The document proposes the Glider initiative, a small startup within BigCo focused on rapid prototyping. It would operate independently with a small team and budget. The goals are to create new technologies and business opportunities rather than just leverage existing work. Key points include establishing a firewalled structure, board representation, and accountability metrics to measure progress and ROI. Initial focus areas are proposed as data mashups and location-based services.

1. Glider - Jud Valeski, June ‘06

2. BigCo Challenges
• Paradigm focused on large-scale
investments, tied to existing process.
• Model perpetuates leveraging industry
breakthroughs rather than creating them.
• Inertia ensures the prior two points.
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3. Success Criteria
• ROI measured along multiple planes.
• Financial
– Prototypes could yield subscription, pay-
as-you-go, and one-time revenue.
– Potential spin-out opportunities.
• Re-use
– Technologies, processes, prototypes,
paradigms incorporated back into BigCo.
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4. BigCo 2.Open Solution
• Rapid prototype development, with high
frequency development cycles.
• Model successful, isolated, development
initiatives (e.g. Mozilla).
• Small, unbiased, offsite, development
office leverages Web 2.0 technologies,
and business opportunities.
• Act more like GE in business separation.
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5. Incremental Costs
• 3 FTE & 4 interns/co-ops; ramped up over time (see
next page).
• Fully-loaded (Salary, Facilities, Benefits, Tax, IC,
Other).
• Data from HR/Finance.
• ~$700k/year at full burn.
• ~$175k in 2006 (assuming June start).
• Total initial commitment: ~$1.25M across two
years.
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6. Costs Chart
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7. Who’s paying?
• Core Technologies.
• REDACTED, REDACTED.
• Innovation budget.
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8. Model
• Rapid, greenfield, development.
• Maximum 3.5 month development lifecycles.
• Sale, subscription, and ad revenue
opportunities evaluated for each initiative.
• Complete Focus change every year.
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9. Mantra
Bringing data to life.
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10. Focus
• Data; the final frontier.
• Mashups.
• Location Based Services.
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11. Glider Challenges
• Getting off the ground
– Working through pre-flight checklist
• Office space and BigCo Facilities
• Co-pilot hiring
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12. How can REDACTED help?
• Concept support.
• Mozilla relationship if/when time is right.
• Board membership.
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13. Inputs/Outputs
• Inputs
– Projects are generally Glider staff
generated/approved, with BigCo BU
influence.
– Focus generated/approved by Board and
Glider staff.
• Outputs
– Prototypes, experience.
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14. Appendix

15. Maureen Action Items
• Board composition.
• Firewalled reporting structure.
• Alternative incentive program options.
• What does the REDACTED tie-in look like.
• Office space/lease sans BigCo facilities involvement.
• Chart of expenses/costs over time.
• More granular view of first dev quarter tasks.
• Accountability/ROI.
• Understand intern/co-op cycles for University of Colorado.
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16. Board - Proposed
• REDACTED
• Recommendation: Reach out to proposed
members with project description, and role
proposal.
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17. Reporting Structure
• Firewall between Glider and BigCo day-to-
day is an operational requirement.
• Employment contract to anchor two-year
commitment to initiative.
• Options: REDACTED
• Recommendation: ?
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18. Incentive Program Options
• Traditional BigCo AIP and salary profiles.
• Salary tradeoffs for:
– Equity
– Sabbaticals
• AIP adjustments:
– Higher percentage for performance (and vise
versa).
• Recommendation: Traditional incentive program
given traditional attachment to BigCo LLC. 18

19. REDACTED Relationship
• REDACTED identified as potential co-pilot.
• REDACTED has data assets interesting to
MapQuest and Glider from a mash-up
standpoint.
• REDACTED will either sign contract with
MapQuest, or contract with Glider to mash-up
data.
• Recommendation: No formal relationship
between the two initially.
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20. Office Space
• Three local Boulder locations identified.
• Eliminated options:
– MapQuest Denver office is an hour away from Boulder.
– Level 3 space explored, but not currently an option; per
REDACTED.
– Google Boulder office space too full.
• Recommendation: BigCo Facilities evaluates the
three identified Boulder options.
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21. Accountability/ROI
• Board review each quarter:
– Progress
– Project specific monetization possibilities
analyzed
– Next quarter goals reviewed
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22. 1st Dev Quarter Goals
• Include more municipalities in Deed transaction application.
– Add three new disparate locations.
– Update UI to provide municipality selection.
– Work with MapQuest dev team to eliminate bugs preventing
move from Google’s API.
• Prototype asset tagging & hierarchy data model and UI.
– Build out mock data set assets, tags, and hierarchy.
• Identify and mash-up at least one new data type.
• Reach out to Mozilla Foundation for potential projects.
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23. Interns/Co-ops
• University of Colorado provides both intern and
co-op opportunities.
• Internship cycles: Fall (Sept-Dec), Spring (Jan-
April), Summer.
• Co-op cycles generally span multiple semesters,
and are unique in duration.
• Recommendation: Hire two of four paid interns
during Fall ‘06 cycle.
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