This is the manual prepared by Jana Desiatnikova for the business ideas competition for Sote ICT Clubs in 2017 for a small groups of 2-4 students.

1. The Sote ICT competition for startup ideas 2017
– Manual

2. Dear students,
We invite you to submit your ideas for competition. This term’s competition will consist of 2 parts.
The aim is to come up with business ideas for new products or services. All teams need to fill all the
parts of the attached competition form in order to be successful. No pictures, videos or any other
visual content is required. This manual will help you to better understand your tasks.
Each team can consist of 2-4 co-founders (students) that will work on one project. The deadline for
submission of your projects is May 13, 2017. All projects shall be submitted to soteict@gmail.com.
We would like to encourage you to consult your work with Jana (jana.desiatnikova@gmail.com),
David (ogigadavid@gmail.com) or Harry (harry@sotehub.com).
We hope the training on business ideas you have received throughout this term will help you to fulfil
this task and we are looking forward to all your submissions.
Part 1 – Business Idea
Part 1 is about capturing your unique business idea just like the real startups do. There are several
segments to be filled. But no worries, this manual will walk you through it.
1) The form starts with Company name and Date. Try to capture the spirit of your idea in the
name of the company.
2) Brief Description: Shortly describe your product/service/ idea. Try to answer these questions:
What product/service are we offering? How is it serving the customer?
Example: Sote ICT grows startups from secondary schools and Sote Hub nurtures them into
profitable companies and trains young people to be skilled and successful employees, socially
responsible entrepreneurs and successful IT specialists.
3) Problem or Need: Define the problem your customers are facing. Try to answer question:
What problem or need is our product/service trying to solve?
Example: Population in smaller cities and rural areas lack ICT skills. Need to raise the percentage
of population that has high levels of IT and coding skills and skills relevant for work and doing
business.
4) Solution: Describe your solution to the problem stated above. You may use also further
characteristics and compare it to competition. Questions to answer: How is our product/ service
improving life of our customer? How is our product/ service solving the problem or need? Why is
this solution better?
Example: Sote ICT Clubs for secondary school students- training companies as a main activity of
IT clubs and also as an education tool for youth. Sote Hub business incubation and seed
financing – incubating companies and supporting them with skills, capital and networks. Sote
Hub Consulting – delivering custom made software and business solutions and delivering value
through projects and saving time for our corporate partners

3. 5) Target Market: Define your customers and/or group of customers. Try to focus on specific
group/s of customers not on the whole population. The description should be as detailed as
possible. Questions: Who is our potential customer? Who are we going to sell the product/
service to?
Example: Our target market is secondary school and university students, youth and
entrepreneurs, especially outside big cities who see value in learning skills for work,
entrepreneurship and IT careers.
6) Team: In this part, please, list the names and positions of all the co-founders of your business
idea.
7) Competition vs. Competitive Advantages: Look around and try to describe your
competition- all companies or individuals who are offering same/ similar product or service as
you do. Let us know why is your product/ service better. Questions: Who offers similar product/
service? How can we be different and better than our competition?
8) Revenue Model: Revenues describe how you are going to earn money for your business. It
could be sales, fees, funding, and loans and so on. Try to describe your revenue streams.
9) Key Expenses: Define what kinds of costs are needed in order to make your business idea
reality. Costs are all finances spent on production, marketing, human resources (employees),
renting offices, and acquiring software and all other activities.
10) Overall Presentation: Here is some space for your creativity. Try to come up with some
motto for your company or powerful slogan.
Example: We grow startups from secondary schools.
Part 2 - Business Model Canvas
Second part of your task will be filling in the Business Model Canvas. It consists of 9 different
segments that will help you capture and answer all the essential questions about your business idea.
Some segments will be overlapping with the Part 1 so you can use it as a basis for the Canvas as well.
Fill in the Canvas by answering the questions in each segment. It is not necessary to answer all the
questions in the Canvas, but all the segments must be filled in. Keep the answers short and in the
bullet points.
1) Value Proposition: Combines answers in Brief Description and Solution of the Part 1. Try to
think about value you are bringing to your customers and how are you improving their lives.
What benefits is your product bringing?
Example: Sote Hub brings IT skills, job skills and business opportunity. It is solving a need for
effective learning and acquisition skills and fulfilling work and stable income.
2) Customer segments: Are groups of similar customers. Check your Target Market and try to
elaborate on that. How do your customers buy? What influences their decisions?
Example: Sote Hub customer segments are secondary school students, startup founders and out
of work youth.

4. 3) Channels: Represent ways how you are reaching out to your customers and how you
communicate with them. You might be using physical channels, web/ mobile, direct marketing
and so on.
Example: Sote Hub uses personal school visits, social media, reaching out to former graduates.
4) Customer Relationships: Look at your customer segment and channels to see how you relate
to your customer. E.g. if you are reaching your customers through website your relationships
might be impersonal and automated. Try to define how you would like to keep your customers
and what kind of relationships you can offer to them.
Example: Sote Hub offers mentorship, competitions and trade fares. We keep people by online
and personal communication.
5) Revenue Streams: Have a look at your Revenue Model from part one and try to answer also
additional questions, e.g. how would your customers prefer to pay?
6) Key Resources: Are all assets required to make your business work. They include physical
resources (workspace, supplies, and tools), intellectual (patents and licences), human
(employees), and financial (loans, savings).
7) Key Activities: Define all the activities you need to perform in order to make your business
work. What are the most important things company must do? Try to list different kind of
activities, such as production, marketing, management, network and so on.
8) Key Partners: Describe your key partners and suppliers, meaning all other companies/
individuals that help your business in any way. Who can you cooperate with?
9) Cost Structure: Have a look on the key expenses in the Part 1 and elaborate on that. Have a
look on your key resources, key activities and channels. These usually generate some expenses,
too.