What does a minimum viable product (MVP) mean for a startup?

An MVP is the simplest version of a product that delivers core value and gathers real customer feedback before further investment.

How can a startup create a value proposition customers will buy?

Identify a specific customer problem, explain the measurable benefit, and show why your solution is meaningfully different from alternatives.

What should a startup pitch to venture capitalists include?

A strong pitch clearly covers the customer problem, solution, market opportunity, business model, traction, team, and funding plan.

Free online course Startups Secrets

Duration of the online course: 28 hours and 2 minutes

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Build a scalable startup: validate your idea, craft a winning pitch, and launch faster with this free online course plus exercises and certificate option.

In this free course, learn about

How to evolve a scalable product into a company (org, process, repeatability)
How to define and test an MVP to validate key assumptions with minimal build
How to craft a strong value proposition customers will pay for
How to assess idea viability using value-prop and business-model evaluation frameworks
How to design a customer-centric business model and why it drives startup success
How to articulate vision, mission, and culture and use them to guide execution
Founder traits and execution habits needed to succeed; learning from case studies
How to build and deliver an investor-ready pitch (story, traction, market, ask)
How to hire and build teams; techniques to assess cultural fit effectively
How business model choices impact valuation and investor perception
Go-to-market strategy: positioning, branding starting point, channels, and messaging
Go-to-market tactics: early customer trust-building despite product imperfections
How product complexity affects adoption rates and how to manage that trade-off
Funding strategies and basic funding frameworks; principles of mutual mentorship

About the free online course

Turn an idea into a real business by learning how startups move from early concept to a product that can grow into a company. This free online course is designed for aspiring founders, makers, and operators who want a practical understanding of what separates a promising project from a scalable venture. You will develop a clearer way to evaluate opportunities, make smarter product decisions, and communicate your value in language customers and investors can understand.

You will start by exploring how successful startups think about building products that scale, including how to test assumptions quickly with a Minimum Viable Product. From there, the course sharpens your ability to craft strong value propositions by focusing on the customer’s job to be done, the pains you can remove, and the gains you can create. Instead of guessing, you will learn how to judge whether an idea is worth pursuing and how to avoid the common trap of building features no one is willing to buy.

As you progress, you will connect product thinking with a customer-centric business model, aligning what you build with how you deliver and capture value. You will also clarify vision, mission, and culture so your team can execute with consistency as the company evolves. The course highlights hiring and team building choices that protect culture while improving speed and accountability, which is often the difference between momentum and chaos in early-stage execution.

To help you move from building to growth, you will study go-to-market strategy and tactics, positioning, and brand fundamentals that earn trust even when a product is still maturing. You will also practice the elements of a compelling pitch, learning what audiences look for and how to tell a coherent story backed by clear customer logic. Finally, you will understand funding as a strategy, not a goal, and learn how mentorship can become a mutual engine for learning and leverage. With short exercises throughout, you will leave with actionable frameworks you can apply to your own startup journey.

Course content

Video class: How to Build a Product that Scales into a Company 1h05m
Exercise: Which of the following descriptions correctly captures the concept of 'Minimum Viable Product' (MVP)?
Video class: Value Props: Create a Product People Will Actually Buy 1h27m
Exercise: In the context of startup value propositions, which framework helps in evaluating if a business idea is worth pursuing?
Video class: Designing a Customer-Centric Business Model 1h23m
Exercise: Why is designing a customer-centric business model crucial for startup success?

Video class: What It Takes: Vision, Mission 1h19m
Exercise: How important is it to have a clear vision and mission in the early stages of a startup?
Video class: Harvard i-lab | Startup Secrets: Have You Got What It Takes? 2h10m
Video class: Harvard i-lab | Startup Secrets: Roadmap to Success 1h35m

Video class: Harvard i-lab | Startup Secrets: Getting Behind the Perfect Pitch 1h07m
Exercise: What are key aspects to focus on when crafting a perfect pitch for a startup presenting to venture capitalists?
Video class: Harvard i-lab | Startup Secrets: Value Proposition 1h30m
Exercise: What is the primary challenge of creating a value proposition for a startup?
Video class: Harvard i-lab | Startup Secrets: Culture, Vision, Mission 1h55m
Exercise: What is crucial for a startup's execution according to the concept of the video?

Video class: Harvard i-lab | Startup Secrets: Vision, Mission, Culture Workshop featuring 3 case studies 1h30m
Video class: Harvard i-lab | Startup Secrets: Hiring and Team Building 1h56m
Exercise: What is an effective strategy for ensuring that a new hire will be a good cultural fit for a startup?
Video class: Harvard i-lab | Startup Secrets: Business Model 1h51m
Exercise: What is a crucial factor in increasing a company's valuation according to the lecture?

Video class: Harvard i-lab | Startup Secrets: Go to Market Part I - Strategy 1h35m
Exercise: What is the key element to start when building a startup brand according to the transcript?
Video class: Harvard i-lab | Startup Secrets: Go to Market Part II - Tactics 1h53m
Exercise: What strategy did Unidesk use to initially gain customer trust despite early product issues?
Video class: Harvard i-lab | Startup Secrets: Turning Products into Companies 2h04m
Exercise: In the development and marketing of CAD software, there's an important relationship between the complexity of a product and its adoption rate. Which of the following statements best captures this relationship?

Video class: Harvard i-lab | Startup Secrets: Funding Strategies to Go the Distance 1h56m
Exercise: What is a startup's basic framework for funding?
Video class: Harvard i-lab | Startup Secrets: Mastering the Gift of Mutual Mentorship 1h38m
Exercise: What is a key principle of mentorship discussed in the session?

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