Week #0 ODNC1 - The Hype is Real
Hi, Kavir here! I originally didn’t intend on writing a Week #0 version of ODNC1, but the last few days were such a treat that I just had to write about it.
If you're new here, I’ll be chronicling the 10 weeks of ODNC1 with key takeaways of events, noteworthy quotes, and my perspective while I build in public. Subscribe to get updates:
Alright, let’s go:
Pre-kickoff
Once accepted, the first thing that hits you is the Slack community.
The Slack channels were absolutely buzzing with excitement!
What I observed was that having a Slack community of 140+ people with a give-first mentality is WAY BETTER than a Slack community of 60,000+ unengaged folks who only use Slack to dump links.
We had the usuals — rounds of introductions and new community channels being propped up.
But what stood out for me the most was the gratitudes channel. Working remotely in a company or community is hard. You lose out on the natural bonding that happens when you sharing a physical space.
Sharing of such positivity is not just a good-to-have, it’s required to foster that sustained feeling of connectivity.
However, for those who aren't used to such a large and hyper-active community, it could begin to get overwhelming, especially with FOMO kicking in. You feel the need to be part of each thread, each conversation — which isn’t possible for those working full-time.
But the team quickly recognized this and said that if you feel like taking a break from Slack, please do. Also, tips were shared for the best use of Slack.
Kick-off Event
The kickoff event lived up to its hype as the “Best Zoom meeting you’ve ever been part of”. As soon as we joined, we were greeted with music playing in the background. It felt like a real party complete with dad dance moves (looking at you KP). Props to Regina, On Deck’s Launch Partner, who balanced her roles as MC and DJ really well.
After a quick round of questions, we were then sent off in a virtual carpool.
Once we were back - David Booth, the CEO took us through his bold 100-year vision for On Deck.
What fascinated me the most was the emphasis on the interconnection of programs which will unlock a lot of value - which is being worked on and coming soon.
After David’s talk, KP broke down the ODNC program tactically for us and already gave us insights to chew on.
After the orientation, we then had a bunch of ice breaker events - hot seats, scavenger hunt, and a rap battle.
Here's what Madhuri had to say about the scavenger hunt event:
I liked the scavenger hunt as I could tell we all had some unique taste and buys from all over the world. You get a nice peek about the person’s life which makes it a good starting point to have conversations next time and making it less awkward as well! - Madhuri
And it ended with a rap battle led by Max Nussenbaum!
Learnings
Honestly, the biggest takeaway for me was how to build a genuine community through Zoom. You should break up the event into smaller parts to not make it monotonous, lots of smaller fun interactions, and end with a bang.
I draw comparisons between ODNC and my business school experience because we had an Orientation week with similar kinds of events. I was left with a similar feeling now but in a condensed way.
I see On Deck's version of bringing Silicon Valley to the cloud as the best iteration, yet. We had people from all walks of life from 6 continents with 50% outside of the US.
My Build in Public Journey:
I'm still figuring out my idea likely continuing my existing work in one of the spaces of:
mental health
improving employability and upskilling, or
productivity tools for creators and founders
My immediate next step is to hold customer interviews and understand pain points to narrow down on the idea.
If you’d like to brainstorm ideas with me, hit me up on Slack or Twitter.
Follow me on Twitter @KavirKaycee and follow the list of all ODNC1 folks here
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