YesWeCode Chat 30: How To Go From Startup Idea To MVP

YesWeCode Chat 30: How To Go From Startup Idea To MVP

#YesWeCode Chat 30
Topic: How To Go From Startup Idea To MVP
Sunday October 25th at 8pm CT
Connect with me @uchechi_writes

Going from your startup idea to MVP can be challenging, especially if you’re not quite sure how to validate your idea.

Over the last year, I’ve spoken to several startup entrepreneurs who are bootstrapping their product development, and want to know how to do so in a way that maximizes the time and money they do have.   How do you know if there’s a need for your product? What counts as market validation? What are some low cost ways to test the market? These are all important questions you should ask yourself to help you get to your MVP. Often times, entrepreneurs don’t always know how to go about doing this effectively, and end up wasting a lot of time and resources.

I think it’s time we used the #yeswecode chat as a platform to help you figure this out and to help you get there with as little stress as possible.

During the chat, here are some questions to think about:
1. What does it meant to validate your idea?
2. Do you think you have to have lots of startup capital to do this?
3. If you’re a founder, how did you go about getting to your MVP?
4. Are there ways to use social media to help us get to our MVP?
5. For non technical founders, what has been the biggest hurdle you’ve had to overcome?
6. With varying ideas of what it means to “validate” your idea, how do we find a plan of action that gets us there with very little waste of time and/or money?

Missed the last #yeswecode chat and want to catch up before the next one? We discussed how to create more opportunity for all in tech.

See it here: http://buff.ly/1LmapNU

New to the #yeswecode chat? Check out these guidelines to help you make the most of it!

See you Sunday!

#YesWeCode Chat 29: Tech Diversity & Opportunity

#YesWeCode Chat 29: Tech Diversity & Opportunity

During this year’s Emmy Awards, Viola Davis gave a speech that was both moving and personally resonated with me. After winning the award for best actress in a television drama, she said:  the only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there. Oh, that last line struck a chord!

For me, her words struck a chord. I have always been openly passionate about why I believe diversity in technology is not only good for business (more global creativity leads to products that serve a global world), but also good for shaping the conversation around opportunity and access in the tech world.

During her speech, I was also struck by the talent of the women nominated beside her, especially Taraji P. Henson in her short clip from Empire, her hit show.  I decided to see f binge watching Empire, the new hit show featuring Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard. And I’m hooked. The show centers around the story of Howard and Henson, an ex married couple who also run a record label empire together. What I found most astounding was how riveted I was by both of their performances. They’ve always been great actors, but the opportunity to be featured in roles where they can shine really allowed me to see their gifts.

Does Viola Davis have a point? As a tech entrepreneur who’s been bootstrapping my company, I am left wondering how much of the difficulty for underrepresented communities in technology has to do with access to opportunity. After teaching tech skills, how do we create opportunities for all of us to show those skills?

Now, don’t get me wrong. I believe we each have a personal responsibility to handle our business and that luck is about being ready when an opportunity comes, but what happens when we’ve prepared ourselves as much as we can and we just need an opportunity to break through?

A few questions to think about:

  1. What are some missing opportunities for underrepresented tech entrepreneurs?
  2. After you’ve done as much as you can to prepare for opportunities, what can you do to move forward?
  3. What can tech cities do to create more opportunities?
  4. How can we address this issue without being accused of wanting special treatment?