This document provides guidance for mentors at a startup weekend event. It explains that mentors should help teams work through a process of identifying problems, hypothesizing solutions, discovering customer needs, and iterating based on feedback. Mentors are assigned to teams to ask questions that move the teams toward judging criteria in customer validation, business model, and execution. The questions focus on problem definition, solution testing, market research, prototype building, and customer validation. Mentors should track team progress and be available to multiple teams. Presentation workshops are also recommended to help teams prepare for the final judging.

1. Kelley Boyd | Think Experience
Mentor your Ass Off!
@msksboyd

2. What is your Job
Introduce, orient and coach teams through a process (“LEAN”) that allows
them to identify and define a tech business (i.e. BUILD - MEASURE - LEARN) by
asking questions.
Startup Weekend has defined criteria by which teams will be judged. Your
job, is to help teams produce results that meet those criteria - by asking the
questions.
Among you are Biz, Tech, Design and Developers. Each type of mentor will
likely “work” with each team. Sometimes that just means check in with and ask
the question where are you at in process?
The goal of mentoring is to move teams through the process to get to a place

3. Judging Criteria
Customer Validation -
Have you interviewed potential or target customers?
Have you integrated feedback into your solution?
Built a base of fans or would be customers?
Business Model -
Differentiated yourself from competitors?
Defined customer acquisition or rollout strategy?
Clearly and realistically articulated your revenue model?
Execution -
Developed a functional prototype?
Executed well as a team?

4. The Questions
Problem Statement: So, what is the problem? Who has that problem?
Solution Hypothesis: How are you going to fix that problem?
Market Discovery: Has the problem been “fixed” before and of so what happened to
that solution? What is wrong with how they did it?
Build = Customer Discovery - In the case of weekend events - we consider the
“Build” a crafted “survey” that will allow measure of interest in the proposed actual
product.
Measure = Customer Validation - How many people did you talk to about that? What
did you ask them? What did they say?
Learn = Product/Market fit - Based on what you learned - Is this a feature or a
product? How big is that market? How would you approach capturing that market?
Can you make money - and if so, how?
MVP = A framework or actual product for “sale” to the target market and an associated
effort to find and engage target customers

5. What You Should Do
Mentor Procedures:
Wear your shirt
Mentors are responsible for checking in with Organizer when they arrive which is where they will
get any direction for team assignments.
Team assignments are done by Organizers after teams have formed and stated the Problem and
Solution Hypothesis.
“Assignments” is used loosely and are fluid - For example, assignments will be used so that if a
team has evolved to the point they need design or UX/UI help if a Designer is on the floor or when
Design Mentor checks in we will send he/she straight over to facilitate progress for that team.
“Assigned” Mentors can get other Mentor assistance and may “transfer” responsibility.
Transfers should be noted by Organizer via Assignment Spreadsheet just so we know that the
team was not abandoned.

6. Info Looks Like This
TEAM NAME: ______________________________________________________
TEAM MEMBERS: __________________________________________________
PROBLEM STATEMENT: We think that _______ people have trouble doing ____?
SOLUTION HYPOTHESIS: Describe In Words
MARKET DISCOVERY: What products currently exist in the space you are looking to build in and
how will your product will differ?
Have there been other products built for this market segment and failed - if so - why? Why won’t
yours?

7. And then like This
Build B# _____ (Question)
Describe : We did surveys with people one on one
Sample Size: Total # of surveys
Describe : We put out listings on Craigslist to get people to answer survey
Sample Size: Total # of ads or ads responded to
Measure M# _____ (Results)
Describe : Of the response - we had 10 reliable responses
Assess : Results of Build Numerically i.e. 6/10
Learn L# _____ (Iterate / Pivot)
Describe : Based on what we learned we need to tighten up hypothesis and amend our problem statement
Cycles marked with #1 / #2 / #3 / #4 etc.
Mentor Checkins: Date / Initials

8. And Now like This
MVP PLAN
TEAM NAME: ______________________________________________________
TEAM MEMBERS: __________________________________________________
PROBLEM STATEMENT: We know that _______ people have trouble doing ____?
WE DID THE WORK AND HAVE VALIDATED THAT PEOPLE WANT TO BUY THIS:
MVP: Describe and Demonstrate your Minimally Viable Product
Test Sell: What method did you use to Test Sell? Launchrock, Unbounce, Wufoo
Results: We sold some stuff

9. One Last Thing
PRESENTATION REVIEW WORKSHOPS SUNDAY!!! GET TEAMS TO SIGN UP!
PRESO ELEMENTS
Customer Validation
Business Model
Execution
PRESO STRUCTURE
Does the presentation build in a way the judges can understand how well you map to the
judging criteria?
PRESO PANACHE
Will the judges pay attention to your pitch?

10. GroupMe Group?
Kelley Boyd
@msksboyd
9172910004