# #061 - RERUN - How to avoid mistakes when building a team - lessons from mentoring 1200+ hardware entrepreneurs, with Alan Clayton of SOSV

- Show: [The Hardware Entrepreneur](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur)
- Published: 2018-08-29
- Length: 43m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2018-08-29-061-rerun-how-to-avoid-mistakes-when-building-a-team-lessons-from-mentoring-1200
- Listen: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/thehardwareentrepreneur/061_-_RERUN_-_How_to_avoid_mistakes_when_building_a_team_-_lessons_from_mentoring_1200_hardware_entrepreneurs_with_Alan_Clayton_of_SOSV.mp3

## Summary

Alan Clayton, who assesses hardware startup teams at the venture capital firm SOSV and its accelerator HAX, explains how to build effective founding teams using the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI). He uses a Star Trek analogy to describe four types of intelligence—Captain Kirk (vision), Spock (analysis), Scotty (execution), and Dr. Bones (empathy)—and argues that successful founders must consciously adopt these different perspectives to avoid project delays and pitch effectively. Clayton highlights that over 70% of crowdfunding campaigns fail or are late due to a lack of basic project management talent, which can be mitigated by understanding team dynamics.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2018-08-29-061-rerun-how-to-avoid-mistakes-when-building-a-team-lessons-from-mentoring-1200#t=0) Introduction and SOSV's Role
- [7:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2018-08-29-061-rerun-how-to-avoid-mistakes-when-building-a-team-lessons-from-mentoring-1200#t=449) The Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI)
- [14:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2018-08-29-061-rerun-how-to-avoid-mistakes-when-building-a-team-lessons-from-mentoring-1200#t=891) Star Trek Analogy for Team Intelligence
- [21:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2018-08-29-061-rerun-how-to-avoid-mistakes-when-building-a-team-lessons-from-mentoring-1200#t=1297) Team Conflicts and Execution Challenges
- [29:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2018-08-29-061-rerun-how-to-avoid-mistakes-when-building-a-team-lessons-from-mentoring-1200#t=1786) Structuring a Pitch with HBDI
- [35:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2018-08-29-061-rerun-how-to-avoid-mistakes-when-building-a-team-lessons-from-mentoring-1200#t=2130) Cultural Differences and Personal Advice

## Topics

- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- SOSV (company)
- HAX (company)
- Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (tool)
- Ned Herrmann (other)
- General Electric (company)
- Sean O'Sullivan (other)
- Map Info (company)
- Motorola (company)
- Unilever (company)
- AT&T (company)
- The Creative Brain (other)
- Unconscious Branding (other)
- Man's Search for Meaning (other)
- Victor Frankel (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [106: Building Your Hardware Product Team Early](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2021-12-15-106-building-your-hardware-product-team-early) (Product Startup)
- [42: Blocks of Gold with LCD Displays](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2014-03-12-42-blocks-of-gold-with-lcd-displays) (Embedded.fm)
- [Tool of the Week Segment | Episode 31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/built-2-scale/2025-12-04-tool-of-the-week-segment-episode-31) (Built 2 Scale)
- [189: The Power of Your Team in Building Hardware Innovations](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-08-18-189-the-power-of-your-team-in-building-hardware-innovations) (Product Startup)
- [185: Nice Mahogany Table](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-01-25-185-nice-mahogany-table) (Embedded.fm)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2018-08-29-061-rerun-how-to-avoid-mistakes-when-building-a-team-lessons-from-mentoring-1200. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to The Hardware Entrepreneur.