Learning Through TED – Bill Gross
· RMA
Warm-Up (10 min)
- Discussion Questions:
- What do you think are the most important factors for a company’s success?
- Have you ever had an idea for a startup? What was it?
- Which is more important: timing, idea, team, or funding?
Vocabulary Pre-Teaching (15 min)
Instructions: Match each vocabulary word to its correct definition.
| Vocabulary | Definition |
|---|---|
| 1. Viability | a. Something that provides support for a business or project, usually money |
| 2. Execution | b. The ability to work successfully or survive |
| 3. Timing | c. The act of carrying out a plan or strategy effectively |
| 4. Disruptive | d. Choosing the most suitable moment for an action |
| 5. Leverage | e. Innovation that significantly changes industries or markets |
| 6. Funding | f. To use resources to maximum advantage |
| 7. Hypothesis | g. A proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence |
| 8. Scalability | h. The ability of a business to grow and handle increased demand |
While-Viewing Activity (20 min)
Task: Watch the TED Talk by Bill Gross. Take notes on the five factors he identifies as influencing startup success.
- Idea
- Team/Execution
- Business Model
- Funding
- Timing
Comprehension Questions:
- Which factor did Bill Gross find to be the most important?
- Why is timing so critical for a startup’s success?
- Can you give an example from the talk of a company that succeeded because of timing?
Post-Viewing Discussion (15 min)
- Do you agree with Bill Gross’s conclusion? Why or why not?
- Which factor do you personally think is the hardest to get right?
- How can startups improve their chances of success?
Extension Activity (Homework)
- Students choose a startup or company they admire and prepare a short presentation analyzing the five factors discussed in the TED Talk.
Listen to Bill Gross’ presentation and see if the following sentences are TRUE or FALSE.
TASK: PART ONE TRUE OR FALSE
1). The startup organization is rarely a good thing for the world?
2). A lot of startups fail?
3). Bill Gross started his first business when he was 20?
4). All of his first startup businesses have been successful?
5). Bill Gross uses a famous quote from the boxer Mike Tyson?
6). The customer is the true reality?
TASK: PART TWO TRUE OR FALSE
1. Bill Gross used 1000 companies to test his data?
2. The results of his data for successful companies didn’t really surprise him?
3. The ‘Business Model’ data being so low (24%) didn’t really surprise him?
4. If you have ‘traction’ it’s easy to get funding?
5. Airbnb was successful because investors thought it was a good idea?
6. Airbnb did well because it started out during a recession?
7. Z.com was a successful online entertainment company?
8. YouTube was successful because of timing, not its business model?