◦ Example Asks: What kinds of people do you most need to talk to now?
◦ Example Offers: You are very well connected in [x] sector and are open to facilitating intros! 
◦ Example Experience: Share the note/people tracking systems that have worked well for you? |  | • Chapters 1+2 from “The Mom Test” 

• Cold email template • The double opt-in introduction • Introductions and the Forward Intro Email • The Monkey on the Pedestal | | 0 | September 1, 2025 | Kick-off retreat WEEK | ✅ First outreach emails | • Set up notetaking system to track conversations + notes. We recommend using Otter.ai for recording and transcription | ❓Can you state your program’s goal in one sentence without jargon? ❓What’s the sharpest argument for why this won’t happen without your program? | | | | 1 | September 8, 2025 | ‣ | ✅ Intro session with mentor ✅ First call notes for format assessment | 💡Pro Tip: Make sure you’re documenting all your conversations + synthesizing them as you go! It will make your life easier at the end - budget time weekly to do this.  🧱 Updated list of 5-10 key assumptions behind your programs 📞 Have 5+ conversations with experts or individuals you want to learn from as you refine your idea 🧠 Mindset: you want to look for ways your ideas might be wrong. Fight confirmation bias! • Work on refining your elevator pitch as you learn new things | ❓ What are some of your hypotheses about your program? How will you start to test them? ❓ What kinds of people do you most need to talk to now? ❓Which relevant fields/industries/specialties are outside of your comfort zone? Who do you want help connecting with? ❓ Which investors and funders should you talk to early to get a sense of what is fundable? | **Tom Kalil** 🌐 The Power of Effective Agenda Setting 🌐 RenPhil Playbooks 🌐 The Magic Laptop Thought Experiment 📚 Longitude 🌐 Challenge.gov 🎤 Hear This Idea interview with Tom | Start reading and thinking through ‣ 🌐 A beginner’s guide to scientific roadmapping | | 2 | September 15, 2025 | ‣ | ✅ Extended Elevator Pitch ✅ Rough conversation notes doc with 7+ conversations. | • Have 5+ conversations with experts or individuals you want to learn from as you refine your idea • Start first draft of 2-pager | ❓ How has who you're targeting influenced how you’re writing your two-pager? ❓ What new questions are you asking that were not on your radar previously? ❓ What feedback/help do you need on your two-pager first draft? ❓ What are the next conversations you need to have? | Dan Wattendorf Pre-reads: 🌐 Lessons from mRNA vaccine development 🎙️ Section of this interview on Ebola outbreak response and mRNA | 🌐 Intro to fermi estimates 🌐 The hidden questions behind the Heilmeier Questions | | 3 | September 22, 2025 | ‣ ‣ | ✅ 2-pager v0 covering first 4 HQs ✅ Rough conversation notes doc with 12+ conversations. | • Have at least 5 more conversations! Maybe challenge yourself, make it 7-10! • Finish first draft of 2-pager | ❓ What have you learned from your conversations so far (trends, surprises, key points, conflicting answers)? ❓ What market, regulatory and political constraints are going to influence the goals of your program? ❓ Imagine your program was technologically successful, but the outputs failed to get adoption or make an impact. What happened? ❓ What kinds of performers (academic labs, startups, industry, consortia) would you need to succeed? ❓ Where do you see gaps in the performer base? ❓ What are the next conversations you need to have? | Cheryl Martin | | | 4 | September 29, 2025 | ‣ | ✅ Synthesis of 15+ conversations. | • Skim the FSHARP program BAA • Skim the DARPA triage challenge BAA • Have 5+ conversations - push yourself!  | ❓ What quantifiable metrics could you define to track the success of your program? Which of those are you most uncertain about? ❓ What are the biggest technical, structural, or adoption risks in your program concept? Which of these do you have most control over? ❓ If $3M became available to de-risk your program, how would you use that amount? $500k? | Program design with JP Anand Muthusamy Renee Wegrzyn | • **ARPA program pattern language For JP’s program design session:** 🌐 FSHARP program 🌐 DARPA Triage Challenge **** | | 5 | October 6, 2025 | ‣ | | • Have 5+ conversations if network still not “closed” • Review 2-pager feedback and schedule a follow-up meeting with BiTS Team if you have questions. Revise first draft of 2-pager | ❓ If you only had $10M vs. $100M, how would your program design change? What would you prioritize at the smaller scales ($500k, $2M, $5M)? ❓ How might you sequence milestones so that you can detect early warning signs before major resources are committed? ❓ What’s an example of a mid-program surprise you might anticipate? How could you design flexibility into your plan to take advantage of it? | | • **The Pyramid Principle (the original book is recommended!)** | | 6 | October 13, 2025 | ‣ | ✅ 2-pager v1 covering all 8 HQs | • Finish first draft of 2-pager | ❓Reflect on feedback from your mentor. What are the main remaining assumptions in your theory of change you are most uncertain about? ❓How would your thinking change if you had funding lined up for an ARIA/SPRIND program, philanthropic fund or focused research organization? Which of these is the best fit for your goals? | Brad Ringeisen Robbie Barbero on Philanthropic Funds | • Technology Readiness Levels | | 7 | October 20, 2025 | ‣ | ✅ Visuals for pitch deck ✅ Answers to HQ 5-8 | • Start on pitch presentation Sign up for first practice slot with JP & Ales: https://calendly.com/d/cv9b-dv7-r42/ales-jp-joint Don’t worry about having the full presentation prepared at this point, we’re happy to give feebdack on structure, opening or one slide. | ❓How can you compress the goals of your program via a whitespace diagram? Re-visit: ❓What parts of your design are hardest to explain to outsiders? ❓ What’s the one-sentence “why now / why you” that would resonate with a skeptical funder? ❓ How might you make them more concrete or visual? ❓ If you had to defend why this won’t happen without your program, what’s your sharpest argument? | | | | 8 | October 27, 2025 | ‣ | ✅ Pitch deck v1 submitted to BiTS program Team ✅ 2-pager v2 | Early bird practice pitch https://calendly.com/d/cv9b-dv7-r42/ales-jp-joint | ❓ If you had to write your solicitation in 1–2 paragraphs, what would you emphasize to attract the right kinds of performers? ❓ What examples of DARPA/SPRIND/ARIA solicitations inspire you, and why? ❓ Where might you need to build in financial flexibility (e.g. kill criteria, reallocation triggers)? | | | | 9 | November 3, 2025 | ‣ ‣ | | • Revise and practice pitch  ◦ Do a practice pitch session with your small group members! • Revise second draft of 2-pager • Revise and practice pitch ◦ Call up 1-2 individuals you trust (whether it’s someone you interviewed or a mentor) and practice your pitch! Iterate as needed! Take all feedback with an appropriate sized grain of salt. This is your vision! | ❓What strategies might you use to encourage risk-taking without performers gaming milestones? ❓What would be your top three evaluation criteria for selecting performers? ❓ How could you stress-test your solicitation to see if it attracts the wrong kinds of applicants? | | • Contracts vs Grant Agreements • Architecting discovery | | 10 | November 10, 2025 | ‣ | ✅ “Final” 2-Pager submitted to BiTS program Team | | ❓What are the true incentives for your performers? How might they diverge from your goals? | | | | 11 | November 17, 2025 | ‣ | ✅ Pitch deck v2 submitted to BiTS program Team | By now, you should DEFINITELY have a near final version of your 2 pager and your pitch rehearsed at least a few times. If not, we are here to help! | ❓ What market, regulatory and political constraints are going to influence the goals of your program? ❓ Imagine your program was technologically successful, but the outputs failed to get adoption or make an impact. What happened? | | • How to set up a Gantt Chart | | 12 | November 24, 2025 | ‣ | | | TBD | | • Patent Primer | | 13 | December 1, 2025 | Prep for Demo Day | | | TBD | | | | 14 | | Final Week! | Final Pitch! | | TBD | | |