I wrote my first post a month ago and it was heartening to see all the encouragement and support. So, wanted to start with some heartfelt thanks to everyone that reached out!
Updates
Thrive Venture Studio Sprint
I successfully applied and got accepted into SVG Ventures' Thrive Venture Studio sprint, leading investors in the food and agriculture domain. This 7-week free-of-cost program is designed to help entrepreneurs go from an idea to defining a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). It's a great opportunity to receive guidance from industry experts with deep domain knowledge. The program managers have been very proactive and always ready to connect the dots for me with key industry contacts.
Stanford Program
I also enrolled in an in-person 8-week course at Stanford University called Accelerate Your Startup Idea. This course provides a collaborative experience with 65 other aspiring entrepreneurs from around the world, who are all trying to refine their ideas and understand how to get to product-market fit.
I get to rub shoulders with folks going through a similar journey and it has been amazing to brainstorm ideas and learn about so many different domains. The course is taught by Bret Waters, a serial entrepreneur and investor himself and has been a very practical way of learning how to ensure we make things people really want.
The fact that these two programs lined up around the same was coincidental, but I’ll take it as a cosmic thumbs-up that the universe has got my back :).
Why?
I wanted to share the thought process behind applying for these programs. There is, obviously, no substitute to learning through experience and making mistakes. But I find a couple of benefits to structured learning. I’d like to share an example from one of my recent learnings.
Recently, I dedicated a lot of time perfecting a survey for user research. My focus was on crafting questions that were quick to answer, striking a balance between multiple-choice and open-ended formats. I implemented analytics, initiated various email campaigns, and carefully chose a user list to target. It seemed like an intelligent strategy to glean insights from a significant number of users.
However, despite all these efforts, not one user clicked the survey link, let alone complete it :) Later, I came across this YC video on user research and it clearly articulates why surveys are good at micro-optimization but not good for identifying some fundamental truths. Even if I had gotten some responses, it wasn’t something I could use as market validation. As valuable it was for me to learn from my own mistakes, I could have saved some time had I seen that video earlier :)
Framework
The curated resources from these programs are similar to books in a way, as in they distill lifetime of experiences into mere hours. You have the luxury of learning from others’ experiences, identifying best practices & common pitfalls.
Going through these programs has helped me to structure my thoughts and come up with a concrete and iterative plan to find the product market fit. It is easy to get emotionally attached to a problem and having a framework helps to stay objective.
Network
For any entrepreneur or a leader, the most valuable asset is their network. I find it energizing to be part of a cohort of like minded folks, who have similar interests & aspirations. I have the opportunity to observe 70+ other folks approach different problems in different domains and for a solo-founder like me it has been a great forum to bounce ideas and get feedback. Plus, this is a great way to find collaborators, ecosystem partners and even potential customers.
Takeaway
I’m not saying that you need a full blown degree, but if you are building a company for the first time and if you are at the idea-stage, I recommend getting involved in some structured practical learning sprint with a cohort. It really does accelerate your progress!
Requests
Having devoted considerable time this year, engaging with farmers and studying their daily practices, my vision has solidified. I now have a clear idea of what my MVP should entail.
Put simply, it's time to expand the team. I'm on the lookout for AI/ML engineers and full-stack developers who are eager to join me in turning this vision into reality.
Climate change is an undeniable reality, and I believe that it warrants a substantial redirection of human talent and ingenuity to address this pressing challenge. If you feel the same way, feel free to reach out!