Building Moonshots

WAY 1Always Focus on the Long View: Making the world a better place requires solutions that are not constrained by today, or even tomorrow.

About the Way

Patience is a word that is not regularly associated with innovation. Patience is almost a prerequisite for radical, world‐changing innovation. Transferring moonshot‐class ideas out of the lab and into the hands of customers can take decades. This is the story of the transistor, GPS navigation, fMRIs, mRNA, fusion power, and a long list of things that we take for granted today. Having a long view lets moonshot leaders and teams consider what lies ahead and know it is worth the time it will take to get there. More than just delayed gratification, taking the long view means working toward possible future outcomes than just the immediate reward—and having the patience to even begin this type of journey.

John Hennessy, an acclaimed inventor, industry leader, and former university president, spoke about this reality at a 2022 global energy forum held at Stanford University. Addressing a room full of energetic, young researchers and inventors, Hennessy said that entrepreneurs with a long view are a growing need for energy startups. In contrast to software startups, where the supply chain is simple and scaling is easy, he said, “It's challenging in the energy field. It takes longer.”¹ He explained how energy startups need to understand that it will take 10 to 15 years to scale their businesses, twice the time needed for a typical ...