idea-to-market

monkey inferno

• an idea lab
• 22-people (design, dev, biz)
• dream up ideas, build them
• 4 startups at once
• self-funded by Michael & Xochi Birch

week 1: ideation

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canvas the idea

what does your startup do?

______ helps ______ do
________.

people use it because it is ______, ______, and NOT _______.

(6 months later...)

It failed because ____________.

week 2: discovery

get out of the building?

get back to the problem.

• mock it up in invision
• find people to talk to 
• listen, don't pitch
• learn how they feel/talk about the situation
• sticky note stack rank

you should know

• who is the customer
• what dictates their buying decisions
• how they describe the problem (their words)
• intensity, frequency of the problem
• how you will reach them

week 3-6: The MVP

type 1: painkillers

type 2: vitamins

remember

• you will be embarassed
• look for evidence, not answers
• start low-fi
• state your 'success criteria' up front
• it's disposable

the first 1k customers

week 6: Keep or Kill

gut check time.

• does it fit your framework for success?
• Could you see yourself doing this for years?
• did the MVP succeed? What's next?
• More or less excited than day 1?

good luck.