The Name Sprint

Dec 13, 2024

Dive into the tactical world of naming with a unique sprint process that brings creativity to the forefront. The hosts share insights from their Silicon Valley experiences and explore how design sprints can validate risky ideas. They discuss the art of naming a startup and the importance of aligning it with brand values. Expect amusing anecdotes about literature, unconventional decision-making, and the creative potential of domain names. Plus, enjoy some reflection on the cultural impact of NPR's Tiny Desk concerts.

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Episode notes

Intro

00:00 • 3min

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Lessons from Literary Lapses

03:21 • 4min

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Silicon Valley Insights and Design Sprints

07:00 • 19min

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Crafting a Brand Name: The Sprint Process

26:08 • 19min

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The Art of Naming and Brand Identity

45:08 • 2min

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Exploring Possibilities Through Domain Creativity

46:53 • 2min

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Exploring the Significance of a Startup Name

49:17 • 2min

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The Art of Naming and Musical Reflections

Annihilation is the first volume of Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy. The story follows the twelfth expedition into Area X, a coastal region that has been cut off from the rest of the world for decades. The team consists of four women: a biologist, an anthropologist, a psychologist, and a surveyor. Their mission is to map the terrain, record observations, and avoid contamination by Area X. As they delve deeper, they encounter strange and unexplainable phenomena, including hybrid vegetation and creatures, and uncover secrets about the previous expeditions and the true nature of Area X. The novel explores themes of control, mystery, and the transformative power of the unknown environment.

Anna Karenina

Leo Tolstoy

Published in 1878, 'Anna Karenina' is a novel by Leo Tolstoy that delves into the complexities of Russian society in the late 19th century. The story centers around the extramarital affair between Anna Karenina, a married socialite, and Count Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky, which scandalizes the social circles of Saint Petersburg. The novel also follows the parallel story of Konstantin Levin, a wealthy landowner, and his struggles with marriage, faith, and managing his estate. Tolstoy explores a wide range of themes including love, loyalty, betrayal, hypocrisy, and the differences between rural and urban life. The novel is known for its detailed character development and its profound commentary on the human condition.

This might be our most tactical episode ever. If you’re starting something new, check it out! Not to brag, but it’s FULL of proven tactics for making big decisions about new projects.

This week we also answered our very first audience question. Thanks 1sam1216! Have a question for us? Send it to hey@jakeandjz.com.

On episode 7 of Jake & JZ, we talked about:

Our Name Sprint process for naming your company or product
A full walkthrough of our Name Sprint for Character Capital
Why we chose “Character” even though it wasn’t a perfect match for our brand attributes
How to use Design Sprints to test risky non-consensus ideas
The importance of moving from abstract to concrete as quickly as possible
Finding conviction, not consensus
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
NPR Tiny Desk Concerts
And much more

📩 Get an email about every episode at JakeAndJZ.com

💸 Learn more about our seed fund Character Capital

🥸 Find Jake on LinkedIn and X

🤠 Find JZ on LinkedIn and X

Chapters

0:00 Jake finally reads Anna Karenina

8:10 We visited Google again and gave a talk at YouTube!

11:00 Presenting the Foundation Sprint for the first time

14:00 Helping a founder build something new from day 0 in healthcare

18:05 Should he go direct to patients?

19:30 Design Sprints give you a chance to try something risky and non-consensus

20:35 A lot people told us not to write a book, so we prototyped it

22:10 Prototypes aren’t just for customers; they give founders a chance to see their idea live!

24:30 Our first audience questions!

25:20 Audience question: Do you have a method for naming companies?

26:05 History of the Name Sprint from Google Ventures

28:50 Walkthrough of our Name Sprint for Character Capital

29:45 Step 1: Note-and-Vote on themes of potential names

34:30 Step 2: Note-and-Vote on actual names (as many as possible)

36:40 Jake did not vote for Character

37:45 Step 3: Multiple rounds of voting to narrow down the set of names

38:35 Step 4: Plotting names on 2x2 charts to evaluate brand fit

39:20 We chose Character even though it didn’t fit our abstract brand values

41:05 Step 5: Vetting final names with the pub test (aka the shaky cell signal test)

42:30 Step 6: Final checks (web test, domain, trademark)

44:30 Empty vessel names

47:00 Collecting aspirational domain names (including jakeandjz.com!)

49:55 JZ’s Wisconsin accent

50:30 Lantern Ventures: a free brand for any VCs who love camping

51:30 We chose Character Capital because we had conviction, not consensus

52:45 A special thank you to Laura Melahn

53:30 Jake recommends Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (the book, not the movie)

56:00 JZ recommends NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts

57:15 NPR Tiny Desk is the new MTV Unplugged

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