Global cleantech entrepreneur Bryan Guido Hassin shares information on how to assess, evaluate, and quantify entrepreneurial opportunities. This presentation is part of a 10-week program on entrepreneurship being taught through the Rice Center for Engineering Leadership, where Bryan is Entrepreneur in Residence.

1. Opportunity Assessment
2013-06-26
Bryan Guido Hassin
Entrepreneur In Residence

2. How to assess opportunities?
• Opportunities are made, not found
– But assessing opportunities is crucial to the
pivot decision
– And especially crucial if you seek
resources to help launch your startup
2

3. The best opportunities often…
• Are in times of CHANGE
• Capitalize on MACRO-TRENDS
• Solve major PROBLEM AREAS
• Go beyond PRODUCTS
3

4. The innovation “piano:” the best
opportunities are “chords”
Source: Doblin Group
Channel
Delivery
Brand Customer
experience
10. Customer experience
The overall experience for
customers
8. Channel
how you connect your offerings
to your customers
9. Brand
how you express your offering’s
benefit to customers
6. Product system
extended system that surrounds an offering
Product
performance
Offering
Product
system
Service
7. Service
how you service your customers
5. Product performance
basic features, performance and functionality
Core
process
Process.
Enabling
process
3. Enabling process
Enabling new connections,
interactions, and transactions
4. Core process
proprietary processes that add value
Business
model
Finance
Networking
2. Networking
enterprise’s structure/
value chain
1. Business model
how the enterprise makes money
4

5. Ask the right questions:
• Is there a clear customer?
• Do you have unique and compelling
value proposition?
• Can you get to market quickly?
• Can you make money?[and be
sustainable]
• Can you defend your position?
5
Additional resource: The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship

6. How big is the opportunity?
Total
Available
Market Served
Available
Market
Target
Market
SAM = how many can I reach
with my sales channel?
TAM = how big is the universe?
Target Market =
Who are the
buyers we will
target for the
next 12 months?
Adapted from Blank, Steven B. (2009) “How Big Is it?” High Tech Entrepreneurship Class at Stanford
6

7. Exercise: Size market opportunity
for lemonade stand on campus
10,000
4,000
1,500SAM = unique Rec Center
users each day
TAM = people on Rice campus
Target Market =
Students who
want to balance
grades & health
Adapted from Blank, Steven B. (2009) “How Big Is it?” High Tech Entrepreneurship Class at Stanford
7

8. Evaluating Opportunities: Where
can you find this info?
• Google [competitor research], stock
exchanges[10-K and 10-Q filings]
• Customer surveys, pilots, etc
• Industry contacts, conferences, etc
• Educated guesses 
8

9. Opportunity Assessment
2013-06-26
Bryan Guido Hassin
Entrepreneur In Residence