This document introduces the Startup Founder Canvas, a tool created by Michel Cezon to help startup founders explore why they are starting their business and how they will execute their vision. The canvas guides founders through questions in 12 blocks related to their values, motivations, skills, and definition of success. It is meant to be used alongside the Business Model Canvas to assess a startup's business potential and team compatibility. Filling out the canvas individually and then comparing as a group can help founders ensure their goals and approaches are aligned from the early stages.

1. Why & How,
the Startup Founder Canvas v1.2
Michel Cezon – September 2018
Cogiteo ©

2. The reference tool to create,
capture and deliver value
01/08/2018 Why & How, the Startup Founder Canvas - Cogiteo © 2

3. And the Team ?
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4. ✓ Because teams are more important than ideas or technologies
✓ Because the team cohesion sustains the success of the startup
✓ Because it is better to ask the right questions at the beginning
✓ Because we are more efficient when we know why we do things
✓ Because why comes before how
Complementary to the Business Model Canvas® Strategyzer.com,
the Startup Founder Canvas is the think tank tool for the
entrepreneur, the startup founder and the associates
The need for a new Canvas ?
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5. Why & How,
the Startup Founder Canvas
01/08/2018 Why & How, the Startup Founder Canvas - Cogiteo © 5
Ref :
Date :
Values Vision Strategy Organisation
Motivations Missions Skills Means
Why & How, the Startup Founder Canvas v1.2
Why How
www.startupfoundercanvas.com - The Startup Founder Canvas is complementary to the Business Model Canvas Strategyzer.com and licensed under Creative Commons
Needs Commitments
Purpose
Key success criteria
INTEN-
TION
EXECU-
TION

6. Ref :
Date :
Values Vision Strategy Organisation
Motivations Missions Skills Means
Why & How, the Startup Founder Canvas v1.2
Why How
www.startupfoundercanvas.com - The Startup Founder Canvas is complementary to the Business Model Canvas Strategyzer.com and licensed under Creative Commons
Needs Commitments
Purpose
Key success criteria
Two dimensions to explore for the
startup founder
01/08/2018 Why & How, the Startup Founder Canvas - Cogiteo © 6
1
Why ?
3
How ?
2 For
what ?

7. Ref :
Date :
Values Vision Strategy Organisation
Motivations Missions Skills Means
Why & How, the Startup Founder Canvas v1.2
Why How
www.startupfoundercanvas.com - The Startup Founder Canvas is complementary to the Business Model Canvas Strategyzer.com and licensed under Creative Commons
Needs Commitments
Purpose
Key success criteria
Questionning path
01/08/2018 Why & How, the Startup Founder Canvas - Cogiteo © 7
*The path order may be different
1
Values
2
Motivations
4
Vision
5
Missions
3
Needs
6
Purpose
10
Strategy
11
Organisation
7
Skills
8
Means
9
Commitments
12
Success
criteria

8. Ref :
Date :
Values
What are my personal
values and those I want to
live with ?
Vision
What is my vision for the
world I would like to
build or to contribute to ?
Strategy
What is the strategy I want
to deploy ?
What do I want ?
Organisation
What collaborations do I
want with a team ?
How do I want to work
with my ecosystem ?
Motivations
What are my triggers for
action ? What do I like ?
Missions
What are the missions I
would like to tackle to
contribute to my vision ?
Skills
What skills do I bring ?
What do I know ?
Means
What means do I bring ?
What can I do ?
www.startupfoundercanvas.com - The Startup Founder Canvas is complementary to the Business Model Canvas Strategyzer.com and licensed under Creative Commons
Why & How, the Startup Founder Canvas v1.2
Why How
Needs
What do I need?
Which benefits do I expect ?
Commitments
What are my engagement levels ?
For which risk levels ?
Purpose
What is the meaning, the
purpose of my life ?
Key success criteria
How will I know I have
succeeded, what I reach my
purpose ?
Team member questionning
01/08/2018 Why & How, the Startup Founder Canvas - Cogiteo © 8
From the most established … to the most flexible

9. Ref :
Date :
Values
What are our commun
values and those we want
to live with ?
Vision
What is our vision for the
world we would like to
build or to contribute to ?
Strategy
What is the strategy we
want to deploy ?
What do we want
collectively ?
Organisation
What collaborations do we
want within the team ?
How do we want to work
with our ecosystem ?
Motivations
What are our triggers for
collective actions ? What
do we like ?
Missions
What are the missions we
would like to tackle to
contribute to our vision ?
Skills
What skills do we bring ?
What do we know
collectively ?
Means
What means do we
bring ?
What can we do
collectively ?
www.startupfoundercanvas.com - The Startup Founder Canvas is complementary to the Business Model Canvas Strategyzer.com and licensed under Creative Commons
Why & How, the Startup Founder Canvas v1.2
Why How
Purpose
What is the startup's
meaning, the purpose of its
creation ?
Key success criteria
How will we know we have
succeeded, what we reach
our goal ?
Needs
What do we need ?
Which benefits do we expect ?
Commitments
What are our engagement levels ?
For which risk levels ?
Team questionning
01/08/2018 Why & How, the Startup Founder Canvas - Cogiteo © 9
Must be
+ or –
convergent
May be
+ or -
divergent
From the most established … to the most flexible

10. Coherence between the blocks
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*The coherence should be checked within each block and betweeen blocks

11.  You go throught the process explaining the meaning of each block
 Each founder fills the SFCanvas A4 size with his/her own view point and following
the proposed order (or not)
 Through individual meetings
 You check coherences between blocks for each founder
 You ask the founder about his/her feelings and learnings
 Through a group meeting
 You stick a SFCanvas on the wall (A0 format if possible)
 Each founder writes on post-its (one color per founder) what he/she wrote in his/her
Canvas and sticks them on the general Canvas
 You compare each answer and highlight alignments and differences
 You valide global coherence of all the view points for each block
 You valide coherences between blocks
 You ask founders about their feelings and learnings
Process you may follow when
coaching …
01/08/2018 Why & How, the Startup Founder Canvas - Cogiteo © 11

12. ✓ Alignment
✓ Coherency
✓ Complementary
✓ Efficiency
Benefits for the founder and the
team
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➢ At creation, ramp up, fund raising
and recruitment phases

13. Michel Cezon is a professionnel certified coach and Artificial Intelligence, Robotic and
Vision Engineer. With 35 years of experiences in Industry, SMEs and Research, he
created three startups (Singapore, France, and USA spin-off). Founder and manager of
Cogiteo, he coachs and trains founders and managers of startups and SMEs
technologies. He teachs in incubators, Industry and universities, works as a certified
mediator and belongs to a Business Angels network.
Author of the Startup Founder Canvas,
a serial entrepreneur
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14.  Big thank you to Agnes Dang, Alex Osterwalder, Anais Mercier, Antoine
Sandanassamy, Benoit Combes, Catherine Cayuela, Catherine Roupie,
Christian Rey, Claire Chanterelle, Clémentine Delphin, Cyril Couffe, Daniel
Pilaud, Didier Bernard, Dolores Adamski, Dominique Vian, Erno Tornikoski,
France Revol, Gregory Gabriel, Jean-Marc Santi, Jérôme Barrand, Laura
Calmore, Marie Chambon, Michaelle Policard, Néry Aidoud, Pierre-Yves
Hittelet, Quy-Diem Dao, Rachid Alhiane, Roland Pesty, Sabrina Lhomme,
Sylvain Brissot, Véronique Mante...
Contributors list
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15. The Startup Shaker® toolset
The 3 pillars of the startup
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Business potential analysis with
Business Model Canvas®
Team potential analysis with
Startup Founder Canvas®
Team / Business compatibility analysis with
Secure Your Growth®

16. BLOG entrepreneurship:
www.michelcezon.fr
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17. Michel Cezon
contact@startupfoundercanvas.com
www.startupfoundercanvas.com
Looking forward to working
together
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Because the best way to success
is a great team more than a
great product.