Cross-Disciplinary Idea Funnel
Feed curiosity broadly, connect distant inputs, then cut ideas without mercy
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~ongoing to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 94%
Kilgore combines deep expertise in one area with deliberate exposure to material from many others. She scans newsletters, clicks unfamiliar subjects, and sometimes makes herself read things she does not initially care about because one useful connection may emerge. She describes this as a funnel: broad top-of-funnel inputs create more combinations downstream. The second half is editing. A large idea supply is only valuable if the creator can distinguish a resonant opportunity from a personally interesting thought that nobody else values. Kilgore compares this to editing prose: do not fall in love with what you created; remove weak material until only the strongest parts remain. The recurring output is a smaller set of cross-disciplinary ideas worth pursuing.
Origin
Kilgore connects her own scanning habit to Adam Grant's description in Originals of people who combine deep domain expertise with broad curiosity.
Core principles
- 01Creativity needs a broad supply of inputs
- 02Expertise becomes more useful when connected to distant fields
- 03More inputs create more candidate combinations
- 04Good ideation requires ruthless editing
How to run it
- 1
Build domain depth
Develop enough expertise in one area to recognise real problems, constraints, and quality. Use that depth as the base for making useful connections.
Watch out Breadth without any depth can produce shallow combinations.
- 2
Widen the input stream
Regularly scan fields, newsletters, and ideas outside your immediate work. Occasionally read past initial disinterest to search for transferable mechanisms.
Pro tip Optimise for varied inputs rather than complete mastery of every source.
- 3
Capture new connections
Notice when a mechanism from one field could solve a problem in another. Record the combination before judging it too quickly.
- 4
Generate alternatives
Produce enough candidate ideas that selection is possible. More useful inputs give the funnel more material to combine and compare.
Pro tip Separate generation from final commitment.
Watch out One idea can feel exceptional when there is nothing beside it for comparison.
- 5
Edit for external value
Ask whether enough people would care and whether the combination creates a meaningful improvement. Remove ideas that survive only because you are attached to them.
Pro tip Edit an idea as ruthlessly as a writer cuts unnecessary words.
Watch out Personal fascination is not evidence of a business.
In the wild
Kilgore says she scans broadly, receives many newsletters, and sometimes reads subjects she has no initial interest in. She uses those inputs to find new connections, then evaluates which ideas could resonate with enough people to become a business.
→ Broad inputs create candidates; editing narrows them to commercially meaningful ideas.
Common mistakes
Starving the top of the funnel
Narrow or repetitive inputs leave little material from which new combinations can emerge.
Falling in love with the draft
Attachment can protect an idea even when there is no clear reason for other people to care.
Collecting without editing
A large idea list creates no value if weak candidates are never removed.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for builders who need a recurring supply of differentiated product or business ideas.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for people who collect inputs indefinitely without selecting, testing, or discarding ideas.
From the transcript
“I scan everything”
“if you don't have enough top of funnel you dry up at the bottom”
“you have to be able to not fall in love with your own idea”
From the episode
How I Built 5 Multi-Million Dollar Companies: Marcia Kilgore