science

Lean Launchpad

Lean Launchpad is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Lean Launchpad rather than just read about it. In short: Lean LaunchPad is an entrepreneurship methodology created by Steve Blank to test and develop business models based on querying and learning from customers. It is said to be based on the scientific method and combines experiential learning with “The three building blocks of a successful lean startup”: Alexander Osterwalder's "Business Model Canvas", Steve Blank's "Customer Development Model", and Agile Engineering.

Key takeaways

Lean Launchpad belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Lean Launchpad to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Lean Launchpad from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Lean LaunchPad is an entrepreneurship methodology created by Steve Blank to test and develop business models based on querying and learning from customers. It is said to be based on the scientific method and combines experiential learning with “The three building blocks of a successful lean startup”: Alexander Osterwalder's "Business Model Canvas", Steve Blank's "Customer Development Model", and Agile Engineering. Students of Lean LaunchPad are said to propose and immediately test business hypotheses. It is also said that they get out of the building to talk with prospective customers and partners, using this customer feedback acquired in these interviews to refine their product or service; ensure their product or service meets a customer need or solves a customer problem; and validate that they have created a repeatable, scalable business model.

Methodology Lean LaunchPad pedagogy is said to combine three elements: a Flipped Classroom, Experiential learning, and Team-based learning. During the course, students are said to interview potential customers in order to validate or invalidate their hypotheses, as expressed in the Business Model Canvas. Students are also said to listen to recorded lectures and presentations before each class, and use class time to present what they learned from customer interviews the previous week. Students present their findings which creates the basis for discussion, critiques, and brain-storming by both professors and students. As of 2021, the Lean LaunchPad has been taught in more than 300 universities worldwide to over 20,000 teams. More than 300,000 people have signed up for a free online version of the class.

Beyond the classroom The course is considered core to the U.S. National Science Foundation Innovation Corps program. Two other versions of the class – Hacking for Defense and Hacking for Diplomacy – address national defense and foreign policy challenges. Piloted at Stanford in 2016 by Steve Blank and Joe Felter, these classes connect the Silicon Valley innovation mindset with islands of innovation inside the U.S. Department of Defense, intelligence community and U.S. State Department. Hacking for Defense immediately began to scale after its pilot in spring 2016. As of 2017, it is taught in more than 15 other universities across the country.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lean Launchpad

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lean Launchpad claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Lean Launchpad before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Lean Launchpad ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Lean Launchpad

In research: Lean Launchpad appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Lean Launchpad in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Lean Launchpad is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Business education, Business models, Entrepreneurship, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Lean Launchpad outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Lean Launchpad in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Lean Launchpad means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Lean Launchpad out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lean Launchpad in simple terms?

Why does Lean Launchpad matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Lean Launchpad?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Lean Launchpad.