A-team with a B idea OR B-team with A idea?

**ChrisBenjamin** · 06-24-2009 09:43 PM

Which would you rather invest in?

An A-team with a B idea: Top tier management team, past experience in the industry, past startup experience, well rounded group of people trying to take an idea with okay potential to fruition...

OR

A B-team with an A idea: College graduates with no experience, only a few positions filled (say developer & marketing but lacking all other as an example), but with passion, enthusiasm and a great idea.

What I've heard and what I would definitely lean towards myself is the A-team with a B idea. Less of a gamble having a team with experience both in industry and in startups. I'd rather take the lesser potential revenues and give it more of a shot of success. An A-idea with a risky team, while it could definitely still outshine the B-idea, could also become a failure.

I know from my own experience, management is such a key part of the equation. Investors will pay more attention, people tap into their experience when brainstorming how to approach the 20 million problems that arise, and people become less enthralled with the glamor of being an entrepreneur and more focused on the actual project and making it happen. Out of all the companies I've talked with, there's something easily recognizable as a difference between someone with a track record and a few years under their belt and the newbie entrepreneur, young or old.

Open to hearing other's ideas though, interested in hearing some thoughts on a B-team with an A idea.

Chris Benjamin
Rogue CFO
Rogue CFO - Launching Startups

**Mr. Bizness** · 06-29-2009 06:00 PM

If I recall correctly, that' an idea from 'The Magic of Thinking Big'.

While I agree that the safer bet would be to go with the A team with the B idea, I think the point he was trying to make is that to be great at something, you have to have passion and enthusiasm. The book is about thinking bigger than just covering your a$$, which is what going with the A team would be.

Just my two cents.

**lilg1989@gmail.com** · 06-29-2009 06:09 PM

Idk. You could probable get more from the b team but the a team has the experience? Enthuised b team can be just as better than the a team

**Ruman** · 06-29-2009 08:30 PM

A team, B idea. Rarely does the best idea win for the sake of being the best idea. It's the one who has the better skills at selling, growing, maintaining, etc. the idea that wins.

**noob** · 07-01-2009 04:43 PM

A Team with B Idea HOWEVER... I highly disagree with the general definition you gave to both sides of the argument. An experienced team does not necessarily equate to an A team nor do a noob team equate to a B team. I'm sure that wasn't the intention but I thought I'd clarify that anyway.

**Ruman** · 07-01-2009 06:42 PM

What would be an A team and B team then? If I consider myself now with 6 years of great income as well as failures(experience) versus myself 6 years ago just wanting to get started(no experience) I would definitely pick myself today with a B idea versus me then with an A idea.