Karri Saarinen gave a talk at the NESU Spring Conference in Vaasa, Finland about his experiences starting companies. He discussed three main topics: the startup process using his company Flowdock as an example, how he started the company ArcticStartup with no experience or money, and things aspiring founders can do before starting a company like meeting other founders, attending events, reading blogs and books on entrepreneurship. The key lessons were that ideas will change, execution and customers are more important than plans, and one needs to embrace the unknown and learn through doing rather than traditional product development models.
27. Traditional method:
How Products Are Made
Concept / Product Alpha / Beta Launch /
Idea Development Test Ship
Where are the customers?
28. Traditional Product Development:
The Waterfall
Requirements
Specification
Problem: known Design
Solution: known Implementation
Verification
Maintenance
29. Traditional Product Development:
The Waterfall
m
on
Requirements
th
Specification s or
Problem: known Design
ye
Solution: known Implementation ar
Verification
s
Maintenance
30. Traditional Product Development:
The Waterfall
Pa
Requirements th
If... Specification to
Fa
Problem: unknown Design
ilu
Solution: unknown Implementation re
Verification
Maintenance
31. How To Deal Better
With The Unknown
Problem
(What your product will solve)
39. Traditional Product Development:
The Waterfall
Requirements
Specification
Problem: known Design
Solution: known Implementation
Verification
Maintenance
40. Lean Startup Product Development
Customer Development
Hypotheses Problem: unknown Data
Experiments Feedback
Solution: unknown
Insights Insights
Plan Do Release
Iterate
47. 2010
2 guys employed full-time
Well known brand
Profitable
Advertising, Events, Consulting,
Product
48. What Do You Need?
People.
It’s easier with co-founders.
Find something you’re passionate
about. Mostly forget money.
Start something.
Figure it out as you go.
49. People.
Choosing a co-founder is more
like choosing a wife / husband.
It’s nice to have complimentary
skills but the relationship is more
important.
50. Start.
Start something or join a startup.
As a student you have advantages:
Spare time, low costs of living, no-
one cares if you fail, minimal
commitments
52. Meet with founders /
go to events
ArcticEvenings (Nordics)
www.arcticstartup.com/arctic-evenings
More Nordic events: www.arcticindex.com/events
Aalto Entrepreneurship Society (Finland)
www.aaltoes.com
Open Coffee (World-wide)
Google: open coffee
Local events, conferences