The Lean Startup Customer Development Model. At this day-long workshop hosted at the Soho office of Digital Ocean, we discussed how to implement lean customer discovery and validation in a startup. We learned about Steve Blank's Customer Development Model and did exercises including a lean business model canvas, empathy map and field research.

1. Alisia Granville
Armando Somoza
Elina Tunyan
Noreen Whysel
The Lean Startup

2. Agenda
9:30-9:45: Breakfast; Arrive and settle
9:45-10:00: SLP Ritual, Agenda and Overview
10:00-10:15: The Lean Startup
10:15-11:15: Activity: Business Model Canvas
11:15-12:00: Customer Development Model
12:00-12:30: Lunch
12:30-1:30: Activity: Empathy Map
1:30-2:30: Activity: Get Out of the Building
2:30-2:45: Regroup and discuss findings
2:45-3:00 Break
3:00-3:30: Reflection Questions
3:30-4:00: Q&A: Alumni Panel

3. SLP NY intro ritual
In groups of two, spend 5 minutes each answering the following:
1. What went well since Tuesday?
2. What are you excited for next week?
3. What are you nervous about for next week?

4. https://medium.com/@geertwlclaes/when-which-design-thinking-lean-design-sprint-agile-a4614fa778b9

5. ➔ Introduction
Lean Startup

6. Startups Are Not
Smaller Versions of
Large Companies

7. Large Companies
Execute Known
Business Models

8. Startups Search for
Unknown Business Models

9. What’s A Startup?

11. Source: SteveBlank.com

17. Activity 1:
Business Model Canvas

18. Breakout Groups
● 6 Volunteer Company Representatives
○ Caroline Strzalka
○ Kevin Y. Brown
○ Mark Smukler
○ Nate Littlewood
○ Raffi Kayat
○ Rajesh Kumar
○ Alternate: Amal Afroz Alam
● Everybody else, count off 1 through 6
● Sit together

22. WHY LEAN CANVAS?
● Entrepreneur focused
● Extremely actionable
● Shows which piece of the business model is most risky

23. Exercise
● 5 min: Company representative gives 1 min overview
● 20 min: Each group uses Post-It notes to “Brain Dump” for
every section of the canvas
● 20 min: Each group refine and fill out a single paper canvas
○ Identify the riskiest sections
● 20 min: Rapid fire group share (3 mins for each group)
○ Company Rep
■ Share key discoveries made by team members
■ Share riskiest sections and how you might test

24. Now What?
● Brainstorm an experiment to test which piece of the
business model is most risky.
● Describe the components of your business model and
how they relate to each other
● Explore different types of business models
● Develop your customer development model

25. ➔ Turning the Business Model Canvas Into Facts
Customer Development Model

28. Customer Discovery
➔ Introduction:
➔ Steve Blank
https://steveblank.com/tools-and-blo
gs-for-entrepreneurs/
➔ Four Steps to the Epiphany
➔ What is Customer
Development?http://www.startuplesso
nslearned.com/2008/11/what-is-custo
mer-development.html
➔ The Lean LaunchPad
Udacity.
https://www.udacity.com/course/ho
w-to-build-a-startup--ep245

32. Source: SteveBlank.com

34. LUNCH

35. Activity 2:
Empathy Map

36. Empathy Map Canvas
➔ Who are we empathizing with?
➔ What do they need to Do?
➔ What do they See?
➔ What do they Say?
➔ What do they Do?
➔ What do they Hear?
➔ What do they Think and Feel?

38. Customer Validation
➔ Start with your Value Proposition
➔ How does your understanding of customer needs
and desires mesh with the Value Proposition?
➔ What questions can you ask potential customers to
validate your market?
◆ How are they Solving the Problem
◆ What are their Pain Points
➔ Get Out of the Building and Ask

39. Exercise
● 20 min: Each group uses Post-It notes to “Brain Dump” for
every section of the canvas
● 20 min: Each group refine and fill out a single paper canvas
○ Think about your customers’ Goals
● 20 min: Rapid fire group share (3 mins for each group)
○ Company Rep
■ Share questions you plan to ask, openers, etc.
■ Where do you plan to look for people to talk to?

40. Activity 3:
Customer Validation

41. Please return by 2:30pm

42. Activity 4:
Reflection

43. Reflection: What Did You Learn?
➔ How does this activity support your business?
➔ What opportunities do you see?
➔ What challenges do you see?
➔ How would you plan for the challenges?
➔ What actionable steps can you take?

44. Alumni Panel

45. Shastri Mahadeo
➔ Over the past 10 years, Shastry has founded
companies in the food, beverage, and CPG industry.
➔ Currently, Co-Founder/CEO of Union Crate, an AI
platform for “one-click” supply chain processes for
the consumer goods market.
➔ Founder of Bare Tea Company, Big Bites Restaurant
and Aura Nightclub and Restaurant.

46. Joey Nutinsky
➔ Co-Founder/CEO of Ruvna, offers live reports to
helps schools locate and account for their students in
real-time during emergencies.
➔ Co-Founder/CEO of Whitemarsh Technology,
offering computer repair and web design services.
➔ Has also worked at QVC, Engadget and MLB in
mobile products and communications

47. Reuben Deotsch
➔ Founder of Remy, a compliance automation platform for
managed care plans.
➔ Previously, engineering and technology lead at
Recombine, a personalized Genomics company.
➔ Founder, Sportaneous, a real time fitness discovery and
booking platform.
➔ Reuben advises & invests in early-stage startups and try
to provide mentorship for young entrepreneurs, and runs
LiveDwell.co, a co-living space in Brooklyn.

48. How to Build a Startup course on Udacity, by Steve Blank
● https://www.udacity.com/course/how-to-build-a-startup--ep245
Startup Tools for Entrepreneurs
● https://steveblank.com/tools-and-blogs-for-entrepreneurs/
HBR Article: Why the lean start-up changes everything, by Steve Blank
● https://hbr.org/2013/05/why-the-lean-start-up-changes-everything
Empathy Map Canvas
● https://medium.com/the-xplane-collection/updated-empathy-map-canvas-46df22df3c8a?source=link
Share-66afc6058381-1507754514
Business Model Canvas - free template
● https://strategyzer.com/canvas/business-model-canvas
So You Want to Start a Web Startup - Youtube Video
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6gZ4vk_Tw4
Startup Business Model Design (sample company)
● https://drive.google.com/open?id=0By4jVfIRGeOlaFZBdHY0WmRnNE0
Resources

49. Thank You!