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E140A - Session 10

Market Strategy III


Summary

This session dives deep into the benefits and challenges of implementing Goeff Moore's "Crossing the Chasm" theories. It completes our sessions on product/market strategies in emerging ventures.

Guest

Jeff Miller

Jeff Miller is President of JAMM Ventures, a business consulting and investment company. Prior to establishing his firm, Jeff spent from 2002 through 2006 as a venture partner with Redpoint Ventures. At Redpoint, Jeff's area of focus was mentoring CEOs of several Redpoint companies, particularly those in the enterprise and infrastructure software markets.

Most of Jeff’s career was spent in operating companies. He was CEO of Documentum, Inc. (DCTM) from 1993 to 2001 and was responsible for day-to-day operations, in addition to strategic planning and direction. Under Jeff's leadership, Documentum became one of the fastest growing technology companies in the country. Starting with 15 employees and $500K of sales when he joined, Documentum had, by 2001, over 1,200 employees and revenues over $200 million. Jeff has more than 30 years of high tech experience, having spent the early years of his career in the semiconductor industry at Fairchild and Intel, and holding senior marketing and general management executive positions at Adaptec and Cadence Design Systems.

Jeff currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Data Domain, a computer storage company, where he is the Chair of the Executive Compensation Committee and a member of the Audit Committee, and for McAfee, one of the world’s leading suppliers of security software, where he is a member of the Executive Compensation Committee. Jeff also serves on two philanthropic Boards, The American Prairie Foundation and Santa Clara University’s Center for Science, Technology, and Society.

Jeff holds a Masters of Business Administration (1976) and a Bachelors of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (1973) from Santa Clara University.

Required Readings (Policy on Required Readings.)

Study Questions (Policy on Study Questions.)

  1. What do the "numbers" as provided in the case tell us? Please make sure to perform our customary V-I-E analysis as a start (Vision - Internal Assessment - External Assessment).
  2. What did Documentum learn from its experience with the first two customers (Boeing and Syntex)?
  3. What do you think of Jeff's decision to focus on vertical markets (in other words, what are the advantages and disadvantages versus the original strategy)? Which vertical market of the five should Documentum pick to focus on?
  4. What are some implementation issues if the company does focus on "verticals" and how do you propose they overcome them?

Assignment

Login into the MFP Forum. Under the session assignment topic answer the following questions:

As Jeff Miller, I would have Documentum (accept / decline - choose only one of these) the $300K Marsh and McLennan deal because ...

Note: Only one submission is required from each team.