The academy will commence in January, 2015. It is a quick, sharp programme designed to rapidly provide value to your venture and prepare you for growth. To reduce the time you spend away from your venture, the programme will run for one day a week over a period of eight weeks. It will be held at The Irish Times training facilities in The Irish Times building. The curriculum draws from the Lean Startup Canvas, based on Osterwalder's Business Model Canvas.
The programme will begin with the basics of starting up and making sure your company is on a firm legal footing, then proceed to the ins and outs of acquiring your next customers. Along the way, coaches will work on product or service design and refinement, finding your market fit, developing differentiation strategies that set you apart from competitors, defining your channels to customers, selling online, mastering company finance, honing your sales, negotiation and pitching. Each day at the academy is practical and focused on actionable outcomes that will help grow your business.
We recognise that not all startups are at the same stage. Clinics during the academy will provide one-on-one council and develop useful outputs for each startup, such as refining business plans, robust financials, appropriate legal documents, internet marketing plans, sales plans and more.
The academy will help to refine your business model, refine your market fit and coach you to sell better.
Registration for the academy will begin later in the year.