💻🚀 Silicon Valley Startup Sprint
Step into the fast-paced world of Silicon Valley! Channel your inner Pied Piper as we pitch wins, debug challenges, and innovate new solutions—startup style. Let's reflect on our 'series' season and build the next unicorn together!
Template Columns
👍 Investor Wins
Pitch your favorite successes and highlight what made our sprint a hit, just like impressing VC investors.
Base column: Liked🧠 Algorithm Optimizations
Share the clever tricks, hacks, or knowledge we gained—our team’s tech-side epiphanies!
Base column: Learned🔌 Server Downtime
Call out what was missing or failed to scale, just like a crucial server outage in production.
Base column: Lacked🌟 Unicorn Features
Dream big and share the features, support, or improvements you wish existed, like pitching to disrupt the industry!
Base column: Longed ForAbout this template
The Silicon Valley Startup Sprint retrospective brings a fun, startup-themed lens to team reflection, helping you pinpoint wins, tech breakthroughs, scaling pain points, and blue-sky innovations.
When to use this template
Use this format at the end of a sprint, quarter, or major milestone—especially if you want to spark creativity, energize the team, and focus on learning from both wins and setbacks.
How to facilitate
Begin by introducing the startup theme and briefly explain each column to set an imaginative, engaging tone for the session.
Invite team members to individually add notes in the four columns: Investor Wins, Algorithm Optimizations, Server Downtime, and Unicorn Features.
Allow all participants to review the board, then group similar cards and clarify points as needed.
Guide a team discussion, starting with Wins and Optimizations to celebrate and reinforce strengths.
Shift focus to Downtime and Unicorn Features, identifying pain points and prioritizing bold ideas for the future.
Work with the team to identify concrete next steps or experiments to try based on the discussion.
Wrap up by sharing a closing thought: What could help us become the next unicorn?
Pro Tips
Lean into the startup theme—encourage playful pitches and creative storytelling to boost engagement.
Use timeboxing per column to keep the pace snappy and avoid spending too long in one area.
For more depth, let team members 'pitch' their Unicorn Features to promote visionary thinking.
Consider pairing with a demo or showcase of successes to celebrate visible progress.
FAQ
How do I keep the energy high during this themed retro?
Emphasize storytelling and playful language. Ask participants to pitch ideas, celebrate progress, and use creative metaphors!
How do we ensure actions come from ambitious Unicorn Features?
Help the team identify 1-2 feasible 'moonshot' experiments or incremental steps tied to their boldest ideas.
What if some team members are not technical?
Encourage everyone to contribute from their perspective—innovative processes, communication wins, and product ideas count, not just code!
At a glance
- Duration
45–60 min
- Team Size
4-10 people
- Columns
4 columns
- Base Format
Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed For
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective