How do you launch and grow a new venture initiative? What are the relevant tools and methodology to be applied? This is your blueprint and roadmap to take your first steps towards success.

1. VENTURE TOOLS
FROM ZERO TO HERO
ANTONIO FONDUCA @ VENTURE DIPLOMAT

3. TOOLS FOR VENTURE CREATION & GROWTH
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. SOLVE A PROBLEM THAT MATTERS
2. BUSINESS CONCEPT CREATION
3. DEFINE YOUR ASSUMPTIONS
4. MAP THE CUSTOMER JOURNEY
5. BUSINESS MODEL GENERATION
6. VALUE PROPOSITION ANALYSIS
7. VALUE PROPOSITION PROTOTYPING
8. BUILD A WAR ROOM

4. TOOLS FOR VENTURE CREATION & GROWTH
1.SOLVE A PROBLEM THAT MATTERS
PURPOSE
▸ Set the direction of the initiative and align the ambition level
PROCESS
▸ Capture past business achievements
▸ Assess specific innovation & growth needs
▸ Identify main challenges & levers for growth

5. TOOLS FOR VENTURE CREATION & GROWTH
1.SOLVE A PROBLEM THAT MATTERS
PROCESS
▸ Develop ambitious & specific winning aspirations
OUTCOMES
▸ A clear and aligned winning aspiration to set the direction for
the whole initiative
▸ A clear set of success criteria to set the ambition level of the
initiative

6. TOOLS FOR VENTURE CREATION & GROWTH
2.BUSINESS CONCEPT CREATION
PURPOSE
▸ Gather your brightest minds
▸ Review existing insights & ideas
▸ Develop viable business concepts to be explored further
PROCESS
▸ Idea & concept generation

7. TOOLS FOR VENTURE CREATION & GROWTH
2.BUSINESS CONCEPT CREATION
PROCESS
▸ Select top three concepts to deliver fast and reach targeted metrics
▸ Staff each concept with relevant team members
OUTCOMES
▸ Business concepts with rough quantification defined
▸ High-level value propositions, business models & prototypes

8. IS YOUR SOLUTION
CREATING REAL
CUSTOMER VALUE?

9. TOOLS FOR VENTURE CREATION & GROWTH
3.DEFINE YOUR ASSUMPTIONS
PURPOSE
▸ Prioritize activities by level of impact
▸ Focus your resources
PROCESS
▸ Iterate the value proposition & the business model
▸ Prioritize and score your assumptions according to importance &
level of uncertainty

10. TOOLS FOR VENTURE CREATION & GROWTH
3.DEFINE YOUR ASSUMPTIONS
PROCESS
▸ Define the data & insights needed to verify your assumptions
▸ Make an analysis & prototyping plan
OUTCOMES
▸ A clear picture on what assumptions to test and how to test them
▸ A solid foundation for sprint planning & assumptions testing

11. TOOLS FOR VENTURE CREATION & GROWTH
4.MAP THE CUSTOMER JOURNEY
PURPOSE
▸ Understand your target customers
▸ Understand their needs during the whole customer journey
PROCESS
▸ Identify the steps that your customer takes before / during / after
purchasing your product or service
▸ Map the jobs-to-be-done, pains & gains in each step

12. TOOLS FOR VENTURE CREATION & GROWTH
4.MAP THE CUSTOMER JOURNEY
PROCESS
▸ Select your opportunities - pains to be relieved and gains to be
developed
OUTCOMES
▸ Powerful & real insights into the world of your potential customer
▸ Insights for the upcoming value proposition deep dive &
business model design

13. WHAT WILL YOU SELL
(VALUE PROPOSITION)
TO WHO
(CUSTOMER SEGMENT)
AND HOW
(PARTNERS,
DISTRIBUTION &
MARKETING CHANNELS)?

14. TOOLS FOR VENTURE CREATION & GROWTH
5.BUSINESS MODEL GENERATION
PURPOSE
▸ Identify the building blocks that are needed to create a long-term
successful business
▸ A framework for working in a collaborative way with the whole team &
key stakeholders
PROCESS
▸ Fill your business model canvas with the information gathered in the
previous steps

15. TOOLS FOR VENTURE CREATION & GROWTH
5.BUSINESS MODEL GENERATION
PROCESS
▸ Brainstorm one block at the time – reflecting on the input from the
customer journey & the value proposition analyses
OUTCOMES
▸ Initial business model alternatives for how the idea could be
commercially viable
▸ A high-level visual description that can be understood by stakeholders

16. TOOLS FOR VENTURE CREATION & GROWTH
6.VALUE PROPOSITION ANALYSIS
PURPOSE
▸ Ensure delivery of true value to customers
▸ Ensure a differentiated and unique offering vs competitor alternatives
PROCESS
▸ Map insights from customer journey & identify degree of fit and/or
gap vis-a-vis the solution
▸ Determine the competing factors in the industry

17. TOOLS FOR VENTURE CREATION & GROWTH
6.VALUE PROPOSITION ANALYSIS
PROCESS
▸ Draw value curves and compare with competitor ones
▸ Feed-back the data into the business model
OUTCOMES
▸ Clear idea of the value to be delivered to the customer in the form of a
value curve
▸ A value curve of the industry & competition that shows how the solution
compares to alternatives

18. THINK IT
BUILD IT
SHIP IT
TWEAK IT

19. TOOLS FOR VENTURE CREATION & GROWTH
7.VALUE PROPOSITION PROTOTYPING
PURPOSE
▸ Shorten the time from concept idea to tangible market feedback
▸ Figure out the most valuable elements of the value proposition
PROCESS
▸ Map key assumptions against different prototyping methods
▸ Build models & prototypes

20. TOOLS FOR VENTURE CREATION & GROWTH
7.VALUE PROPOSITION PROTOTYPING
PROCESS
▸ Update the sprint plan & responsibilities
▸ Gather insights, improve the value propositions & business model
OUTCOMES
▸ Clear insights into customer preferences for the value proposition
▸ Get the team members to engage & relate with customers

21. TOOLS FOR VENTURE CREATION & GROWTH
8.BUILD A WAR ROOM
PURPOSE
▸ Assemble a high performing team to work in an inspiring & effective
environment for business creation
▸ Set common standards that drive fast decision making, learning & progress
PROCESS
▸ Define team standards
▸ Set ambitions, make visual plan until launch & plan the first sprint in more
detail

22. TOOLS FOR VENTURE CREATION & GROWTH
8.BUILD A WAR ROOM
PROCESS
▸ Agree on the frequency for status updates, sprints, planning &
feedback sessions from stakeholders
OUTCOMES
▸ A creative & focussed work space to getting things done
▸ Common work standards, structure and tempo
▸ Efficient knowledge sharing and collaboration

23. TOOLS FOR VENTURE CREATION & GROWTH
QUESTIONS?
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24. VENTURE TOOLS
FROM ZERO TO HERO
ANTONIO FONDUCA @ VENTURE DIPLOMAT