STING, Pivoting & Our first intern

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Just applied to “STING test drive”. It is due to today!

You don’t need to have started with your idea to apply. You do need to have a SCALABLE idea though!

http://www.stockholminnovation.com/vara-program/test-drive/

 

Nettys first pivot is realizing that xpreneurs want to network, but most students don’t care for networking even though it’s good for them. Most students want to meet future employers! Therefore the value proposition and the revenue model will change, for the (much) better.

Value for students: Get in touch with relevant employers

Value for xpreneurs: Network!

Value for companies: Employer branding amongst driven individuals

The students and xpreneurs will not be charged for the value, but the companies will. Employer branding is competitive & hard. Especially if you’re not amongst the big companies. This will be a more cost-effective alternative to sponsoring a bunch of student-stuff. They will reach out to quality students & xpreneurs who are already trying to build relationships.

 

Also we have our first intern. Nikhil Bohra from India has a startup ranked in the top 25 there. Teaching simple programming to kids. The same person who Amir wrote about from SUP46 visit. He is here as an exchange student.

See you soon 🙂

Ps. We’re on Twitter now if you want to follow!

So you have an idea. Now what?

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There is a common misconception, probably inherited from movies and some particular cynical views of capitalism, namely that you should keep your ideas for yourself. Otherwise someone can steal your idea!

In my opinion (which is inherited from the opinions from people in the know), the reality does not conform to that.

To start a project/company takes energy. To start a project takes time. People wont quit what they’re doing and invest resources into some idea they heard somewhere.
Angel investors  (private investors who invests from their own pocket) are interesting to look at. The existance of Angel investors supports my claim in a way. Angel investors are experienced and rich, yet they don’t take ideas from a youths. They give money to the youths to capitalize on their time, energy and commitment.
Indeed Angel investors agrees. Here’s a fictional quote that sums up what I’ve heard from Angel investors (just because I like quotes and it looks cool):

The year is 2015! Do you really think your idea is unique? In this day and age, ideas are worth nothing. It’s all about the execution! I invest in the person, not in the idea.

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So what is the next step?

The next step is to tell it to the world

Go to events and pitch your idea to as many as you can! This is what I did yesterday at SUP46, indeed it was super valuable.

I found a programmer who got so intrigued by the “It’s a mix of LinkedIn and WhatApp” pitch that we pivoted the idea for 20 minutes from a programmers point of view!
I also found 3-4 iOS developers who may or may not be interested in joining my team.

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The idea in your head will never improve as long as it remains in your head only. Do yourself a favor and share it today in class! You will get two invalueable things: Feedback and contacts!