Team SURFBoard in high spirits

Team SURFBoard left here at about 3 am this morning. They said they worked well together and given that the team members are so different, they challenged each other a lot. They had already done most of their research on the company and the industry prior to the competition and it didn't take them long to sort out their plan. They wanted to get everyone on the same page, qualify their assumptions and really hash out their plan. Their methodology for working was basically to paper most available spaces with charts and brainstorm ideas, iterate, rehash, discuss, rinse and repeat. They did discuss their core idea about 10 times to get it clear in everybody's head and all on the same page. Staying late for them was not a problem because they knew they were driving towards a solution.

They did one dry run this morning to make sure it goes smoothly. Teresa Lee said that she liked the experience of thinking through the solution and brainstorming with her team. Considering that most b-schoolers don't get to advise on and receive executive validation and feedback on corporate strategy, she feels good about being here for the experience. Ryan Sandoval won the team bet on what the topic of the case would be but unfortunately he wasn't far-sighted enough to negotiate a prize for his bet. There is one veteran on the team - Jeff Piper participated in the presentations in the prior year (ok, so alliteration is not my strong suite, but I do a mean NPV) and they seem confident of the outcome. He did say that while the topic of seamless mobility and the commercialization thereof was an exciting topic, the challenges associated with with trying to make it happen are very real. This would be a great value proposition for the company and it is well-positioned and ready to capitalize on it.

The team is in their last week of Spring Break so they're very well refreshed and relaxed which would attribute to the high energy levels (they're remarkably peppy) and some did confess to being naturally hyper-active. Whatever the reason, it's good to see energetic and bubbly participants this morning.

Good luck, Team SURFBoard. Keep the spirits high!