Startup Essentials: Discover
Knowing your customer enables you to develop products that address their needs, pain points, and preferences, ideally resulting in product-market fit and paying customers!
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June 12, 2025 (4 weeks) | 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
$99/person + GST
Virtual
After completing Discover, you will be able to:
- Master the art of Customer Discovery to reveal authentic market demand.
- Develop a Problem Statement Canvas to address real customer challenges.
- Gain meaningful insights from customer interviews to drive your startup’s success.
- Identify and engage with early adopters who can champion your product.
- Conduct competitive analyses to strategically position your startup in the market.
- Understand the essentials of the Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
- Chart your startup’s trajectory using the Lean(er) Canvas.
Understanding your customer is key to building a strong foundation for your business.
Knowing your customer lets you develop products and services that address their needs, pain points, and preferences, ideally resulting in product-market fit and paying customers!
The goal of this program
Our goal is to equip you with the skills and confidence needed to launch your startup and engage with customers effectively. By mastering these mechanics, you’ll develop products that truly meet market needs, stand out from the competition, craft compelling marketing and communications, and achieve sustainable growth through strong customer relationships.
Program Schedule
Week 1: Customer Discovery & Insights
6-8 PM (MT) | Online
- Learn the importance of Customer Discovery and the 4 Phases involved.
- Define your hypothesis and practice with the Problem Statement Canvas.
- Understand customer segmentation and how to select your target audience.
- Discover where to find potential customers and how to build effective interview scripts.
Week 2: Validation, Competition & MVP Development
6-8 PM (MT) | Online
- Understand the Innovation Sweet Spot: Desirability, Feasibility, Viability.
- Explore Product-Market Fit and Assumption Mapping.
- Define your competitors and conduct a Competitive SWOT Analysis.
- Learn the essentials of MVP Development, including validation techniques.
Week 3: Value Proposition & Lean(er) Canvas
6-8 PM (MT) | Online
- Understand the Feedback Loop, its definition, and purpose.
- Learn about the Unique Value Proposition (UVP).
- Explore and build your own Lean(er) Canvas.
Week 4: Reflection, Iteration & Next Steps
6-8 PM (MT) | Online
- Engage in a final reflection on Customer Discovery, sharing key lessons learned and biggest takeaways in a group discussion.
- Plan ahead to set yourself up for success by discussing the importance of continuing the journey beyond the program.
- Learn about next steps, including additional programs, community resources, and wayfinding for continued growth.
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Knowing your customer enables you to develop products that address their needs, pain points, and preferences, ideally resulting in product-market fit and paying customers!
This program is for
Startup Founders
Early-stage founders who need to refine their customer discovery process, better understand their market, and clearly define their value proposition to improve their chances of success.
Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Individuals with a business idea or early-stage startup looking to validate their concept, identify their target audience, and develop a solid foundation for their business model.
Innovation and Product Teams
Teams within established companies or organizations aiming to launch new products or services, who need to conduct thorough customer discovery and validate their ideas before moving forward.
The Startups
Frequently Asked Questions
Testimonials
“Discover provides a solid framework for engaging customers to better understand the market potential and needs. It has saved us months in the process of starting our new business.”
Derrick Keoing
Founder & Chief Product Officer, Ontopical
“You have to be willing to be very wrong. Critically assessing the data gathered is key to getting benefit from this program. Doing it right may result in robust discussions among partners - and it’s worth it!”
Nora Brittney
Senior Manager, KPMG Canada
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Knowing your customer enables you to develop products that address their needs, pain points, and preferences, ideally resulting in product-market fit and paying customers!
Land Acknowledgement
We honour and acknowledge Moh’kinsstis and the traditional Treaty 7 territory and oral practices of the Blackfoot confederacy: Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, as well as the Îyâxe Nakoda and Tsuut’ina nations. We acknowledge that this territory is home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3 within the historical Northwest Métis homeland. We respect all Nations who live, work, play, innovate and build things on this land, and in so doing honour and celebrate the territory.