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ID:
2025-04-09-gauntlet-for-growth-brainstorm
Participants:

Meeting Summary: Gauntlet for Growth Brainstorm

Overview​

Gary Sheng and Jack Oremus held a brainstorming session to flesh out the concept of a "Gauntlet for Growth" program, analogous to the Gauntlet AI developer program but focused on non-coding skills essential for scaling ventures within the Alpha ecosystem and beyond.

Key Concepts & Rationale​

  • Need: Address the gap in growth/distribution skills observed in technically focused students/founders (both Alpha students and Gauntlet devs). Many struggle with building personal brands or effective go-to-market strategies.
  • Scope ("Growth"): Encompasses marketing, sales, distribution, investor relations, partnerships – essentially all non-coding activities required for a venture to exist and scale.
  • Goal: Train ~100 high-agency individuals per cohort to become "10x marketers" (or "growth leads") in the AI age, capable of complementing technical founders.
  • Value Proposition: Offer fully-funded, intensive training on cutting-edge growth tools and strategies in Austin.
  • Alignment with Joe Liemandt: Leverages Joe's focus on scale (engineering + growth = scale) and his history of investing heavily in talent development ($5M+ for Gauntlet AI).

Structure & Implementation Ideas​

  • Program Model: Intensive, potentially 2-month, expenses-paid program in Austin.
  • Leadership/Branding: Debate whether it should be under Austin Allred's Gauntlet brand (leveraging existing playbook/brand recognition) or a new entity owned by Joe/Alpha. Recommendation to present options to Joe via a Brain Lift.
  • Integration with Gauntlet Dev: Potential for mixers, joint projects, or forming two-person (Dev + Growth) startup teams.
  • Recruitment: Use referral incentives (similar to Gauntlet AI) and targeted outreach (potentially via John Alznauer's platform) to find high-potential candidates.
  • Curriculum/Content: Leverage guest speakers (e.g., top marketers like Nikita Bier) drawn from the Alpha network, potentially recording sessions for an "Alpha Growth" podcast. Focus on practical application and best practices.
  • Internal Application: Graduates could be placed within Joe's existing ecosystem companies or paired with Alpha student projects needing growth expertise.

Strategic Considerations​

  • Positioning: Frame as essential for realizing the potential of AI-enabled products (distribution is key when building becomes easier).
  • Network Effects: Use the program to attract top growth talent and further build the Alpha ecosystem's network.
  • Leveraging Existing Infrastructure: Utilize Alpha/Trilogy's legal/financial infrastructure to minimize operational overhead.

Action Items​

  • Develop a Brain Lift for Joe Liemandt outlining the "Gauntlet for Growth" concept, value proposition, and options for leadership/branding (Under Gauntlet vs. New Entity).
  • Continue refining the program structure, curriculum ideas, and recruitment strategy.