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Tips for success
Tips for success
Check-Ins + Slide Deck Template
Check-Ins + Slide Deck Template
Check-Ins with Venture College:
Schedule time with Venture College staff to ask questions, practice you pitch, and receive feedback.
General Check-In with Cara Van Sant (Director, Venture College Incubator)
Use this link to schedule.
Email Cara at caravansant@boisestate.edu if you can't find a date/time that works well. Later time slots or weekend meetings will be offered as needed.
Slide Deck Template:
Refer to this Basic Pitch Deck Template and start creating your pitch deck.
Scroll to the bottom of this page for more information on how to structure your pitch.
Important Reminder:
Be sure to exchange contact information with your mentor on the first night, connect with them for feedback throughout this process, and practice your pitch with your mentors.
self-paced lessons
self-paced lessons
Tutorials
Tutorials
Lesson 1: Preparation for meeting with problem sponsors
Understand the problem before you choose a solution using the Value Proposition Canvas
Lesson 1: Preparation for meeting with problem sponsors
Understand the problem before you choose a solution using the Value Proposition Canvas
Watch Venture College tutorial #1
The Problem: Learn about Customer Pains: How much money or time is this costing them? Why is the status quo not working?
Customer Jobs: The status quo; facts and figures about the problem; what are people doing now to solve this problem?
Possible solutions: Generate as many ideas as you can of products and services that offer pain relievers and/or gain creators that improve the status quo.
Learn more and hear examples of using a Value Proposition Canvas
Tips for success: Avoid surveys and do interviews instead; don’t ask people what they will want in the future (e.g., “if you had [this solution] would you use it?”). Ask them to describe the problem [pains] and how they work around it [jobs].
Check out this article summarizing the Lean Startup, created by author and entrepreneur, Eric Ries.
Use this strategy to determine if your business model is practical, and as a tool to develop products or services.
Lesson 4:
Determine who your customer is and what market you will target to start.
Lesson 4:
Determine who your customer is and what market you will target to start.
How To Avoid False Positives in Your Customer Feedback | Dose 003 - YouTube
Select a “Beachhead Market”: Narrow down to a small segment of the market that is easiest for you to “capture” and then expand out once established.
Lesson 5:
Create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to test your solution
Lesson 5:
Create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to test your solution
Note: If you are not able to create one in the time you have that is OK, describe what your MVP would be
What is something (very!) small you could do to validate or verify that your solution solves a problem? What metrics could you use to prove your solution was working?
Tool: "Test card" tool to document your value proposition, MVP, and metrics,
Lesson 6:
Create your winning pitch
Lesson 6:
Create your winning pitch
Slide deck template - this is only a template to help you know what to cover, not a required format.
Venture College tutorial #3 on structuring your pitch deck
Venture College tutorial #4 on crafting a winning pitch. Watch examples and dissect the good, bad and ugly of pitches.
Watch the Student Track Winners and Public Track Winners from last year.
Practice and get feedback!
How to structure your pitch deck
How to structure your pitch deck
Slides to Include
Team Intro: Just needs your Business Name, Logo for a 10 second intro
The Problem: Sell judges there is a problem worth solving - and why current products or companies haven’t solved it
Your Service/Product: Explain what your product/service is or does
Solution/Benefits: If people use your product/service, will it solve the problem? Other perks?
Market Opportunity: The whole world might need your product - but who really really needs it now. You need to thread the needle and show this could be a big idea but you are laser focused on a beachhead to launch the idea.
Go-To-Market: On Slide 5 - you tell me a specific sub-segment who will love your business. Now you need to tell how you are going to market to them and launch the business through them.
Revenue Model: How you make money ($35 one-time or $35/ a month per user) and any relevant costs (especially if you are a product based-business).
Progress-To Date: Sell the judges this isn’t just an idea. You have progress and traction.
Next Steps: What are your next steps to grow the business. How could IEC funds help?
Team: Brief overview on why judges should believe you are the team that can execute on your next steps and actually grow the business.
Questions: Simple slide to help you thank judges and open up for questions.
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