This document outlines an introductory workshop on developing a roadmap to success for startups. It discusses 11 key topics that are important for startups to consider, including building a compelling value proposition, culture and vision, and fundraising strategies. The workshop provides an overview of developing a roadmap that reduces risk and increases value over different stages from ideation to profitability. It encourages attendees to think about their own roadmaps and what may be missing or incomplete. The goal is to help entrepreneurs better understand the questions to ask and steps to take to strengthen their startups.

1. Startup Secrets: What’s
Your Roadmap to
Success?
6.17.19

2. Confidential & Proprietary @underscorevc
Startup Secrets
Workshops
2
1. What’s Your Roadmap to Success?
2. Building a Compelling Value Proposition
3. Turning Products into Companies
4. Culture, Mission and Vision
5. Hiring A+ Talent
6. Game-Changing Business Models
7. Go to Market Strategies
8. Getting Behind the Perfect Investor Pitch
9. Funding Strategies to go the Distance
10. Have You Got What It Takes?
11. Mastering Mutual Mentorship

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● Frequently asked questions:
○ What is involved in a startup?
○ What are the things I need to think
about / learn to be successful?
○ Is my idea / project / opportunity
fundable?
○ How do I pitch it to raise money?
○ And many more questions and
frequently questioned answers!
● What are YOUR questions?
Why Are We
Here?
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● Frequently asked questions:
○ What is involved in a startup?
○ What are the things I need to think
about / learn to be successful?
○ Is my idea / project / opportunity
fundable?
○ How do I pitch it to raise money?
○ And many more questions and
frequently questioned answers!
● Startup Secrets as a series is designed to
bring these questions to life in practical
frameworks and case studies
○ So we designed this workshop as a
Roadmap to Success…
■ …and in turn therefore to the
Startup Secrets series as a whole.
Why Are We
Here?
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Vision / Mission
Value Prop
Roadmap
Enduring
Company
Startup
…
…
…
…
Macro: Building an Enduring Company
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Steps:
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Some kind of ROADMAP to execute from
○ Might take many forms for different audiences
■ Product Roadmap?
■ Business Plan?
■ Investor Pitch Deck?
■ … or even a Napkin Sketch!
● It will almost certainly be wrong!
○ But it can’t be mindless, it needs to be mindful!
■ So you have some straw man, or baseline
as a beginning
A Good
First
Step:
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Ideation Confirmation Creation Validation Repeatability Scalability Profitability Predictability
Steps:
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Ideation Confirmation Creation Validation Repeatability Scalability Profitability Predictability
Increasing VALUE
DecreasingRISK
Each Step: Reduce Risk, Increase Value
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Ideation Confirmation Creation Validation Repeatability Scalability Profitability Predictability
Increasing VALUE
DecreasingRISK
Reality: Iteration
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What will yours be?
Pivots?
Ideation
Repeatability?
Predictability?
Scalability?
Validation?
Profitability?
Funding?
Creation
The Roadmap to Success
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What will yours be?
Expect the unexpected!
Pivots?
Ideation
Repeatability?
Predictability?
Scalability?
Validation?
Profitability?
Funding?
CreationOutlier
customers
Business Model
Reworking
Funding
Mirage
Iterations
The unexpected:
“near death”
experience
Team
Upgrades
Growth vs.
Leverage?
Re-creation
Startup
Euphoria
The Roadmap to Success
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What will yours be?
Expect the unexpected!
Longer, harder, maybe even bigger...
Pivots?
Ideation
Repeatability?
Predictability?
Scalability?
Validation?
Profitability?
Funding?
CreationOutlier
customers
Business Model
Reworking
Funding
Mirage
Iterations
The unexpected:
“near death”
experience
Team
Upgrades
Growth vs.
Leverage?
Re-creation
Startup
Euphoria
The Roadmap to Success
13

14. Milestones

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Increasing VALUE
DecreasingRISK
Product
Market Fit
Prototype
Problem Fit
Value Prop
Idea Fit
MVP & MVS
Customer Fit
Company
Execution Fit
Company
Public Market Fit
Company
Business
Model Fit
Ideation Confirmation Creation Validation Repeatability Scalability Profitability Predictability
Milestones
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● Project, Org, Company Name
● Team
○ Team Member Names & Backgrounds
■ Why are they uniquely qualified to
address this problem / opportunity?
● Value Prop
○ Problem you’re solving
■ Product / Service
● Vision
○ Market need
■ Evolution in several years
■ How will you lead it?
Who? Why? How? What? When?
● Create Roadmap – TIMELINE
○ Ideation
○ Confirmation
○ Creation
○ Validation / Iteration
○ Repeatability
○ Scalability
○ Profitability
○ Predictability
Whiteboard:
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17. Roadmap to
Success

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What Are
You
Missing?
How much of this is incomplete or missing?
● Team
● Value Proposition
● Product
● Go-to-Market Strategy
● Business Model
■ … and many others
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How much of this is incomplete or missing?
● Team
● Value Proposition
● Product
● Go-to-Market Strategy
● Business Model
■ … and many others
● Money? See Funding Strategies to Go the Distance
Planning
For the
Perfect
Pitch
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Startup Secret!
Incomplete
Stand Outs Are
Better Than
Complete Stand
Ups!
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● Investors are looking for outstanding:
○ People
○ Technology or other disruption
○ Market opportunity
● One outstanding of the above stands out versus all good,
but none great
● Investors don’t expect complete:
○ Team
○ Product
○ Value prop
○ GTM plan
○ Business Model
● Entrepreneurs don’t need all the answers!
○ They just need to be self aware, listening, leaders!

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Do you have the right questions?

22. Startup Secrets: What’s
Your Roadmap to
Success?
6.14.19