Building Moonshots

WAY 40Develop Perpetual Pipelines: Investing in the near term through long term creates continuous opportunities.

About the Way

An innovation pipeline describes a means of supply for new growth, so you will often hear of a pipeline of ideas, talent, or funding. For a company, a successful pipeline from concept to commercialization relies on an ongoing source of new ideas alongside talent hires, often presented as a funnel process or series of stage gates. For a nonprofit or research lab, a grant‐funding pipeline involves timing new awards with onboarding new personnel, purchasing equipment, and securing release time from other work. For a university, a sustainable student pipeline runs from recruiting through committee selection to ultimately graduation, then back to alumni referrals and new student applicants. An investment firm has a deal pipeline of possible businesses to invest in or buy, which often progress through the steps of lead generation, negotiation, due diligence, and closing. In all cases, a pipeline is healthy and sustainable when the sources constantly refill. For most, a pipeline rarely ends because new targets or deals will always be entering the pipeline as old ones are completed.

For any moonshot, vital investments of funding are required—plus time, resources, and vocal support—across the entire pipeline because a radically better world doesn't occur overnight. In the 21st century, the pace of change occurs so fast that many investments that were traditionally ...