Startup Foundations — Connected Exercise Path

Begin with evidence and a useful result

Begin with Venture Problem Hypothesis to name a problem space and the customer community you want to understand. Treat the output as an initial hypothesis. Use Customer Discovery Questions to prepare questions about recent real behavior. Speak with or observe real people before moving to Field Notes; an AI rehearsal cannot supply missing fieldwork.

Carry the work into the next step

Bring actual observation or interview notes into Customer Field Notes. Separate what happened, what you interpret and what remains unknown. Then use Customer Archetype Builder to organize patterns without erasing differences. When evidence is thin or contradictory, keep the uncertainty and plan another observation instead of finishing a polished persona.

For help supplying actual notes as readable text or permitted files, see Give AI Text or a File to Work From.

Use only the support you need

Industry Researcher can add context, Competitive Landscape Map can show alternatives people already use, and Decision Matrix can compare a genuine choice. None substitutes for customer behavior. This path supports early problem learning; it does not claim to replace the separate New Venture Planning course.

Open the exercises

• Ex12 — Venture Problem Hypothesis
• Customer Discovery Questions
• Customer Field Notes
• Customer Archetype Builder
• Ex07 — Industry Researcher
• Ex13 — Competitive Landscape Map
• Ex06 — Decision Matrix Builder

Follow the selected exercise’s instructions and checks; you choose which corrections to use.

This is alpha material. Report unclear instructions or errors through a public issue or email help@bigleverinstitute.org. Share only redacted or fictional material.