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Gauntlet for Growth - Design Document (Draft v0.1)

Authors: Gary Sheng, Jack Oremus Date: 2025-04-09 Status: Conceptual / Internal Brainstorming

1. Introduction & Vision​

Problem: The rapid advancement of AI is making product creation easier, shifting the bottleneck increasingly towards effective distribution and growth. Many technically brilliant founders and teams (within the Alpha ecosystem and beyond) lack the necessary skills to scale their ventures.

Vision: To create a world-class, intensive training program – "Gauntlet for Growth" – analogous to Gauntlet AI, designed to forge high-agency individuals into elite "10x Growth Leads". These individuals will possess the mindset, frameworks, and practical skills (especially leveraging AI tools) to drive growth for ventures in the AI era, complementing technical founders and accelerating the entire Alpha ecosystem.

Goal: To establish the premier program globally for developing AI-native growth expertise.

2. Goals & Objectives​

  • Talent Pipeline: Produce ~100 highly effective, high-agency Growth Leads per cohort, capable of immediately adding value.
  • Skill Development: Equip participants with cutting-edge, practical skills in AI-powered marketing, sales, distribution, community building, fundraising, and overall growth strategy.
  • Ecosystem Enhancement: Provide essential growth expertise to Gauntlet AI developers, Alpha School student projects, and Joe Liemandt's portfolio companies.
  • Complement Gauntlet AI: Create the essential "other half" of a lean, effective startup team (Build + Grow).
  • Thought Leadership: Position Alpha/Gauntlet as the leader in defining and training for AI-era growth roles.

3. Target Participants ("Growth Candidates")​

  • Profile: High-agency individuals with a demonstrated drive to build and scale things. Not necessarily experienced marketers, but possess strong intrinsic motivation, learning agility, and potentially strong communication skills. Could come from diverse backgrounds (recent grads, career switchers, early-stage founders).
  • Mindset: Entrepreneurial, resilient, data-informed, obsessed with achieving results and market traction.
  • Cohort Size: ~100 per cohort (initially).

4. Core Program Concepts​

  • Focus: Non-coding skills essential for venture growth in the AI age.
  • AI Integration: Heavy emphasis on using AI tools for market analysis, content generation, campaign optimization, customer interaction, sales processes, etc.
  • Practical Application: Learning through doing; participants tackle real-world growth challenges, potentially including designing and executing creative campaigns for existing ecosystem startups or simulated challenges.
  • Intensity: Modeled after Gauntlet AI – immersive, demanding, results-oriented.
  • Funding Model: Fully funded (stipend + expenses covered), likely sponsored by Joe Liemandt / Alpha / hiring partners.
  • Location: In-person, Austin, TX.
  • Duration: TBD (Estimate: ~2 months).

5. Proposed Structure & Format​

  • Duration: ~2 months (Align with Gauntlet AI?)
  • Location: Austin, TX (Leverage Alpha School / Gauntlet facilities?)
  • Funding: Fully sponsored (Joe/Alpha initially, potentially hiring partners later).
  • Cohort Size: ~100.
  • Curriculum Pillars (Draft):
    • AI-Powered Growth Tools & Stacks
    • Modern Growth Frameworks (PLG, Community-Led, etc.)
    • Sales & Business Development in the AI Era
    • AI-Driven Content & Distribution Strategy
    • Community Building & Network Effects
    • Fundraising & Investor Relations Narrative
    • Practical Application / Capstone: Participants apply learnings to real-world growth problems, potentially designing/executing creative campaigns for ecosystem startups or developing a comprehensive growth plan for a new venture.

6. Key Features & Integration​

  • Guest Speaker Series: Recruit top-tier growth leaders/practitioners (e.g., Nikita Bier) from the Alpha network and beyond. Potentially record sessions for an "Alpha Growth Podcast."
  • Integration w/ Gauntlet AI:
    • Joint mixers/social events.
    • Collaborative workshops or hackathons.
    • Potential for forming Dev + Growth teams for projects/ventures.
  • Recruitment Engine:
    • Leverage Gauntlet AI's referral bonus system.
    • Utilize targeted outreach (e.g., John Alznauer's distribution platform).
    • Build a strong online presence (Twitter, dedicated site) to attract candidates.
  • Career Placement Support: Facilitate connections with companies within the Alpha/Trilogy ecosystem and potentially external partners.

7. Open Questions & Key Decisions (For Brain Lift / Discussion w/ Joe)​

  1. Branding & Ownership:
    • Option A: Operate under Austin Allred's established Gauntlet brand?
      • Pros: Leverages existing brand recognition, operational playbook, recruitment channels.
      • Cons: May dilute Gauntlet focus? Requires Austin's buy-in/bandwidth.
    • Option B: Create a new, distinct program/brand under Alpha/Joe Liemandt?
      • Pros: Clearer alignment with Joe's broader goals? More direct control.
      • Cons: Requires building brand/operations from scratch.
    • Action: This core strategic decision needs to be presented clearly to Joe Liemandt (via Brain Lift).
  2. Curriculum Design: What are the essential, highest-leverage skills and tools to focus on in an ~8-week program? Who designs/delivers this?
  3. Ideal Candidate Profile: How do we best identify raw growth potential vs. just prior marketing experience? What are the key screening criteria/application questions?
  4. Integration Model: What is the optimal level of interaction/collaboration with Gauntlet AI? Should team formation be a core goal?
  5. Guest Speaker Strategy: Who are the top 10 essential speakers? How do we leverage the network to secure them?
  6. Success Metrics: How will we measure the success of the program and its graduates? (Placement rate? Founder success? Ecosystem impact?)
  7. Leadership: Who leads the day-to-day execution of this program? (Jack? A new hire?)

8. Strategic Alignment​

  • Directly addresses Joe Liemandt's focus on Scale (Engineering + Growth = Scale).
  • Solves a critical bottleneck in the Alpha ecosystem: lack of growth/distribution expertise for new ventures.
  • Leverages Alpha/Trilogy infrastructure (legal, financial, network).
  • Creates a valuable talent pipeline.

9. Next Steps (Gary & Jack)​

  1. Draft Brain Lift for Joe: Focus on the core value proposition, need, and the strategic Branding/Ownership options (Section 7.1).
  2. Flesh out Curriculum Outline: Brainstorm specific modules, tools, and potential guest speaker topics.
  3. Develop Recruitment Plan: Detail the application process, key questions, referral strategy, and outreach channels.
  4. Define Success Metrics: Propose initial KPIs for the program's effectiveness.
  5. Identify Potential Lead: Who could realistically run this program day-to-day?

10. Collaboration Notes & Ideas​

  • (Gary's Thoughts): [Add specific points, concerns, or alternative ideas here]
  • (Jack's Thoughts): [Add specific points, concerns, or alternative ideas here]
  • Alternative Structures?: [Consider variations on format, duration, etc.]
  • Potential Risks?: [Brainstorm potential failure modes]