History Museum → then Stanford → and finally 42 Silicon Valley.<\/p>\n<div class=\"e2-text-picture\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/USA.jpg\" width=\"634\" height=\"320\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<h2>New York<\/h2>\n<p>NY felt like a giant, overgrown Ford factory – industrial, functional, loud and hot. I definitely had unrealistic expectations about the city. The marketing worked, but the reality turned out to be way more down-to-earth.<\/p>\n<p>The best way to sum up my impression of the city is with this moment: one day, I headed over to the skyscrapers in Manhattan, planning to live out my own little Suits scene, grabbing a hot dog from one of the many street carts around the area. That hot dog tasted like it was made out of paper. Pretty sure I could still read the Financial Times headline printed on the sausage. Later, I found out that only the wide shots for the show were actually filmed in New York, the rest was shot in Toronto. Way cheaper.<\/p>\n<p>The subway in NY is terrible: tasteless, dirty and in hot weather it turns into a steam room, though the train cars have AC. There’s a reason for that:<\/p>\n<p>On the subway doors, they don’t just say “do not lean” but also “don’t hold the doors.” Some train cars are fully taken over by a single advertiser. Like, the whole car might be decked out in ads for a cleaning service.<\/p>\n<p>A few things I noticed:<br \/>\n— The Museum of Modern Art was a surprise: when you check your stuff, you scan your ticket and enter your phone number. When you’re picking it up, you just enter your number again and your item rolls out to you automatically from deep inside the coat check. Then a staff member hands it to you.<br \/>\n— You can actually spot eagles in Central Park. Also, joggers stick to the paved paths, even though there are great sandy trails just a few steps away.<br \/>\n— Head out toward New Jersey and it feels like Russia – piles of old machinery, fields and rows of construction trailers.<br \/>\n— Fifth Avenue is made of big concrete slabs that don’t quite line up evenly.<\/p>\n<p>Highly recommend:<br \/>\n<b>One.<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/goo.gl\/maps\/W23rGBvYXE62\">Elizabeth Street Garden<\/a> in Lower Manhattan that’s full of statues. You can grab something to-go from one of the nearby restaurants and sit on one of the folding chairs scattered around. This spot was much closer to what I imagined New York would be like. It has that historic, storybook feel like something out of The Goldfinch.<\/p>\n<div class=\"e2-text-picture\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7017.JPG\" width=\"2560\" height=\"800.02236198463\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<p><b>Two.<\/b> The immersive theater experience<a href=\"https:\/\/mckittrickhotel.com\/sleep-no-more\/\"> Sleeping no More<\/a> – there’s no linear plot, you’re free to wander through the dimly lit, multi-level set at your own pace. Actors appear out of nowhere and small crowds gather around as scenes unfold: dancing, childbirth, nude bathing, someone burying objects in sand. You can help an actor pack a box or just stand back and watch it all happen. That day I’d already walked 35 kilometers around the city and was exhausted. So when the action in one of the rooms started repeating, I genuinely wondered for a second if I was dreaming.<\/p>\n<div class=\"e2-text-picture\">\n<div class=\"fotorama\" data-width=\"2560\" data-ratio=\"0.75\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_6902-(1)_1.JPG\" width=\"2560\" height=\"3413.3333333333\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_6900-(2).JPG\" width=\"2560\" height=\"3413.3333333333\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"e2-text-caption\">Subway street art<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>New York ✈ San Francisco<\/h2>\n<p>Here comes a story that’s really important to me about responsibility and setting goals.<\/p>\n<p>My flight was at 7:00 PM on Saturday. When I got to the airport, I found out it was canceled because of the weather. The help desk line was barely moving as lots of flights had been canceled. I called the airline and found out there were no direct flights to SF left, but I could get there through LA. I said “okay,” rebooked for a 10:30 PM flight, checked my bag and went through security.<\/p>\n<p>At 10:15 PM they announced that the flight to LA was canceled too. I call support again and find out my only chance to fly out that night is to get on the standby list for a midnight flight. Standby means you’re basically hoping someone who bought a ticket doesn’t show up and if there’s a free seat, you might get it. I head to the gate and see I’m number 31 on the list. Oooookay. The girl #8 tries to bend the rules and cut ahead, her sister’s getting married the next morning. The system doesn’t care. In the end, one Asian guy gets on the flight. The crowd silently wishes him luck. And that’s it. No flights after midnight, that’s the rule. A line about 200 meters long forms at the help desk. I grab a coffee.<\/p>\n<p>The support says the next available flight to SF is Tuesday evening, three days from now. To find out where my bag is, I have to talk to someone at the info desk. I remember there’s one near the airport entrance, so I head over. The line is about 50 meters long and barely moving. At 3 AM I finally found my bag’s already in SF. And there are no even layover tickets left. They say I can try standby. Flights to SF start leaving every hour from 6 AM. But there are already 52 people for the 6 AM flight on the standby list. I’d be number 3 for 7 AM. I put my name down for that one.<\/p>\n<p>I showed up for the 7 AM standby flight, now I’m fifth on the list. Turns out the airline also overbooked the flight, selling more tickets than there were seats. Everyone who was on the 6 AM standby list and didn’t get on the plane gets automatically added behind me, now there are around 60 people in line. I don’t get on the 7 AM flight. At this point, there’s not much sense in trying more standby flights. Hmm.<\/p>\n<p>I start calling the support every 10 minutes, just hoping someone cancels their ticket. On one of those calls the agent says a seat just opened up on a *<b>direct<\/b> flight to SF at 9 AM. Cheers – Off to SF!<\/p>\n<div class=\"e2-text-picture\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/camphoto_1254324197.jpg\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1754.8387096774\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<div class=\"e2-text-caption\">The precious ticket<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><b>Conclusion:<\/b><\/p>\n<ol start=\"1\">\n<li>Take responsibility → feel calm.<br \/>\nI was alone in a city I didn’t know. Whether I got to SF or not was completely on me and somehow that felt calming. There were tons of things I couldn’t control, but I could focus on what I could do. No guarantees, just staying present and doing my part.<\/li>\n<li>When you know exactly what you want → you get it with minimal effort.<br \/>\nI had one clear goal: get from NY to SF as soon as possible. I didn’t waste time wondering, “Should I go to LA instead? Maybe I should just stay in NY and see Jack White concert? What if I rented a car and drove to SF?” No, I knew the goal. And from that calm place, I just kept trying one solution after another. That way I wasn’t wasting energy on pointless thoughts. It was easy to see if what I was doing was actually getting me closer to the goal or not.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>San Francisco<\/h2>\n<p>The group met at Hack Temple, Pavel Cherkashin’s space – a restored Catholic church used for tech events. I was late and missed Pavel’s talk and the presentations from his accelerator, the projects were crypto-related. By the time I arrived, everyone had already been split into teams of eight and given routes with marked spots on the map across San Francisco, where “stashes” with money were hidden, a game format to explore the city.<\/p>\n<div class=\"e2-text-picture\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7138-(1).JPG\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<div class=\"e2-text-caption\">The interior of Hack Temple<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>San Francisco is a vibe. Hilly streets, lots of small two\/three-story houses, tons of homeless people, graffiti-covered walls, grassy spots where you can just lie down, addicts getting high right on the sidewalks, sudden fog rolling in, wind so strong it nearly knocks you over, wooden piers, packed restaurants with old-school waiters. It’s messy, diverse and interesting.<\/p>\n<p>That evening we moved to Berkeley, the five of us had rented a house there. Definitely the right call. Our late-night conversations on the cozy back terrace turned out to be one of the most meaningful parts of the whole trip.<\/p>\n<h2>Berkeley<\/h2>\n<p>The “Understanding Entrepreneurship and Innovation” course was taught by <a href=\"https:\/\/jeromeengel.com\/\">Jerome S Engel<\/a> – a longtime professor at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. He graduated from Wharton, worked at E&Y, became a VC, then started getting invited to join boards. Eventually, he ended up teaching. Here are a few things from the course that stood out:<\/p>\n<p>— The US pension system holds around $200 billion and a third is in bonds that yield just 2–3%. But to support an aging population, they need at least 8% growth. That’s why a lot of “pension money” flows into the Silicon Valley ecosystem.<\/p>\n<p>— The professor asked if there were any entrepreneurs in the room. When a few people raised their hands, he told them, “No, you’re not.” Real entrepreneurs are out there building something, not sitting in a classroom.<\/p>\n<p>— Silicon Valley is an innovation cluster because it brings together all the key ingredients: entrepreneurs, VCs, big corporations and universities.<\/p>\n<div class=\"e2-text-picture\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/ohota.jpg\" width=\"634\" height=\"320\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<div class=\"e2-text-caption\">Startups are always looking for ideas that can scale exponentially.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>— Entrepreneurship in the Valley means chasing opportunities regardless of how much resources they have.<\/p>\n<p>— The difference between managers and entrepreneurs: managers are ready to act when they have the resources, entrepreneurs are ready to act when they see an opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>— Small innovations allow for steady progress and it’s a painless process. But real, disruptive innovation is painful. That’s why big companies often struggle with it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"e2-text-picture\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/differincies.jpg\" width=\"634\" height=\"320\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<div class=\"e2-text-caption\">Startups and big companies see the world through completely different lenses.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>— At the Seed stage investors don’t want to take 50%, because that would kill the founders’ motivation.<\/p>\n<p>— 75% of VCs will say the team is the most important thing. Only about 1% will say it’s the market.<\/p>\n<p>— When investing, they usually form a five-person board. The fifth seat goes to an “independent” member — someone proposed either by the founders or the investors (more often by the investors). This “independent” board member is expected to coach the company’s CEO.<\/p>\n<p>— As soon as a founder or CEO raises their first round, their job is to start looking for the next one.<\/p>\n<p>— When a huge investment comes in (over $50 million) the management team usually gets replaced. They need people who’ve worked with big money before.<\/p>\n<p>— Preferred Stock gets converted to Common Stock before an IPO, so new investors can clearly understand the risks. Otherwise, early investors might have different rights in case the company is liquidated. The IPO is more likely to succeed if everything is transparent for new shareholders.<\/p>\n<div class=\"e2-text-picture\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/series.jpg\" width=\"634\" height=\"469\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<div class=\"e2-text-caption\">Startup stages and different funding rounds<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Berkeley is full of classic one-story American houses with walls about as thick as your finger. Pretty much everything in town revolves around the campus and the main hotspot is probably the university merch shops.<\/p>\n<div class=\"e2-text-picture\">\n<div class=\"fotorama\" data-width=\"2560\" data-ratio=\"1.3333333333333\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7147.JPG\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/_DSC1585.jpg\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707.3636920564\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/_DSC1177.jpg\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707.3636920564\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/_DSC1157.jpg\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707.3636920564\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7232.JPG\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7176.JPG\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7175.JPG\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7174.JPG\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/camphoto_1903590565.jpg\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/_DSC1518.jpg\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707.3636920564\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"e2-text-caption\">The lecture hall, the campus and the surrounding area<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>NASA’s Ames Research Center<\/h2>\n<p>For the next few days, we stayed in a closed NASA town. You could only get in with an official invite and it was patrolled day and night by its own police car. Besides us, only a few other rooms in the hotel buildings were taken. Bonus: tons of chipmunks, hares and turkeys the size of bulldogs. No clue how Skolkovo pulled this off. But being in that closed-off place brought the group even closer. We stayed up talking until sunrise.<\/p>\n<div class=\"e2-text-picture\">\n<div class=\"fotorama\" data-width=\"2560\" data-ratio=\"1.3333333333333\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7575.JPG\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7561.JPG\" width=\"2560\" height=\"3413.3333333333\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7567.JPG\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7285.JPG\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7556.JPG\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"e2-text-caption\">NASA campus<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Stanford<\/h2>\n<p>At Stanford, we had a Design Thinking workshop, the method was actually developed right there. It was led by archaeology professor Michael Shanks, who’s part of Stanford’s Design Research center. The guy shouldn’t be allowed to teach, he’s way too good. He was so engaging and theatrical that I missed part of the actual material. I was completely caught up in his style.<\/p>\n<p>The content of the course was similar to our <a href=\"http:\/\/mazurchak.com\/all\/modul-po-marketingu\/\">marketing module<\/a>. The core idea behind the method is that when developing a product or service, you start with the user’s problem. You work through usage scenarios and dive deep into the user’s context.<\/p>\n<p>During the workshop, we split into teams and worked on a product concept around “Future Mobility.” We clearly defined the customer’s pain point → brainstormed possible solutions → built a prototype → and pitched it to a panel.<\/p>\n<p>There’s a calm, academic vibe that you can feel all across the campus.<\/p>\n<div class=\"e2-text-picture\">\n<div class=\"fotorama\" data-width=\"2560\" data-ratio=\"1.3333333333333\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7459.JPG\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7502.jpg\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7511.jpg\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7430.jpg\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7432.jpg\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7435.jpg\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7465.jpg\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7482.jpg\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7485.jpg\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"e2-text-caption\">The lecture hall and the area around the university<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Bagaveev corporation, Facebook, Computer History Museum, 42 Silicon Valley<\/h2>\n<p>One day, we visited <a href=\"http:\/\/bagaveev.com\/\">Bagaveev corporation<\/a> and met with the CEO, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nadir.bagaveyev\">Nadir Bagaveyev<\/a>. The company is working on building a rocket with an engine that’s 3D-printed. It’s a small team of five people, and they’ve been working on the project for four years now. They plan to present the final product in year six. Their rockets are designed to help launch small satellites into orbit. The hangar where all the development happens looks more like a giant garage.<\/p>\n<p>In my naive view, I imagined Silicon Valley entrepreneurs as people who give up everything for their idea, working around the clock, burning themselves out in the process. But Nadir turned out to be a real, open person with healthy hobbies. In his free time, he built a car that drives on water (using <a href=\"https:\/\/ru.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/%D0%90%D0%BA%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BF%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5\">hydroplaning principles<\/a> ) and even a prototype of a flying motorcycle.<\/p>\n<div class=\"e2-text-picture\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7315.JPG\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<div class=\"e2-text-caption\">A water-driving vehicle<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"e2-text-picture\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7314.JPG\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<div class=\"e2-text-caption\">A flying motorcycle prototype<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"e2-text-picture\">\n<div class=\"fotorama\" data-width=\"2560\" data-ratio=\"1.3333333333333\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7324.JPG\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7325.JPG\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7326.JPG\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"e2-text-caption\">A vial with microorganisms that could be sent to another planet<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Now their company is raising a new round of funding. I asked him why they don’t just double the investment and try to finish the project in five years instead of six. He said, “This is the pace I’m comfortable working at. If investors don’t like that speed, I can’t work with them.” Wise and confident.<\/p>\n<p>Facebook is like a city within a city. You could probably live at the office, free food from all around the world, coffee, fitness classes, health insurance. The Computer History Museum is pretty boring. If you can skip it, don’t waste your time.<\/p>\n<p>On the last day, we visited <a href=\"https:\/\/www.42.us.org\/\">42 Silicon Valley<\/a> – a private, nonprofit organization with a large campus offering programming courses, like 12-month programs. All classes and housing on campus are free if you pass the competitive admission process. Their teaching method is project-based and very peer-to-peer. At the campus, we met some Russian students working on a project called “growing bricks” – a special kind of mushroom that can be used as bricks once they mature.<\/p>\n<div class=\"e2-text-picture\">\n<div class=\"fotorama\" data-width=\"2560\" data-ratio=\"1.3333333333333\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7528.JPG\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7540.JPG\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.mazurchak.com\/pictures\/IMG_7534.JPG\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"e2-text-caption\">The interior of 42 Silicon Valley<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><b>Conclusion:<\/b> I’d give the module 9.5 out of 10. What’s awesome: After getting a taste of Stanford and Berkeley, I can say the professors at Skolkovo are top-notch. It’s not just marketing when they say the modular program lets them bring the best professors from other universities right to the Moscow campus. What could be better: The content’s value could be higher. For example, dedicating a whole day to a deep dive on the Term Sheet instead of just a few hours would be great. I’d also love to visit more companies in the Valley and talk to real entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n<p>For me, this module was a turning point in my whole education. I came back inspired and maybe now the separate pieces of my learning are starting to come together into a clear picture.<\/p>\n",
            "summary": "The official name of the module is “Understanding Entrepreneurship and Innovation.” For me, it’s not about the academic content but about the experience...",
            "date_published": "2018-09-23T17:07:12+02:00",
            "date_modified": "2026-02-14T14:16:29+02:00",
            "tags": [
                "Berkley",
                "NASA",
                "siliconvalley",
                "skolkovo",
                "Stanford",
                "USA"
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