Lemmings (FAQ)
A training program on product, design, technology & distribution.
What is this?
A summer training program during which you will work on a project in a small team. You’ll get input from the best people in design, technology, distribution & product of Vienna as well as from around the globe.
What kind of program is this?
You will be mixed and matched to form tiny teams (2–5).
You’ll zoom in on quite different but very tangible products, projects or movements. Some already existing, some to be created. Some temporary in nature, some longer term.
Activities range from strategy to tactics to execution.
You’ll go broad as well as deep. Very cross-functional. T-shaped.
When?
Duration: End of June — September (more precise dates within the time-frame tba)
Time-effort: 1–2 days per week
Apply until: May 31st
What does it cost?
It’s free.
Who can apply?
We don’t want to artificially restrict who can apply the only requirement will be that you are physically in Vienna during the time of the program.
Is this a program for me?
Yes. If you are reading this you are very likely a great fit for the program.
The idea is to get people from various backgrounds together. You don’t have to excel at anything.
The key ingredients needed are enthusiasm & a can-do attitude.
You’re a graphics designer? Great. Software dev? Great. Marketeer? Great. Photographer? Great. Musician? Great. Writer? Great. Gamer or game designer? Great. Jill or Jack of all trades & master of none? Great.
Why should I apply?
You’ll meet some of the best people in software, design, marketing, sales and product (also hand-selected by us) and will work together with like-minded enthusiastic people to pull stuff off that others wouldn’t believe are possible.
This will be the closest thing to founding your own company and to go on an entrepreneurial journey. With the added benefit that you’ll be able to execute and learn way faster than that.
Am I applying with a project or as a person?
You’re applying as person. We’ll provide projects and challenges that are designed in a way where the key ingredients are set so you can skip the initial idea phase and focus on strategy, tactics and execution immediately.
What happens after I apply?
We’ll run through all applications and will select about 30 people to make sure we have a good pool to compose teams from. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Once you’re selected we all will meet up as a group for a meet & greet and kick-off session. Then we’ll form small teams to work on something specific (product, project, movement). Following that we’ll meet up regularly about once a week in different locations all over Vienna (coworking spaces, cafes, museums, open air venues, …) to sync up and help each other to move the needle.
These meet ups can be strategic, tactical or execution focused. We’ll be joined by founders, devs, designers and marketeers from various startups to get input on strategy, analysis, tactics, best practice & even hands-on demos of how to use various tools in productivity, ads, publishing, dev, design, various social media channels, email, … and much more.
What do you mean when you say “products, projects, movements” ?
Even as small teams you’ll be able to put ideas into reality within minutes & hours instead of weeks and months. You’ll experience first hand how fast it’s possible to go from nothing to something.
Depending on the team composition this can mean creating & spreading an important idea or movement (social media, public relations, …). It can also mean creating a simple bot for one of the messenger platforms and attracting a vast user base for it. It can also mean creating a unique event format and attracting the right people to it.
You see the “what” will be quite flexible.
That said we will focus on things which by design can get started immediately (think minutes). The efforts will be designed in a way to avoid unnecessary friction and barriers that might otherwise slow you down (gatekeepers and situations where you have to wait and ask for permission instead of being able to create and execute on your own).
Why “Lemmings” ?
When you look at the video game some might view lemmings as aimlessly wandering around without a plan.
Another way to view the game is that only through application of specific skills at the right time and in coordination with others is it possible for the lemmings to reach that which seems impossible at first.
Why?
Thriving cities have strong interaction between people from different backgrounds and skill sets.
They also have a strong culture of community support and paying it forward instead of counting beans. Last but not least they foster vision & optimism.
This is why Allan and me are investing some of our time into a structured effort to encourage the culture we’d like to see more of.
Our ambition is to foster the next generation of founders, product leads and angel investors.
Where do I apply?
To apply just fill out this form and we’ll get back to you asap.
Who is behind this?
Allan & Thomas of Blossom
as well as friends of ours (tba) who’ll provide ad-hoc briefings on strategy or collaborate with you in other ways (tactics, execution) temporarily.
In a nutshell this is the program we wish we had participated in when we started a few years ago.
