Chapter 6
THE TECHNOLOGY BALANCE SHEET
Just as it is essential to understand an organization’s financial health, it is equally necessary to understand and measure its technological health. The first section of the chapter describes the technology balance sheet, a useful approach to measuring a company's technology. The second section presents a number of classic technology-related flaws, ranging from requiring infinite technology (i.e., attempting to develop a product that is predicated on a fundamental discovery or technological breakthrough) to having no sustaining technology. The final section lists the rules for evaluating a new venture's technological position at the end of the concept and seed stages.
THE TECHNOLOGY BALANCE SHEET
The technology balance sheet evaluates each of twelve key dimensions of a start-up's technology. Readers may notice that the dimensions used on the technology balance sheet to assess a firm's technology are very similar to the dimensions used throughout the book to assess a firm's overall status.
Figure 6-1 lists the twelve dimensions to be considered and measured:
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