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Participants:

Conversation Summary: Joe Liemandt & Squad Strategy

Overview​

Gary Sheng, Lamar Cannon, Danny Mota, and Arpan Gupta gathered, eventually joining Joe Liemandt at the Gauntlet office for an impromptu strategy session. Joe outlined his vision and tactics for scaling Alpha School, particularly through sports-focused micro-schools in Texas, and clarified the rationale behind his management style with the Gauntlet cohort.

Key Topics Discussed​

Pre-Joe Discussion (Uber Ride & Walk)​

  • Context: Conversation with an Iranian Uber driver about the political situation in Iran.
  • Reflections: Group discussing navigating the post-Gauntlet environment, trusting the process, and interpreting Joe's unpredictable engagement.
  • Remote Work Issues: Arpan shared frustrations about remote work inefficiencies impacting Alpha tech development before Joe's recent push for in-person collaboration.

Joe Liemandt's Strategy Session​

  • Primary Scaling Vector (Texas): Sports Micro-Schools
    • Target Audience: Rural Texas families, especially dads, who prioritize sports over academics.
    • Value Prop: Offer elite coaching (led by local, respected coaches) combined with mandatory, efficient 2-hour AI-driven academic learning.
    • Recruitment: Recruit coaches first to build local demand; parents will follow trusted coaches.
    • Political Angle: Pitch to politicians (Cruz, Governor) as the solution for delivering real school choice across all Texas districts.
    • Legal Framework: Leverage the "Tim Tebow Law" allowing micro-school students to potentially play on public school teams (requires district approval, which popular coaches can influence).
    • Messaging: Focus marketing on sports; the high-quality academics are mandatory but not the primary initial draw for this demographic.
  • Branding & Structure:
    • Use familiar terms (Grade Levels, potentially Teachers) to reduce adoption friction.
    • Align micro-school calendars with local districts.
    • Focus micro-schools on specific grade ranges (e.g., 3rd-5th) for effective coaching.
  • Existing Sales Pilots:
    • Public Schools (Jenna): Selling MTSS Level 3 intervention program ($2k/success, outcome-based) with gift card incentives.
    • Private Schools (Fay): Selling 2-Hour Learning ($10k/kid) + mandatory Guide ($150k).
    • Guide Necessity: Emphasized guides are crucial for initial implementation success in partner schools to ensure proper motivation and integration.
  • Clarification on Public School Funding: Current ESAs don't defund public schools; the state pays more initially to incentivize adoption (bribing districts).
  • Joe's Gauntlet Approach: Explicitly stated the late-night visits and unstructured environment are his method for identifying the ~10% high-agency individuals ("the 10 people") needed to execute his vision.

Post-Joe Reflections (Squad)​

  • Confirmed the feeling of being in "Gauntlet 2.0."
  • Reinforced the understanding that Joe values high-agency execution aligned with his mission.

Action Items / Takeaways​

  • Joe Liemandt has a clear, actionable strategy for scaling in Texas via sports micro-schools, leveraging local coaches and political angles.
  • Understanding the target demographic (rural Texas parents/coaches) and tailoring the pitch is crucial.
  • Joe's management style involves creating high-pressure, low-structure environments to identify key talent.
  • Squad needs to demonstrate value creation aligned with Joe's mission.