FastStart Innovators is a weekly seminar series designed to rapidly teach you the skills and process it takes from understanding a problem, developing a solution, and turning the identified solution into a scalable business. Participants bring problems and ideas to the sessions and use them as their own case study through which they learn concepts including product-market-fit, how to validate an idea, customer research tactics, investment and funding approaches, designing business models, and developing proofs of concept.
FastStart Changemakers aims to enable participants to assess and test an idea, by identifying an unmet need or problem, with enough customers, users or beneficiaries to suggest it could be viable. The programme uses Social Shifters, 'Steps to Start up' materials, which is an online self-study, e-learning platform.
Individuals will be expected to complete e-learning materials each week, submit completed worksheets and a weekly progress report and attend one to one coaching meetings. Throughout FastStart, individuals will need to demonstrate commitment and making progress with their idea. It is anticipated not all ideas will prove viable, however participants will continue to learn through the process.