So, imagine that the fun of the Hackathon is over and you are one of the 12 student teams that were chosen by the jury to enter Innovation Labs.
You will participate in the TechLounge Talks and be engaged in a special mentoring program. What should you expect from the mentoring sessions?
Here are some of the things you will learn:
workshop 1: Product vision
Product development starts with market analysis and an internal evaluation. What is hot and what is not, team assets and what a team is missing are the directing factors in the first steps of an emerging start-up. This orientation session will place the teams in the ballpark of their niche.
workshop 2: Technologies
All tough technology is not a key factor for the success of a product some technologies are more suited for some tasks than others. Being aware of the technologies available before starting to develop your product is very useful later in the product life cycle. It can help position your product with respect to the competition and it can help you tap into new markets with the emergence of other complementary technologies. In this seminar a mentor will help teams better understand the technological niche in which they lie and provide advice regarding API’s and frameworks that can speed up they product development.
workshop 3: Self-management
A determinant factor in the success of an start-up is management. Prioritization and keeping focus are two of the most important and difficult challenges start-ups (and corporations) face. This seminar will provide targeted insight into management strategies (AGILE, SCRUM, etc) that help small teams deal with these challenges and deliver quickly while maintaining a good quality of the product.
workshop 4: Technologies
This is a followup of section two that is better target for the specific need of each team. Tutorials and workshops for groups of 3-4 teams are prepared to help in the development of their solutions.
workshop 5: Intermediate pitch
At this step of the seminar each team will have the opportunity to present a five minute pitch of their product in front of their peers and a mentor. This is a good chance to receive constructive feedback and bounce ideas off other contestants.
workshop 6: Product vision
This is a reiteration of the exercise from the first seminar. It will give the teams a chance to evaluate their progress in the first half of the course and decide if they are on the right track or if they need to restructure their goals according to the latest progress they made.
workshop 7: Product life-cycle
In the industry a product is often compared to a living entity that is born and goes through a series of stages during its lifetime. At this point in the course each team should be asking themselves questions about the long term future of their product and decide on future features, product growth, product maturity, maintenance etc. This session will help teams put things in perspective and give some structure and meaning to the impact of their current actions on the future of the product.
workshop 8: Product branding
In the world of technology there are not many things that can protect a product. Ideas are always “borrowed” and improved by competitors, while patents are expensive and take a long time to obtain. One of the most effective way to protect and sell ones product is the brand. Teams will be advised on how to create a name and an ecosystem around they product and their company and make an impact on the consumers. Positioning, advertising and selling strategies will be attached to the emerging software.
workshop 9: Preparation for the final pitch
This session is dedicated for the preparation of the final pitch. This is the final chance of each team to get feedback and improve on their presentation skills and message delivery before meeting the investors.
workshop 10: Final pitch
At this stage the teams should have a very well shaped product as well as a good product strategy. Each team will pitch their idea to a panel of investors in an attempt to secure funding for their startup.
