This document outlines an agenda for a startup workshop on validating ideas. 1. It recaps lessons from previous sessions on confirming vs. validating ideas and avoiding cognitive biases. 2. Students are asked to bring 3 ideas they could have tested better, and 3 of their own ideas to workshop, each with failure modes and testable hypotheses. 3. Testing methods like surveys, prototypes, and crowdfunding are discussed. Students will design simple tests of their ideas and report results on Friday.

1. 15.S56:
(in)Validating Your
Startup Ideas
IAP 2013
Day 2

2. welcome

3. What's ahead
● Monday: From bad ideas to good ideas
● Wednesday: Dig deeper
● Friday: Showtime! (short presentations)

4. Wednesday Overview
● Recap Goal:
Make sure you have tools to
succeed on your own.
● Review homework
Key Points
● Prep for Friday
1. Clarify Monday
● Group work 2. Understand examples
3. Apply

5. Monday Recap
Recap
● (in)Validating
○ Why not confirm?
● Traps
○ Confirmation bias
○ Narrative Fallacy
● Cost of your precious time
○ The Dip & quitting
● Bad Ideas
● Positioning Statement
● Testable Hypotheses & KPI's

6. Homework
1. Three ideas not discussed in class that could
have known better, and how
2. For Wednesday's group work
○ Bring three of your own ideas, with three failure
modes
■ Testable hypothesis
○ One simple way to test each one - that you can do
on Thursday

7. Now your turn

8. Three ideas
not discussed in class
that could have
known better,
and how

9. lunch

10. Today's Recap
● Recap Goal:
Make sure you have tools to
succeed on your own.
● Review homework
Key Points
Next up:
1. Clarify Monday
● Prep for Friday
2. Understand examples
● Group work
3. Apply

12. Testing methods
○ Observation
○ Online ads: AdWords / Facebook / Twitter
○ Survey
○ Prototype
○ Market research
○ Focus groups
○ Fake site / app: unbounce.com
○ Crowdfunding: Kickstarter, etc.

13. Homework for Friday
For Today's group work
○ Bring three of your own ideas, with three failure
modes & a testable hypothesis
○ One simple way to test each one - that you can do
on Thursday
For Friday: Short Presentation for one idea
○ Idea
○ Positioning Statement
○ KPI for (in)Validating
○ Test
○ Result

14. Group Work:
Your tests