business model, customer development, e245, engr245, lean launchpad, lean startup, stanford, startup, steve blank

2. Maya Granit
Hustler
MBA2/MS
Grace Horwitz
Picker
MBA2
Ellie Chen
Designer
BS Product Design
Andrew Hojel
Hacker
BS CS, AI Track
Koa
106 interviews total
Kathleen Estreich
Mentor
Week 1: Fond Week 10: Koa
Mobile app that helps couples equitably
divide, track and manage household
duties
An intimate, online community
connecting new moms and
experienced moms
→

3. Koa’s Journey: 2 Pivots & 12 MVPs

4. I. Troubles with Value Proposition

5. We felt excited about the problem

6. Key Partners
Integration partners
(calendar)
Relationship experts
Key Suppliers
Cloud infrastructure
Softwares used in
development
Key Activities
Easy, fast task
delegations
Good UI/UX
Incorporating values
Value Propositions
Household task mgmt
Equitably divide labor
Means of showing
appreciation
Dynamic delegation of
tasks
Customer Segments
Dual-earner households
Single-earner
households
Roommates
Income $80k+
Key Resources
Consultants
(relationship specialists,
psychologists)
Talented team
Customer
Relationships
Trusting / positive
Automated services
Channels
App Store(s)
Marriage Counselors
Blogs/Influencers
Cost Structure
Development
Targeted advertising Server Hosting
Revenue Streams
Freemium (ad revenue from free tier)
Business Model Canvas - Household Mgt for Busy Couples

7. Key Partners
Integration partners
(calendar)
Relationship experts
Key Suppliers
Cloud infrastructure
Softwares used in
development
Key Activities
Easy, fast task
delegations
Good UI/UX
Incorporating values
Key Resources
Consultants
(relationship specialists,
psychologists)
Talented team
Customer
Relationships
Trusting / positive
Automated services
Channels
App Store(s)
Marriage Counselors
Blogs/Influencers
Cost Structure
Development
Targeted advertising Server Hosting
Revenue Streams
Freemium (ad revenue from free tier)
Business Model Canvas - Household Mgt for Busy Couples
Value Propositions
Household task
mgmt
Equitably divide
labor
Means of showing
appreciation
Dynamic
delegation of tasks
Customer
Segments
Dual-earner
households
Single-earner
households
Roommates
Income $80k+

8. Business Model Canvas - Household Mgt for Busy Couples
Value Propositions
Household task mgmt
Equitably divide labor
Means of showing
appreciation
Dynamic delegation of
tasks
Customer Segments
Dual-earner households
Single-earner households
Roommates
Income $80k+

9. We did 25 interviews. We heard. . .
“It’d just feel like a chore to keep something updated.” -
Alix F.

10. We did 25 interviews. We heard. . .
“It’d just feel like a chore to keep something updated.” -
Alix F.
“I’m more tool-happy, but it’s not [his] nature to use
something like this.” - Mikaela M.

11. We did 25 interviews. We heard. . .
“It’d just feel like a chore to keep something updated.” -
Alix F.
“I’m more tool-happy, but it’s not [his] nature to use
something like this.” - Mikaela M.
“I am worried that this app would just become a way of
keeping score and nagging each other” - Zoe W.

12. We believed an application for task delegation
could help fix relationship dynamics

13. We believed an application for task delegation
could help fix relationship dynamics
When we talked to customers, we saw the root
issue is communication & a to-do list can’t fix
communication

14. 😢
What next?

15. We really like new parents…
Customer Archetype:
● Parents with kid(s) <5 years old
● HH income >$100k
● Dual-earner household
Why we liked this group
● Families having kids are restructuring household systems
● We saw BIG needs from new parents

16. II. Broad Ideation -> Pivot

17. We did 30 interviews with new parents & found
strong needs in . . .

18. isolation & community
We did 30 interviews with new parents & found
strong needs in . . .

19. isolation & community
lactation / feeding
We did 30 interviews with new parents & found
strong needs in . . .

20. isolation & community
lactation / feeding
traveling with kids
We did 30 interviews with new parents & found
strong needs in . . .

21. isolation & community
lactation / feeding
sleep traveling with kids
We did 30 interviews with new parents & found
strong needs in . . .

22. isolation & community
lactation / feeding
sleep traveling with kids
daycare
We did 30 interviews with new parents & found
strong needs in . . .

23. We tested our new ideas via landing pages and
Facebook ads. Oasis outperformed the others.

24. We tested our new ideas via landing pages and
Facebook ads. Oasis outperformed the others.

25. We tested our new ideas via landing pages and
Facebook ads. Oasis outperformed the others.

26. Then it was week 4 and we had to decide

27. 🧐
But how?

28. “I’ll be Fond’s first
customer”

29. “Oasis is an amazing idea. My friends and I have
talked about trying to do something like it”

30. “The fingertip touch”

31. 💡 Why Koa?

32. Key Partners
Service providers
(coaches, nurses, and
doulas)
Advocacy groups
Key Suppliers
Cloud infrastructure
Expert content providers
Key Activities
Access to service
providers in broad area
of child-related
expertise
Track and aggregate
previous questions
Customer Segments
Buyer: VPs of
HR/benefits at
companies with
competitive benefits and
500+ employees
End User: Employed
parents with kids age 0-
3 years old, $100k+
income
Key Resources
Providers (nutritionists,
lactation consultants,
mentors, etc.)
Talented team
Customer
Relationships
B2B (VPs of HR,
benefits, 1,000+
employees)
Channels
Workplaces (B2B)
App store
Hospitals, medical
professionals
Cost Structure
Service providers (coaches, nurses, and doulas) Server
hosting
Team - engineers, sales, operations
Revenue Streams
B2B: offered as benefit through employers
B2C: free to join, pay per consult
Updated the Business Model Canvas
Value Propositions
Retain your
employees at new-
parent age
Information (to help get
over learning curve)
Support (whenever
you need it)

33. Key Partners
Service providers
(coaches, nurses, and
doulas)
Advocacy groups
Key Suppliers
Cloud infrastructure
Expert content providers
Key Activities
Access to service
providers in broad area
of child-related
expertise
Track and aggregate
previous questions
Key Resources
Providers (nutritionists,
lactation consultants,
mentors, etc.)
Talented team
Cost Structure
Service providers (coaches, nurses, and doulas) Server
hosting
Team - engineers, sales, operations
Revenue Streams
B2B: offered as benefit through employers
B2C: free to join, pay per consult
Updated the Business Model Canvas
Customer
Relationships
B2B (VPs of HR,
benefits, 1,000+
employees)
Channels
Workplaces (B2B)
App store
Hospitals, medical
professionals
Value Propositions
Retain your
employees at new-
parent age
Information (to help
get over learning
curve)
Support (whenever
you need it)
Customer
Segments
Buyer: VPs of
HR/benefits at
companies with
competitive benefits
and 500+ employees
End User:
Employed parents
with kids age 0-3
years old, $100k+
income

34. Updated the Business Model Canvas
Customer
Relationships
B2B (VPs of HR,
benefits, 1,000+
employees)
Channels
Workplaces (B2B)
App store
Hospitals, medical
professionals
Value Propositions
Retain your
employees at new-
parent age
Information (to help get
over learning curve)
Support (whenever
you need it)
Customer Segments
Buyer: VPs of
HR/benefits at
companies with
competitive benefits
and 500+ employees
End User: Employed
parents with kids age
0-3 years old, $100k+
income

35. Koa, n: the platform for new moms
(kō-ˈä)

36. III. From Pediatricians to “Supermoms”

37. Once we had settled on Koa, we wanted to test
whether:
01 Moms engage more with professionals or other
experienced moms
02 A text-based interface is effective for asking
parenting questions

38. All the Questions Asked

39. All the Questions Asked

40. All the Questions Asked
Questions that
Experienced Moms can
& love to answer

41. All the Questions Asked
Questions that
Experienced Moms can
& love to answer

42. All the Questions Asked
Questions that
Experienced Moms can
& love to answer
Questions that
need Doctor’s
Expertise

43. And became a platform for moms by moms

44. “Tonight is tough. Hubby is sick since yesterday
and now baby is sick 😔 No fever just colds/runny
nose but she can’t sleep because of congestion. I
do steam, humidifier, Vick’s, nasal spray, nose
frida but it’s hard to see her like this. She’s
uncomfortable laying down even I try to elevate
her head” - Anne (first-time mom of 12 month old)
New Moms Really Opened Up

45. “Oh no! Nothing is sadder than a sick baby
(and few things are harder than not being
able to tag team problems with your partner).
Sending all my love to your family. 💕
It sounds like you are doing all the right
things. Have you elevated her head? I’ve had
success slipping a small pillow under my girls’
fitted crib sheet, so the incline is minimal and
stationary.” - Alex (mom of 3.5, 15 month old,
replying to Anne)
Experienced Moms Rocked It

46. 🧐
We were excited about the level of engagement
& intimacy on Koa, so we decided to scale!

48. 40 Flyers Passed to New Moms
6 Facebook Groups
34 Survey Respondents
9 Demographic Questions Asked
12 Mom pairs matched
250+ Texts between Moms on
our prototypes

49. We were onto something with thirty moms
signing up, but . . .

50. 😞
. . . usage consistently dropped over time

51. IV. Engagement ≠ Product-Market Fit

52. 🧐
The professors told us to refocus on important
areas of the BMC that remained underexplored

53. 🧐
The professors told us to refocus on important
areas of the BMC that remained underexplored
🧐
We stepped back from our MVPs to look at the
bigger picture and verify the business model

54. Value Propositions
Lessen the daily anxiety,
uncertainty, and isolation
of parenthood
Tailored, 24/7 advice from
moms similar to you
Build community among
like-minded groups of
moms
Help experienced moms
feel valued and
appreciated
Key Resources
Service providers
(Supermoms + Specialists)
Database and NLP to derive
insights from content
Talented team
Customer Relationships
B2B: VPs of HR, benefits at
companies with 1,000+
employees
B2C: direct to moms and
Supermoms
Channels
Employers + Benefits
Consultants and PEOs
App store
Health plans and insurance
providers
Instagram + Facebook
(moms groups)
Cost Structure
Service providers (Supermoms + Specialists) Server hosting
Team - engineers, sales, operations Development
Revenue Streams
Freemium: free to join, pay per consult
Considering ads as an additional revenue stream to monetize
Free users
Affiliate marketing product referrals
Customer Segments
New Moms: new moms with
kids age 0-3 years old who
don’t have an immediate
support network
Supermoms: experienced
moms with kids age 3 YO+
who want to pay it forward
Employers: VPs of
HR/benefits at companies
with competitive benefits and
150+ employees
Needed to Update BMC
Key Partners
Service providers
(specialists, doulas,
experienced moms)
Social Media Influencers
Hospitals, schools, day cares
Local +virtual parent groups
(yoga studios, mommy
groups, YMCA, FB groups)
Key Suppliers
Cloud infrastructure
Expert content providers
Software applications (Front,
Splunk, Twilio)
Key Activities
Match new moms with
Supermoms + Specialists
Recruiting and onboarding of
moms + providers
Track, aggregate and surface
previous questions

55. We went and talked to Key Partners

56. We recalculated financials like Market Size
Total Addressable Market: $2.4BN
4M children born / year * 2 years * $300 / year
Served Available Market: $1.2BN
First-time parents (50%)
Target Market: $360M
Households earning >$100k / year (30%)
Y1-Y3 Revenue: $70,000, $1.25M, $7M
Estimating $300/year subscription fee * subscribed users (400; 5,000; 25,000)
“I would be willing to pay $30-$60
a month for this service”
Dareen (MVP user & soon-to-be mom
in Palo Alto)
How did we come to $300/yr?!

57. And re-evaluated
our competitors

58. Learnings

59. 🧐 Thank you! 🧐