Startup Secrets Sandbox

Pages
- Welcome to YOUR Startup Secrets Sandbox
  About Startup Secrets
  About this Sandbox
  FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
  Creative Commons Attribution
- HARVARD hidden pages
  HBS Foundry
  HBS FOUNDRY Working Sessions
- Customer Value Proposition
  Synopsis: Customer Value Proposition
  Frameworks
  DEFINE the Problem or Opportunity
  MVS - Minimum Viable Segment
  Beware: Don't Overlook Your MVS
  Demandware case study & video
  MVS compared to a beachhead
  4U
  BLAC and White
  BLAC and White moves
  Market timing
  YouTube: A Case Example of BLAC and White
  Netflix, Spotify and JioCinemas in India
  Whole Problem
  EVALUATE the Solution
  3D
  Gain/Pain
  DEBT
  Apple Pay case example from WSJ
  Whole Product
  Tesla DEBT
  Partnerships
  Strategic partners
  Assemble Your Value Proposition
  YOU: Founder-Market Fit
  Applying Your Value Proposition
  Customer Value Proposition AI
  Slides
  Video Recording
  Articles
  Worksheet / Canvases
  Example Tools
  Customer Discovery & Interview Script
- Customer-Centric Business Model
  Frameworks
  Business Model as a Disruptor
  CORE
  Multipliers and Levers
  Products that SLIP
  Package for Pull
  Bundling
  4 Myths of Bundling
  Bundling Tooklit
  Podcast
  Co-Create a Win-Win
  Acquia's Story
  3Up
  Customer-Centric Models
  RSVPD
  Workshop Slide Deck
  Video Recording
  Business Model Examples
  Stories and a Startup Secret from decades of business model innovation
- Build a Product That Scales Into a Company
  Perspective: Building Products into Companies
  Frameworks
  The Product-Company Gap
  Design for Product-GTM Fit
  Value Proposition
  Minimum Viable Segment
  Repeatable Products
  Architect Your Business Model
  Products that SLIP
  Simple to Install and Use
  Low to No Initial Cost
  Instant and Ongoing Value
  Play Well in the Ecosystem
  Package for Pull
  Whole Product Partnerships
  Slides
  Video Recordings
  SLIPPERY related to PLG
- Vision, Mission & Values: Create an Authentic Culture
  Frameworks
  Founder-Market Fit
  What are you uniquely qualified for?
  Elements of Culture
  Vision
  Mission
  Culture
  Values
  Operationalize Your Culture
  Communicate
  Reinforce
  Evolve
  Slides
  Video - What It Takes: Vision, Mission, Culture
- Hiring and team building
- Go to Market
  Framework - GTM overview
  Video and Slides - GTM
- Perfect Your Fundraising Pitch
  Workbook: Perfect Your Fundraising Pitch
  Frameworks
  Business Overview
  Team
  Key Problem & Opportunity
  Solution
  Vision: Why Now? AND For The Future.
  Balancing Vision and Execution
  Traction & Proof Points
  Business Model
  Market Size
  Competitive Landscape
  Fundraising Needs & Milestones
  Slides: Getting Behind The Perfect Pitch
  Video: Getting Behind The Perfect Pitch
  Article: Elevator question
- Funding strategies to go the distance
  Funding Market Fit
  Questions arising
- Personal Entrepreneurship
  Problem solving
  Elon Musk, Tesla, SpaceX
  Are you curious what mindset it takes to be a successful founder?
  Have you got what it takes?
  Roadmap to success
  People First
  Mutual Mentorship
  Peer Mentoring (Founder-to-Founder)
  Mutual Mentorship (Mentor–Mentee Relationships)
  Master Mentorship (Mentoring the Mentors)
  Mentorship Resources for Startups
  Founders Can't Scale: Fact or Fiction?
  3 Examples of Why You CAN Afford to Fail
- Glossary for learning
- How to comment in Coda
  What is Coda?

...

Welcome HBS Foundry members!

Below you will find a stream of resources and workshops that will be updated and added to as we build Foundry. We look forward to sharing them with you.

Signup

If you’ve not already signed up for startupsecretssandbox.com please fill in form and add FOUNDRY to your venture name so we know to give you special privileges and access to extra resources.

⁠

In the meantime,

Welcome to YOUR Startup Secrets Sandbox⁠

! Enjoy exploring, and we look forward to your feedback and comments as to how we can improve the sandbox for you, See

How to comment in Coda⁠

July 1 2025

In this session we will be

Sharing the benefits of

Mutual Mentorship⁠

, including

⁠

Peer Mentoring (Founder-to-Founder)⁠

⁠

Mutual Mentorship (Mentor–Mentee Relationships)⁠

⁠

Master Mentorship (Mentoring the Mentors)⁠

Michael Skok provided live mentorship and then introduced Foundry’s latest AI, Michael MentorAI.

In the workshop Michael showed some simple examples of how to use his AI clone and promised some tips on how to take it to the next level... Have fun trying these

Michael Mentor - Power Prompts⁠

Slides for the session can be found below:

⁠

As a next step, consider:
`Mentorship Resources for Startups`⁠
⁠

⁠

May 2025

Thank you to all the Foundry Alpha testers who joined us for a confidential introduction to the

Customer Compass⁠

⁠

Below are the slides as promised:

⁠

Proprietary & Confidential.

Solely for HBS Foundry teaching purposes.

Not for use, reuse, distribution or publication. Under strict embargo until

IQ book publication 2027

Here is the

link⁠

the current

DRAFT of the Customer Compass⁠

that is under development for the Startup Secrets IQ book. We welcome your comments, feedback and questions on any of this. In time we will work to incorporate the relevant materials into the HBS Foundry program.

Our next session will be On July 1st and we will be covering the

Mutual Mentorship⁠

we look forward to seeing you there!

Until then happy venturing!

⁠

(Please note this page is a hidden link for FOUNDRY members only so bookmkark it if you want to return here as it is not. accessible form the main

Startup Secrets Sandbox homepage⁠

)

or copy the QR code:

⁠

⁠

* We welcome your feedback and comments directly in this document. See

How to comment in Coda⁠

⁠

Want to print your doc?
This is not the way.

Try clicking the ⋯ next to your doc name or using a keyboard shortcut (

CtrlP

) instead.

HBS FOUNDRY Working Sessions

Welcome HBS Foundry members!

Signup

July 1 2025

As a next step, consider: Mentorship Resources for Startups⁠⁠

May 2025

As a next step, consider:
`Mentorship Resources for Startups`⁠
⁠