Case Analysis Ockham Technology
Case Analysis – Ockham Technology
1. Assessment of the job Jim has done getting started and assembling key human resources
a. Problems and Solutions
Problem
Solution
Process
Founding a team
Define what they (Jim and Ken) can contribute
Identify other needed skills/capabilities
Decide number of people they need
Look for ideal candidates from their network
Complete
Less than enough (co)founder commitment
Jim and Mike quit their jobs
Ken wrote a check as part of initial capital but did not quit his job
Ron is not treated as the founding team
Complete
Equity distribution
Divided only by capital amount
Complete
No sales & Non-compete term
Made sales calls to “non-compete” clients
Differentiate their products/services
First big sale to IBM – a million-dollar contract
Joining ATDC to add credibility
Complete
Company name – legal issue
Changed the company name from “SouthPaw” to “Ockham”
Complete
No investors
The first big sale convinced investor with foreseeable profits
Jim’s connections (Yates, Corgan, Brewer) introduced investors
Complete
No product
Unreliable development team
Look for another dev. Team – NIIT, Thoughtmill, or Hotshot Coders
Build a self-owned development team – Anderson, Taylor, or others
In-process
Raise money vs Build a board
Bobby Crews - $10mm, 50% equity
Monarch/Cordova - $1.5mm, 33.33% equity
Noro - $4mm, 18% annual return before anyone else got anything
In-process
Tension with Mike
Jim – Split up company responsibilities
Mike – Keep control, be partner
In-process
b. Assessment
i. Jim proved the product’s value and feasibility through his first sale to IBM ii. His success in the first sales helped him win more chance of further capital iii. He founded a team with diverse and complement background, which has contributed to forming an idea, developing a business plan, managing the product, and achieving the first successful sale. iv. He fully used his connections to reach out to more talents and resources
v. Though facing tons of problems, Jim
1. Assessment of the job Jim has done getting started and assembling key human resources
a. Problems and Solutions
Problem
Solution
Process
Founding a team
Define what they (Jim and Ken) can contribute
Identify other needed skills/capabilities
Decide number of people they need
Look for ideal candidates from their network
Complete
Less than enough (co)founder commitment
Jim and Mike quit their jobs
Ken wrote a check as part of initial capital but did not quit his job
Ron is not treated as the founding team
Complete
Equity distribution
Divided only by capital amount
Complete
No sales & Non-compete term
Made sales calls to “non-compete” clients
Differentiate their products/services
First big sale to IBM – a million-dollar contract
Joining ATDC to add credibility
Complete
Company name – legal issue
Changed the company name from “SouthPaw” to “Ockham”
Complete
No investors
The first big sale convinced investor with foreseeable profits
Jim’s connections (Yates, Corgan, Brewer) introduced investors
Complete
No product
Unreliable development team
Look for another dev. Team – NIIT, Thoughtmill, or Hotshot Coders
Build a self-owned development team – Anderson, Taylor, or others
In-process
Raise money vs Build a board
Bobby Crews - $10mm, 50% equity
Monarch/Cordova - $1.5mm, 33.33% equity
Noro - $4mm, 18% annual return before anyone else got anything
In-process
Tension with Mike
Jim – Split up company responsibilities
Mike – Keep control, be partner
In-process
b. Assessment
i. Jim proved the product’s value and feasibility through his first sale to IBM ii. His success in the first sales helped him win more chance of further capital iii. He founded a team with diverse and complement background, which has contributed to forming an idea, developing a business plan, managing the product, and achieving the first successful sale. iv. He fully used his connections to reach out to more talents and resources
v. Though facing tons of problems, Jim