The Science of Category Design

We initiated our research agenda to study the science and data of how categories are defined, developed and dominated.

We worked for more than 20 years as operators and coaches, and have interviewed hundreds of the technology industry’s brightest minds to understand the business discipline and strategy of category design and category timing.

We have invested heavily in building a database of every U.S. VC-backed tech company founded since 2000, through today.

We used advanced data science techniques to gain insights into valuation/market cap growth to better understand how and when category and company value is formed. And, through this work, we are delusional enough to think we have made some important new discoveries.

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STANFORD ECORNER // ETL TALKS

Where Entrepreneurs Find Inspiration
Ideas and Research from Stanford University

Check out our video clips on Stanford eCorner!

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CHAPTER 2 UPDATED EXCERPT

In the Play Bigger book, we explain why category is the new strategy.
This excerpt updates our thinking based on questions from readers and our new 6-10 Law.

Download the Excerpt

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THE 6-10 LAW

An updated version of our groundbreaking IPO Sweet Spot research. Introducing the 6-10 Law, 2017 edition.

Download the 6-10 Law

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IPO SWEET SPOT REPORT

The Play Bigger Data Science Team discovered a powerful new insight where
post-IPO enduring value is created for VC-backed companies in the United States.

Download the Play Bigger IPO Sweet Spot Report

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TIME TO MARKET CAP

Speed as a competitive weapon has always mattered. Entrepreneurs, CEOs and venture capitalists (VCs) have been focused on speed-based strategies like “time to market” and “first mover advantage” for decades. A new dimension of speed has emerged that we call Time to Market Cap (TTMC) a new metric that measures valuation / market cap growth. By looking at companies through the TTMC lens, we can discover strategic trends in tech start-ups and understand when to execute the right category design play at the right time.

Download the Play Bigger TTMC Report