Innovation Incubation Programs

Your technical co-founder should be on customer support. Period. I know, I know - engineering time is “too valuable” for that. But here’s the reality: If your technical team isn’t owning customer problems, they’re building in the dark. In an early-stage company, you don’t need a middleman. You need raw, unfiltered customer feedback fueling every product decision. In my experience, the best technical founders: 👉 Jump into customer Slack channels and support tickets. 👉 Personally debug high-stakes issues for key customers. 👉 Join sales calls—not to pitch, but to listen. 👉 Feel personally accountable to users and their pain points. 👉 Drive expansion revenue by deeply understanding customer needs and building for new use cases. You’re not “just coding.” You’re solving problems. And if you don’t hear those problems firsthand, you might be building the wrong thing.

🚀 Now publicly available 🚀 The Data Innovation Toolkit! And Repository! (✍️ coauthored with Maria Claudia Bodino, Nathan da Silva Carvalho, Marcelo Cogo, and Arianna Dafne Fini Storchi, and commissioned by the Digital Innovation Lab (iLab) of DG DIGIT at the European Commission) 👉 Despite the growing awareness about the value of data to address societal issues, the excitement around AI, and the potential for transformative insights, many organizations struggle to translate data into actionable strategies and meaningful innovations. 🔹 How can those working in the public interest better leverage data for the public good? 🔹 What practical resources can help navigate data innovation challenges? To bridge these gaps, we developed a practical and easy-to-use toolkit designed to support decision makers and public leaders managing data-driven initiatives. 🛠️ What’s inside the first version of the Digital Innovation Toolkit (105 pages)? 👉A repository of educational materials and best practices from the public sector, academia, NGOs, and think tanks. 👉 Practical resources to enhance data innovation efforts, including: ✅Checklists to ensure key aspects of data initiatives are properly assessed. ✅Interactive exercises to engage teams and build essential data skills. ✅Canvas models for structured planning and brainstorming. ✅Workshop templates to facilitate collaboration, ideation, and problem-solving. 🔍 How was the toolkit developed? 📚 Repository: Curated literature review and a user-friendly interface for easy access. 🎤 Interviews & Workshops: Direct engagement with public sector professionals to refine relevance. 🚀 Minimum Viable Product (MVP): Iterative development of an initial set of tools. 🧪 Usability Tests & Pilots: Ensuring functionality and user-friendliness. This is just the beginning! We’re excited to continue refining and expanding this toolkit to support data innovation across public administrations. 🔗 Check it out and let us know your thoughts: 💻 Data Innovation Toolkit: https://lnkd.in/e68kqmZn 💻 Data Innovation Repository: https://lnkd.in/eU-vZqdC #DataInnovation #PublicSector #DigitalTransformation #OpenData #AIforGood #GovTech #DataForPublicGood

Is the process of innovation in need of innovation? Most innovation processes are linear. First, you do A. Then, you do B. Each stage-gated step earns you permission to move to the next step. If you’re lucky, you make it to the MVP step, where your prototype arrives in the hands of users. The steps from start through MVP are usually product-focused: What’s the idea? Who needs it? What are their pain points? Which features address the pain points? Answering those questions is a terrific way to build a product. But it’s a terrible way to assess the most important questions: Is somebody going to buy this thing? How many somebodys? It’s not that innovation teams ignore the question of demand. Pre-MVP surveys often assess new product interest. Surveys, however, don’t tell you if people want to buy your product; they just tell you whether people *think* they want to buy your product. Even worse, in many cases survey respondents are paid for their opinions. Are you really going to get a good read on how they will behave when they encounter your product for sale in the real world? 💡 Here’s an idea: Don’t put marketing at the end of the process. Put it at the beginning. Answer the hardest question—does anyone want this product?—as soon as you can. You may be thinking: how do I know which product to market? It’s early days. Good news: you can test-market multiple product concepts or multiple ways to position a product. Use ads. Be honest (“in development” should be prominent). See who clicks. See how many click. If it doesn’t meet your hurdle, try again or pull the plug. Learning early is better than learning late. Lean Startup and its MVP approach were arguably the last big innovation in innovation. But that was over 15 years ago. Isn’t it time for a new look at the process of innovation? #innovation #marketing #demandvalidation #concepttesting #heattesting

I worked in a large pre-seed VC firm with over 100 portfolio companies, and here are some common missteps I've observed at early-stage startups: 1. It’s not niche enough. Many startups struggle because they fail to narrowly define their target demographics. Effective marketing and sales hinge on deep audience understanding and meticulous targeting. Ensuring you know exactly who your customers are is crucial for impactful results. 2. Team composition issues. Assembling the right team is critical, yet often mishandled. It’s essential to hire individuals who bring both diversity and domain expertise. A well-rounded team enhances product development, boosts investor confidence, and attracts high-quality talent as the company grows. 3. Not adapting and pivoting. Successful startups are flexible and responsive to feedback from the market and customers. However, a common error is neglecting to pivot when necessary. Regularly collecting and analyzing user data, monitoring lost sales, and staying attuned to market trends are essential practices for an agile business. Navigating the early stages of a startup involves avoiding these pitfalls. If you're looking for guidance or have experiences to share, let’s discuss strategies that actually work. Drop your questions or insights below.

Early Stage founder: “We need help NOW but can't afford full-time hires." Finding and managing the right freelancers is a common challenge at that stage. But after helping 50+ startups, I've identified a systematic way to de-risk it: 🎯 Start with strategy, not hiring: → Map your desired outcomes clearly → Document the specific steps needed to get there → Identify which skills are truly core vs. supportable → Leverage your network for referrals (still the best source) → If no referrals, go to platforms like Upwork and Fiverr ✅ Vet and validate: → Review portfolios and past startup work → Ask exactly how they might use LLMs in their workflow → Set crystal-clear deliverables and success metrics → Cap initial test assignments at £500 → Track which freelancers consistently deliver quality work → Document detailed feedback to improve collaboration 📈 Scale thoughtfully: → Begin with high-impact, low-product-knowledge tasks → Create repeatable processes for successful projects → Develop freelancers' understanding of your business → Focus your core team on strategic innovation → Build your trusted talent network gradually If you can't identify the right freelancers because your path to success isn't clear, a senior advisor or fractional C-level pro can help map your execution plan first. Savvy founders don't gamble on freelancers. They build clarity first, then choose the right experts. ♻️ Found this helpful? Repost to share with your network. ⚡️ Want more content like this? Hit follow Maya Moufarek.

Alright, let’s cut through the noise and get to the brutal truth of the startup accelerator world. Many entrepreneurs, starry-eyed and naive, leap headfirst into 3-month accelerator programs without truly understanding the long-term implications. It’s time for an incisive commentary, a necessary dissection. Part 1: The Allure of the 3-Month Sprint Why are so many entrepreneurs drawn to these intensive, fixed-term programs? Is it the promise of instant validation, a quick buck, or just plain FOMO? Let’s peel back the layers of the initial attraction. Part 2: The Equity-for-Promise Bargain You give up a piece of your company (often 5-15%) for what, exactly? A small check, a few months of “mentorship,” and a demo day. Is this truly a bargain, or a Faustian pact for the desperate? Part 3: Are Accelerator Success Rates Misleading? Don’t be fooled by the glossy headlines and curated success stories. We’ll examine how these “successes” are measured, and whether they genuinely reflect sustainable, independent businesses or just further rounds of venture capital. Part 4: The Network Nexus – Fact or Fleeting Handshake? The promise of “access” to VCs, industry giants, and a peer network. Is it a real, lasting advantage that opens doors, or merely a superficial collection of LinkedIn connections that yield little true value? Part 5: The Velocity Mirage – Can Genuine Traction Be Manufactured in 90 Days? Accelerators preach speed, hyper-growth. But is forced, artificial velocity sustainable? Can true product-market fit, customer acquisition, and business model validation genuinely be compressed into a quarter? ... #startups #accelerator

Is consumer insight killing product innovation? “People don't know what they want until you show it to them – Steve Jobs” Steve Jobs is often quoted to imply pitfalls of listening to consumers for product innovation. Also quoted in the same breath is Henry Ford who famously said,” If I'd asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, 'A faster horse!’” Above arguments are made to paint a picture that over reliance on consumer insights can throttle innovation. So, is consumer insight bane and not boon for product innovation? The answer is No. Are these legendary innovators wrong in their observations? The answer again is a resounding No. As much as listening to consumers is key to product innovation, the problem lies not in the “voice of customer” but how to listen to the “ voice of customer” The answer lies in understanding human psychology. More specifically, the concept of functional fixedness. Functional fixedness is a cognitive bias that limits a person's ability to use an object in more ways than it is traditionally used and affects an individual's ability to innovate and be creative when solving challenges. During research, when consumers are asked to make product recommendations, consumers run into functional fixedness - the human tendency to fixate on the way products or services are normally used, making people unable to imagine alternative functions. Consumers’ limited frame of reference is basis their existing use case of a product and hence as Henry Ford said, the ask for a ‘faster horse’. How can consumer research overcome this cognitive bias? A better way to gather consumer inputs is to first understand the inherent role the product fulfils in consumers’ lives and understand the outcome desired by consumers. The key is to understand the Jobs to be done (JTBD) for consumers. Afterall, people don’t buy products; they “hire” them to do jobs. Do brands need to listen to consumers to inspire product innovation? Very much!!! Do brands need to learn how to listen to consumers? Very much!!! Harvard Business School professor, Dorothy Leonard, sums up beautifully in an HBR piece, “Discerning the difference between what customers are able to say and what they want, and then acting on those unspoken desires, demands that companies learn to go well beyond listening.” #consumerbehavior #consumerinsights #behvaiouralpsychology #NPD #productinnovation #voiceofthecustomer #consumerresearch

🚀 Day 7 of 100 Days of Product Management: Elevating Product Discovery ✍ Daily Insight: Effective product discovery goes beyond initial user interviews and explores continuous, iterative exploration and validation. Effective discovery can make or break the success of your product. Here are some actionable tips and strategies to enhance your discovery processes: * Leverage Existing Data: Utilize analytics, customer support logs, and previous research as a starting point to save time and resources. * Dual-Track Agile: Integrate discovery with delivery to keep your development agile and continuously informed by fresh insights. * Prioritize Hypothesis Testing: Formulate and test hypotheses through A/B tests, prototype testing, and concierge MVPs to quickly validate ideas. * Rapid Prototyping: Use tools that facilitate fast prototype creation to gather user feedback early and iterate before deep development. * Continuous User Engagement: Establish a regular feedback loop with users through communities or panels for real-time insights. * Diversify Research Methods: Combine qualitative and quantitative methods to gain a comprehensive understanding of user needs. * Utilize Remote Research Tools: Implement tools like Zoom, Miro, or UserTesting for effective remote user research. * Embrace Storytelling: Use compelling storytelling when sharing insights with stakeholders to better convey user journeys and solution impacts. * Regular Insight Sharing: Hold frequent sessions to keep all team members updated with the latest discoveries, maintaining alignment across functions. * Open-mindedness and Flexibility: Be ready to pivot your product direction based on new insights to truly meet market needs. * Balance Speed with Depth: Ensure rapid progress does not sacrifice a deep understanding of the user problems. * Cross-functional Involvement: Engage diverse team members in discovery to enrich insights and validate across various perspectives. Image Source - https://lnkd.in/g7N47v2p by Productboard | Download the Product Discovery Playbook here - https://lnkd.in/gEUFQUvc ⭐ Tool Highlight: Miro Excellent for collaborative mapping and prototyping, enabling teams to visualize and iterate on feedback quickly. Andrey K. | Steven Chang | Srinath Govindarajan #miro 🙎 PM Spotlight: Meet Amit Garg, who leads product at ace turtle. He is a seasoned professional in retail and e-commerce, excelling in software solutions product development and implementation for both B2B and B2C clients. He has collaborated with over 12 global retailers and brands, including L’Oreal, Crocs, and Loves, across the USA, UAE, and APAC regions. Join the conversation and let's exchange knowledge on refining our product discovery to build products that truly resonate with users! #Day7of100 #ProductDiscovery #ProductManagement #100DaysOfProductManagement

I cracked the code on tech's $1B blind spot Uncomfortable truth: 87% of tech professionals only collaborate with people who look like them. The result? Homogeneous thinking. Stagnant innovation. Missed opportunities. The lesson: Your biggest breakthroughs don't come from networking with people who think like you—they come from connecting with people who think differently. The Corporate Data That Changed Everything McKinsey proved it: Companies with diverse leadership outperform homogeneous ones by 36% in profitability. Boston Consulting Group found that companies with diverse management teams report 19% higher revenue from innovation. Yet corporate diversity initiatives focus on executives while ignoring the pipeline—Gen Z. The GenZtea thesis: Apply corporate diversity principles to Gen Z collaboration—cultural diversity AND diversity of thought. Most tech events mirror their host's demographics. GenZtea events look like a mini United Nations across both culture and industry verticals. From AAPI heritage celebrations to deep tech innovation summits to consumer product launches—I've cracked the code on cross-industry, cross-cultural density. My Unfair Advantage As a civil engineering pre-med student turned African American tech community builder, I've lived diversity of thought firsthand—bridging STEM disciplines before bridging cultures. From The Group Chat Queen's global reach to GenZtea's IRL gatherings spanning healthcare to consumer tech, I've cracked cross-cultural AND cross-industry engagement through engineered processes. Why This Scales For Gen Z founders: When sponsors see themselves represented at events, partnerships become inevitable—the same principle that drives Fortune 500 boardroom decisions. For attendees: Cross-cultural AND cross-industry collaboration rewrites problem-solving, driving the same innovation that powers corporate success. For the industry: We're building the diverse leadership pipeline that tomorrow's companies desperately need. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." - Galatians 3:28 This isn't just mission—it's systematic competitive advantage. The takeaway: Stop optimizing for comfort zones. Start optimizing for productive friction. Whether you're building a startup, hosting an event, or assembling a team, ask yourself: "Who's missing from this room?" The answer might be your next competitive advantage.

The landscape of talent acquisition is undergoing a seismic shift. Gone are the days of traditional hiring practices; today, cutting-edge technologies are enabling us to attract, assess, and onboard talent in powerful new ways. Imagine harnessing AI-driven recruitment tools that don’t just identify top talent but can predict cultural fit and long-term success. Or a world where VR allows candidates to experience your company’s work environment before they even step in. And let’s not forget blockchain technology, ensuring transparency and trust every step of the way. Virtual Reality (VR) is changing the way candidates connect with companies. Instead of simply reading about a company’s values or culture, candidates can now step into a fully immersive, virtual work environment. Imagine a VR experience where a candidate could "sit in" on a virtual team meeting, get a feel for collaboration styles, or explore company projects—before even accepting an offer! This firsthand exposure to daily dynamics enables candidates to assess if the environment matches their values and work style, ultimately enhancing retention and cultural alignment. AI-driven tools go one step further by analyzing candidate experiences, skillsets, and alignment with company values. For example, AI can consider experiences like volunteer work or leadership in diverse settings, ensuring that candidates who bring unique perspectives and commitment to inclusion are recognized and valued, advancing diversity and inclusion across the company. It’s important to adopt these tools in ways that align with transparency, inclusivity, and employee empowerment—not as rigid or restrictive measures. These aren’t just futuristic ideas—they’re here, actively reshaping the way we attract and retain talent. As HR leaders, adopting these innovations can help us create more engaging, inclusive, and empowering experiences for candidates. Let’s reimagine the hiring process for a new era, together!