The first step in trying to win at Startup Weekend Zanesville is to register here. Whether you’re trying to win during the Weekend or get an investment for your current business, there are three types of criteria in which you will be judged:
Business Model
How does the team plan on making this a successful business? Have they thought about (either solved or identified problems) competition, how to scale, acquiring customers, their revenue model etc? Check out the Business Model Canvas for more help in this area.
Customer Validation
Are teams building something that people actually want? How well does the team understand their customer and their customer’s needs? Did the team get out and talk to customers? What is the value proposition to customers? Check out the Value Proposition Canvas for more help in this area.
Execution & Design
Have they established a “Minimal Viable Product” for the weekend (software, hardware, etc.)? *Note: an MVP is the minimum set of features to be able to start collecting data. Does it deliver a compelling and captivating user experience? Were they able to demo something functional? Learn more here.
While nothing is simple, there are a lot of tools out there to make you more prepared and be able to meet the basic criteria needed not only for a successful Startup Weekend but for a successful new business.
About LIGHTS: Ohio University’s Innovation Center founded the LIGHTS (Leveraging Innovation Gateways and Hubs Toward Sustainability) program in 2016. LIGHTS’ Innovation Network catalyzes the creation of companies to create high-wage jobs, and attract greater private investment in the coal-impacted regions of Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky. The Appalachian Regional Commission generously funded the program because of its unique way of matching complex problems and opportunities facing corporations, communities, and individuals to a network of two strategically-placed Innovation Hubs and seven Gateways. New marketable products arise from these problems. The Gateways and Hubs are new business incubators and makerspaces serving a 28-county area.