True Story of Building Ironman’s Helmet for U.S. Army using Silicon Valley’s Lean Launchpad/Lean Startup Method

The story of Rocky’s work at The Stanford Graduate School of Business, where, mentored by Steve Blank (father of modern entrepreneurship) and in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Defense, Rocky led a team charged with building Ironman’s helmet in real life in order to disable bombs remotely. Rocky’s use of Steve Blank’s Lean Launchpad and Eric Ries’ Lean Startup methodologies makes this project a perfect model for public sector organizations. And his pioneering use of the Mission Model Canvas that Steve Blank developed with Alex Osterwalder— in which the goal of an organization is to achieve a mission, not a profit—sets Solving Problems That Matter apart.

In a world where companies must now create meaning for customers as much as they create profits for themselves, this will be the new model for public sector professionals and make companies better able to compete on mission as well as on product

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Product Details

Target Audience/Readers

Solving Problems That Matter will appeal to several audiences:

  • Public sector professionals looking to leverage Silicon Valley’s proven methodologies — Lean Launchpad, Lean Startup, Mission Model Canvas and 12 P’s of Product Management.
  • Entrepreneurs looking to leverage the Lean Launchpad methodology as described in Steve Blank’s books while also doing something more than simply making money.
  • Nonprofit and government leaders who must operate with a lean budget and who are inherently mission-oriented.
  • Product managers and entrepreneurs who know their companies need to do better to meet what customers are looking for.
  • Professors and students at the 300 universities worldwide that teach the Lean Launchpad course.
Why This Book is Essential for Your Public Sector Success

Solving Problems That Matter will appeal to several audiences:

  • Learn how Silicon Valley’s most powerful startup methodologies apply to public sector challenges.
  • Understand how to build mission-driven products that create real customer value.
  • Discover how the Mission Model Canvas transforms government and nonprofit organizations.
  • Real-world examples from Rocky’s experience leading $1B+ revenue products at Fortune 500s and startups
Key Features
  • Real story of building Ironman’s Helmet for the U.S. Army.
  • 12 P’s of Product Management framework.
  • Mission Model Canvas application for public sector.
  • Lean Launchpad & Lean Startup methodology in practice.
  • Mentored by Steve Blank — father of modern entrepreneurship.

About the Author

Rocky is a two-time CEO and three-time Head of Product Management (digital products). He has worked at Fortune 500s, startups, and scale-up organizations such as Home Depot (Supply) and BuildDirect (eCommerce), leading products up to $1.3 billion in revenue.

Currently he’s an investor at a long-established company that focuses on public sector. On a volunteer basis, he also serves as CEO at an established non-profit organization in Silicon Valley focused on education.

Rocky has taught product management to beginners, experts, and executives spread across 33 countries through a prominent Silicon Valley based company called Product School. He has a full-time management degree from Stanford University. Rocky is an avid marathon runner and an amateur boxer.

What Readers Are Saying

An insider's look at the national class that's changed how national security problems are solved

Steve Blank, the father of modern entrepreneurship and the author of the classics The Four Steps to the Epiphany and The Startup Owner’s Manual

A practical guide to using the Mission Model Canvas

—Alex Osterwalder, CEO and Founder of Strategyzer, inventor of the Business Model Canvas, and author of Business Model Generation, whose five books have sold more than 2 million copies in 40 languages.

Most non-profits make the same big mistake

They put their altruistic intentions ahead of their benefactors needs. They end up floundering, and barely touching their mission after years of slogging. Rocky’s breaking that mold by pioneering non-profit customer centricity. He’s not only improving acquisition, satisfaction and retention—he’s saving peoples’ lives.”—Alan Smith, Co-founder of Strategyzer

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Don’t miss the opportunity to enhance your public sector expertise with this
indispensable guide. Purchase “Solving Problems That Matter” on Amazon and take the
next step in your professional development.

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