OpenToStart Sprints and Worksheets

Take your startup idea to the next level with our structured Weekly Sprints.

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week 1

Prep for Week 1

The OpenToStart program is designed to help you collaborate with like-minded people, get feedback on your ideas, learn the startup basics, and ultimately decide if starting a company is right for you - right now.

How to Get the Most Value from OpenToStart

Each week focuses on a different topic that is important for idea-stage founders. Each week has a Workshop, followed by Sprint exercises, that walk you through the early steps of launching your startup.

Sprint

Prep for Week 1

Start with an assessment of the idea you are considering. Briefly describe your startup idea in two or three sentences. What problem are you solving? What is the solution? For whom are you solving the problem?

Describe why you are best positioned to build this business in terms of your previous work experience, domain knowledge, and passion.

Useful resources

Idea Madlibs: How to Create a Simple One Sentence Pitch Find a Problem That People Will Pay You to Solve (with Jonathan Greechan)

week 1

OpenToStart Kickoff

The bootcamp starts off with an opportunity to network and exchange ideas with other aspiring entrepreneurs. In addition, you will learn the bootcamp structure and set your short-term goals.

How to Get the Most Value from Week 1

The most critical tool founders need when starting their company is a strong network. Our kick-off event is an interactive networking event designed to help aspiring entrepreneurs from all backgrounds find each other. Come meet like-minded people to discuss challenges and exchange ideas. This is an opportunity to build meaningful relationships that could last a lifetime.

Live Workshop

OpenToStart Kick-Off and General Networking

Meet and Connect with the Global Startup Community

Date: Jan 4, 2023 - Time: 10:00am PST

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Worksheet

Week 1 Worksheet - Idea Validation Tool

Prepare for the Workshop this week by completing this Worksheet. Bring the Worksheet with you to the Workshop.

Download PDF

Sprint

Week 1

Clarify the Problem you are solving and for whom. Many times, Founders haven't clearly defined the Problem, or the Problem is too vague or big (boiling the ocean). Brainstorm subsets of your initial Problem. Are you actually trying to solve multiple Problems with one Solution?

Does this Problem play a significant role in people's lives? Who are these people?

Ask people from your existing network what they like and dislike about your Solution. How will your Solution be different from other solutions on the market?

Who would be the Customer (the person who buys the solution) and Consumer (the person who uses the Solution)? Sometimes the Customer and Consumer are the same user.

Identify 10 keywords that can be used to find insights, news, and competitors for your startup. For example, Techcrunch or AngelList.

Useful resources

Does Your Startup Really Solve a Problem? (with Phil Libin) Startup Research Isn't Validation, by Alejandro Rivas-Micoud How to Build and Share Ideas with Potential Customers

week 2

Ideate and Validate

The bootcamp continues with information on determining what makes a startup business idea viable, and an opportunity for networking to test assumptions for immediate feedback.

How to Get the Most Value from Week 2

Identifying a great business idea takes time and is worth every minute! You'll learn about the importance of market research, customer validation and trands analysis, as well as techniques like Lean Methodology. Develop a framework that will help guide your ideas in the right direction.

Live Workshop

How to Identify a Viable Business Idea

Validate your idea with proven customer validation tactics

Date: Jan 11, 2023 - Time: 10:00am PST

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Worksheet

Week 2 Worksheet - Idea Validation Tool

Prepare for the Workshop this week by completing this Worksheet. Bring the Worksheet with you to the Workshop.

Download PDF

Sprint

Week 2

Create a list of Customer Interview Questions, using the 5 template questions from the Workshop as a guide. Identify 3 people in your network who have knowledge about the Problem you're trying to solve. Interview these individuals about the Problem using your Interview Questions. The goal is to understand how they experience the Problem and what they're currently doing to solve it. Keep an open mind and refrain from "confirmation bias" where you weigh positive feedback more than negative.

Consider if you need a Co-Founder using this information: https://fi.co/find-a-cofounder Which roles and responsibilities will they have? What working styles should they have?

Determine what expectations a potential Co-Founder would have from partnering with you.

Practice pitching your business idea to a future Co-Founder. Make a list of questions to ask your Co-Founder to get to know him or her better.

Useful resources

How to Find a Co-Founder for Your Startup Find a Co-Founder (Resource Page) Co-Founder Communication is Essential for your Startup's Success How to Put Yourself Out There and Find a Co-Founder

week 3

Find a Co-Founder

The bootcamp continues with information to determine how you know you'll need a co-founder, what to look for in a co-founder, plus an opportunity to meet a potential business partner.

How to Get the Most Value from Week 3

Startups need strong co-founding teams. Determine which skillsets to seek out in others and the best practices for formalizing a Co-Founder relationship. Find the right Co-Founder for your startup!

Live Workshop

Co-Founder Networking: Find a Business Partner

Learn about new ideas, explore opportunities, and meet potential Co-Founders

Date: Jan 18, 2023 - Time: 10:00am PST

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Worksheet

Week 3 Worksheet - Co-Founders Checklist

Prepare for the Workshop this week by completing this Worksheet. Bring the Worksheet with you to the Workshop.

Download PDF

Sprint

Week 3

Recall your ideal Co-Founder roles and responsibilities from last week's Sprint. Start reaching out to your network to find individuals who may be a fit for the position. Examine the business niche you want to enter and the community behind it. Join industry events and interact with members of the community. Reach out to connect to professionals that caught your eye.

Create your one-SENTENCE pitch (https://fi.co/one-sentence-pitch) based on the customer discovery interviews you've done as well as feedback from the networking Workshops.

Are you passionate about your business idea? How is this idea aligned with your personal story?

Can you explain your business idea in a simple way? Avoid using technical terms.

Start compiling Market Research for your startup (http://fndri.com/1Nsi8M6). How big is your target market? How much are people already paying to solve this Problem? How many competitors do you have?

Useful resources

Pitching and Fundraising for Pre-Seed Startups Pitch Deck Guide Nailing an Online Pitch: Tips, Tricks and Hacks Don't Pitch Your Product, Pitch Your Passion

week 4

Pitching & Feedback

The bootcamp concludes with Pitching advice you need to pitch investors in today's economic climate. Plus, get instant feedback from the experts.

How to Get the Most Value from Week 4

At this interactive event, learn the best practices for pitching and how to share your startup ideas. Then, join virtual tables to get feedback in an open and helpful environment!

Live Workshop

Get Friendly Feedback on Your Idea

Learn about how to pitch and then give your pitch to experts

Date: Jan 25, 2023 - Time: 10:00am PST

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Worksheet

Week 4 Worksheet - Elevator Pitch Exercise

Prepare for the Workshop this week by completing this Worksheet. Bring the Worksheet with you to the Workshop.

Download PDF

Sprint

Week 4

Using the guides from https://fi.co/pitch-deck, create a one-MINUTE pitch deck. Start with a blank document with just the deck slide titles. Brainstorm and write everything you know about that slide. Then, find an online template and create a draft for your one-MINUTE pitch.

Record yourself on Zoom or another video platform giving your one-MINUTE pitch. Do you use a lot of filler words (um, so, ok)? Do you appear confident? Can you give your pitch without reading from a script?

Identify 3 Key Assumptions you are making about your startup. The problem, customer, willingness to pay - any and all of these could have underlying assumptions that, if proved wrong, would be detrimental to your startup.

Last week you started reaching out to your network for potential Co-Founders. Create a list of interview questions for your potential Co-Founders. Schedule time to interview these potential team members using your interview questions. Consider working on a trial project.

Useful resources

Startup Pitch Decks and Templates Founder's Pitch Toolbox Founder Showcase - Silicon Valley's Premier Pitching Event Nailing the Online Pitch

week 5

Determine Your Next Steps

Reflect on your experience, insights, and learnings from the bootcamp, and then determine your next steps.

The Million Dollar Question: 'Did you enjoy this experience?'

In OpenToStart, you shared and tweaked your ideas, collected customer feedback, pitched mentors, and networked with others. These types of activities are the norm for any idea-stage entrepreneur!

So, it's important to ask yourself, honestly, if you enjoyed this process. And don't worry: nearly every first-time entrepreneur is uncomfortable and out of their 'comfort zone' at first. The important thing is to stay positive, keep learning, and keep improving.

Sprint

Reflect on Your Experience

Did your idea improve?: Nobody has that 'genius' idea right away, and every idea will garner negative feedback from somebody. No matter how experienced the entrepreneur, startup ideation is a long process of learning and iteration. Throughout the bootcamp, did your ideas evolve and change in response to the feedback you received? Did you enjoy this process of research and customer discovery? If not, then we recommend you try a few of the sprints and exercises again with a more open mind before starting a company.

Did your pitch improve?: Similarly, pitching is a skill that takes time to master, and the only way to improve is through repetition and learning. Were the frameworks provided in this bootcamp helpful in simplifying and refining how you describe your ideas? Did pitching just a few people give you valuable insights on how to improve? If so, then you are probably on the right track and should continue to pitch, gather feedback, and iterate. Don't let that momentum slow down!

Did you make any connections?: Most entrepreneurs need a strong network and community to lean on - especially first-time founders. Throughout this process, did you meet anyone that you could potentially lean on for advice, feedback, or introductions? Any potential collaborators, mentors, or advisors? If not, then please consider why - at the very least, you should be able to gain some insight on where you may want to look (and not look) next, and how you might consider changing your approach.

Final Thoughts: If you want to move your entrepreneurial journey forward (even on just a part-time basis), then we strongly recommend that you continue networking, attending startup events, and actively engaging in your startup community. Share your ideas as much as possible, because doing so will only provide you with the feedback and potential connections that you need. Below, we have listed some ways to connect valuable startup communities and push your ideas forward!

Useful resources

Comprehensive Startup Ecosystem Guides (150+ regions/ verticals) List of Free Startup Events Consider Joining the Founder Institute Columbus Network See the Full List of Enrolling FI Chapters

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The Founder Institute is the world’s most proven network to turn ideas into fundable startups, and startups into global businesses. Since 2009, our structured accelerator programs have helped over 7,500 entrepreneurs raise over $1.85BN in funding. Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 100 countries, our mission is to empower communities of talented and motivated people to build impactful technology companies worldwide.