Genetic Algorithms and Entrepreneneurship

I'm kicked about Genetic Algorithms (GAs) to drive the guts of my new super-secret project.

GAs are a method of "finding solutions to global optimization problems using biological concepts like reproduction, crossover, and mutation". Essentially, what the algorithm does is model possible solution to the problem as living individuals; who mate amongst themselves. After many generations of such mating, it is expected that the "fittest" survive.

The fittest individuals are, of course, the ones that optimize the solution.

The funny part about GAs is that no one precisely knows how they work, but boy, they do work!

I find myself applying the GA theory to all sorts of problems, like why detergent packaging is getting flashier and bigger. The most interesting problem I've seen so far, though, is the business of startups.

Like everything else, startups evolve. Most are born out of marrying ideas. Some are mutants (you know, the stuff that people call "revolutionary"). Some of them manage the game of the "survival of the fittest". Most don't.

Now, here's the important thing.
Most media folks love a "revolutionary" idea. They adore a mutant. Don't trust them.

GAers know that crossovers, not mutants, are the most significant route to an optimized solution. In fact, most GAs keep mutants below 1% of the total population.

In order to be successful, marrying the right ideas is more important than creating random mutants.

Which brings us to the second, and more controversial question: which ideas are the right ones (to crossover)?

There is considerable debate on this, yet the most accepted view is that small, focussed ideas work best.

The ethical ramifications are large. However, I think a startup would do well to find the best existing ideas and combine them in a meaningful fashion. It is usually easier, and more successful than creating a successful mutant.
As a parting word, GAs work on populations as a whole, and the above truths are statistical. So, there still is a need for considerable skill in identifying the "right" ideas.

Which is what makes startups exciting, in the first place!