Good luck to the Spark 2021 participants! We look forward to offering our CEED Spark Bootcamp again in 2022
If you are planning on entering the ACOA Spark Nova Scotia competition next year – be sure to bookmark this page and check back for details!
Planning to enter ACOA’s Spark Nova Scotia competition? Want to be part of a program that empowered previous competition winners? Do you want to know how to better understand, quantify, and communicate the value of your innovative idea? Are you ready and prepared to be challenged?
The CEED Spark Bootcamp offers access to robust tools alongside world-renowned methodologies, allowing you to take your idea to the next level and transform your innovative idea into a WINNER! We can help you to understand, quantify, and communicate the value of your innovation.
CEED | Spark Bootcamp takes an a la carte approach to prepping participants for the Spark Competition. There are two sessions to choose from. Pick your preferred session night and log on to Zoom at the assigned time.
The agenda for the evening is chosen by the participants by consensus from the following choices:
Option 1: Stop talking about your product. Let’s talk about the problem and then the solution!
Customers don’t buy products and services; they buy solutions to problems! Your product or service is simply the package that the solution comes in. To excel at Spark you must communicate your solution in context of the problem that it solves, i.e. how do you define the problem, what is the role of customer perception in value creation, and how do you align your problem solution with its market potential across 3 dimensions – Pain, Priority & Proof.
Option 2: Who will be interested in your idea? Why would they be interested?
Do you really understand who your customers are? Do you understand their motivation for making purchase decision? If you don’t understand this, you don’t have a business. Let us help you construct a value proposition that resonates with your intended customer segment. The Value Proposition is the beating heart of your business and everything you are pitching at Spark revolves around getting this right.
Option 3: Why would any investor listen to you? How are you planning to make money with your idea?
Investors are looking for insight and understanding of the value of your idea – not your excitement. This session will help you understand how to communicate the business value of your idea to potential investors across 5 commercial elements – design, attributes, advantages, proof points and legal/regulatory considerations. Make your business model come to life in a compelling way that encourages investment.
Option 4: How do you communicate value to investors? What is the market potential of your innovative idea?
Top-down, bottom-up? Not sure what it means? What is a TAM, SAM and SOM and how do I come up with an estimate of the size of a market opportunity. This session uses case studies to illustrate how other successful founders have gone about determining and communicating a compelling market potential proposition.
Option 5: Your parents were wrong. You should go & talk to strangers. Customer Discovery & Validation
Even wondered how to approach strangers with your idea? How do you get the necessary information out of customers to validate your assumptions and build a business? How do I test a business model? This session will show you how to turn these discussions into high value engagements and how to run experiments that reduce business model risk.
Option 6: CEED on the hot seat!
Let’s throw the agenda out the window. Fire any questions at us that you wish. If you are shy and just want to lurk, that’s fine too.
We are here to help so if you can’t make the sessions, or if you want to follow up on anything covered in the sessions, you can also reach out for a free consultation.
What to expect:
Online only
Session breakdown:
The agenda for the evening is chosen by the participants by consensus from the following choices:
Option 1: Stop talking about your product. Let’s talk about the problem and then the solution!
Customers don’t buy products and services; they buy solutions to problems! Your product or service is simply the package that the solution comes in. To excel at Spark you must communicate your solution in context of the problem that it solves, i.e. how do you define the problem, what is the role of customer perception in value creation, and how do you align your problem solution with its market potential across 3 dimensions – Pain, Priority & Proof.
Option 2: Who will be interested in your idea? Why would they be interested?
Do you really understand who your customers are? Do you understand their motivation for making purchase decision? If you don’t understand this, you don’t have a business. Let us help you construct a value proposition that resonates with your intended customer segment. The Value Proposition is the beating heart of your business and everything you are pitching at Spark revolves around getting this right.
Option 3: Why would any investor listen to you? How are you planning to make money with your idea?
Investors are looking for insight and understanding of the value of your idea – not your excitement. This session will help you understand how to communicate the business value of your idea to potential investors across 5 commercial elements – design, attributes, advantages, proof points and legal/regulatory considerations. Make your business model come to life in a compelling way that encourages investment.
Option 4: How do you communicate value to investors? What is the market potential of your innovative idea?
Top-down, bottom-up? Not sure what it means? What is a TAM, SAM and SOM and how do I come up with an estimate of the size of a market opportunity. This session uses case studies to illustrate how other successful founders have gone about determining and communicating a compelling market potential proposition.
Option 5: Your parents were wrong. You should go & talk to strangers. Customer Discovery & Validation
Even wondered how to approach strangers with your idea? How do you get the necessary information out of customers to validate your assumptions and build a business? How do I test a business model? This session will show you how to turn these discussions into high value engagements and how to run experiments that reduce business model risk.
Option 6: CEED on the hot seat!
Let’s throw the agenda out the window. Fire any questions at us that you wish. If you are shy and just want to lurk, that’s fine too.
We are here to help so if you can’t make the sessions, or if you want to follow up on anything covered in the sessions, you can also reach out for a free consultation.
Want to learn more?
Click here to learn more about ACOA’s Spark Nova Scotia competition.
How to apply:
Check back with us for details in 2022
