NC IDEA LABS Lite is a condensed version of our regular NC IDEA LABS program. Just like business schools offer a “weekend MBA” for those working full-time, this program targets (but is not limited to) candidates with these two characteristics:
- An early stage idea that requires additional refinement and insight before fully committing to it
- Folks who have a full-time job and cannot participate in our full-time NC IDEA LABS program.
The objective is to help participants in eight weeks decide if their idea is solid enough so that they can quit their day job to pursue it, or figure out that it is not and fail fast. NC IDEA LABS Lite meets every other week for eight weeks and focuses on:
- Customer Discovery – identifying the potential customer’s problem and solution, and determining how big a pain point exists, creating an effective MVP, and interviewing potential customers. Attendees will be required to interview 5 potential customers per week
- Lean Startup and Business Model Canvas
- Fund Raising and Pitching– Fund raising strategy, delivering an effective pitch, where to find seed stage funding
- Other topics of interest to first time founders: metrics, dividing founder’s shares,
To get the most out of the program, attendees must plan on devoting at least 10 hours per week outside of the sessions to their startup. This time will primarily be spent interviewing potential customers, creating a business model canvas and viewing video tutorials.
The Fall Session of NC IDEA LABS Lite will meet from 11:30am to 1:00pm on the American Tobacco Campus in downtown Durham on October 16, October 30, November 13 and December 4.