Executive Meeting Memo — 11
Introduction
Welcome to the first official Edge Carolina Executive Memo. This document is intended to set the standard for all memos to come. Credit where it’s due—this format isn’t my original idea. Amazon has been using the “Narrative Memo” in their executive meetings to boost productivity. The concept is simple: If I just stand here and talk, it’s easy to zone out. But if we all read the same document together, you’re more likely to engage and contribute meaningfully to the discussion. That’s the goal here. Today’s memo covers a few key topics that I’d like us to discuss openly after reading:
- Hello CS and Membership
- VR and Collaboration
- First Meeting Structure
- Our Plan for Edges
Let’s dive in.
Hello CS and Membership
We all agree that Hello CS was a success. During the event, we gave away 5 t-shirts to prospective members and handed out about 100 flyers. So far, we’ve gained roughly 20 new members from the event, with more likely to join. We’re currently at 76 members on HeelLife and 90 on our ListServ. I think a good target for our total member count 100 on HeelLife.
VR and Collaborations
This past weekend, Adil and I met with Ashley Neal and some officers from the VR Club. We talked about hosting a joint meeting where someone from the VR Club would teach an introduction to VR. Initially, the idea was to make VR more accessible to our members, as it can be intimidating. However, I’m starting to question the value of this collaboration. What does it really bring to Edge Carolina? Is it necessary, considering the VR Club already offers intro sessions? And would our startup-focused members even be interested in VR? These are important questions that need consideration. While I’m not planning to cancel the meeting with the VR Club—especially since we’ve already started the process—I think these questions apply to all potential collaborations, whether it’s with the AI Club, App Team Carolina, Quantum Computing Club, or Product Management Club. The key question is: Will the effort be worth the outcome?
First Meeting Structure
Our first meeting is rapidly approaching—September 12th. Now’s the time to discuss logistics. First, let’s define what success looks like in this context. It’s tough to set metrics for something as subjective as a meeting, but we need a way to measure it. I suggest using a post-meeting form where attendees can rank the meeting on various scales. This will help us improve quickly.
A quick aside, something I want all of you to keep in the back of your minds is this: I’m okay with different shit, just not the same shit. If you are continually changing and adapting, even if you fail that is okay, but what is not okay is not changing, not adapting, and still failing.
The main goal of this meeting is to start building a community. We have a fantastic space with about 54 tables, each seating four people. While I don’t expect us to fill even a quarter of those seats, we can still make the most of the room’s social potential. Creating an exciting and memorable first meeting is crucial. We can’t afford to be mediocre.
Our Plan For Edges
As we’ve discussed, Edges will serve as different pathways for our members to explore. Today, I want to dive deeper into how we structure groups within each Edge. Our goal is to provide incentives and clear objectives for members. Whether these Edges will run concurrently with separate startup incubation isn’t clear yet. It might make sense to focus on the Learning Edge this semester, helping members gain some startup knowledge before we dive into “true” incubation later. But we need to assess our members’ current experience level: Can startups realistically form this semester? Or can we do both—allowing particularly developed startup ideas to be presented to the entire club for recruitment? Another point to consider is how we vet these startup ideas. Should they pitch to the exec team, or just submit a simple online form? Maybe we start with a phased approach—requiring more effort initially to become an official Edge Carolina startup, then gradually easing up. Keep this in mind as we move forward. Our plan for Edges is ambitious, but it’s achievable. We just need to break it down into manageable tasks. If it doesn’t defy the laws of physics, it’s possible.
Finishing Up
Overall, I think we are on a great track as an organization. We truly only started a couple months ago and now we are almost at 100 official members! However, it’s important we don’t get complacent, don’t get lazy, don’t just do the bare minimum. Our goal is to make the lives of our members better and more successful, so let’s do just that. Stay hungry, stay foolish.