1. BPW_StartingUP
15/05/2013
Stavriana A. Kofteros
CEO

2. Mission ‐ Services
 Strategic Business Management
 Business Planning
 Mentoring
 Coaching
 Marketing / Sales
 Networking
 Funding Access, Funds Sourcing
 Ad hoc Technical Support
 Accommodation [Furnished Office, lab leasing,
access to broadband internet, telephone, office
equipment, meeting rooms facilities…]
 Back Office Support [Secretarial and Reception
Services]
 Legal, Accounting / Taxation expertise
 Project, Contract, Financial Management
Facilitate the
creation of
innovative
startups
Diogenes

3. SAFE. www.bio‐merge.com
www.viscientific.com
www.armes‐tech.com
www.diogenes‐incubator.com

4. Thank God.

9. Make Your Future

10. Serious Fun. Seriously.
Do you speak Startup?

11.  Innovation Planet
 We made the buttons on the screen look so good you’ll
want to lick them
 Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a
follower
 Talent in Team
 They have to be really smart. But the real issue for me
is, Are they going to fall in love with Apple?
 Perseverance
 We went to Hewlett‐Packard, and they said, ‘Hey, we
don’t need you. You haven’t got through college yet
Steve Jobs
Chairman, Apple

12. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oAB83Z1ydE

13. Passion of CEO is the single differentiator
between doing ok and doing well

14.  Startups Are Not Smaller
Versions of Large Companies
 Large Companies Execute Known
Business Models
 Startups Search for Unknown Business
Models
Steve Blank

15. A Temporary Organization
Designed to SEARCH
for REPEATABLE
and SCALABLE
BUSINESS MODEL
Steve Blank

16. Be the aspirin.

17.  world class product (whatever it is)
 have fun doing it
 in a business area or segment that is at
its “ground floor” and in its infancy
 Value proposition
MIT, EDP
Be the aspirin for the
customer’s headache

18. Don’t fall in love with the technology.
Fall in love with the customer

19. Be a Pig.

21. 3. Team up. Get co‐founders.
4. Evangelize idea.
5. Get great Mentors.
6. Public speaking training.
7. Pitch. Pitch. Pitch.
8. Network. Network. Network

22.  TALK.TO.THE.CUSTOMER.
 Write /Revise BP.
 Do Not Self ‐ Fulfill (your) prophecies.
 There is always competition.
 Build the product fast. MVP.
 Test it.
 Fail Fast. Re‐build. Retest.
 Get Traction.
Lean Startup Methodology

27.  Same everywhere
 SV: Just because there are VC funds doesn’t mean
they will fund your start‐up
 Silicon Valley update ‐ 8:10 do not get funded
 VCs don’t really jump to invest in early stage….
 Funder of Pandora.com got rejected by 300 investors…
 Plan to build your company without any outside
investment Bootstrap
 Then maybe you are ready to speak to potential
investors

28. 1. Apply for Crowd‐funding (e.g. kickstarter)
2. Get a Loan from 3Fs
3. Apply to Startup… Chile…!
4. Use your Credit Cards 
5. Start Side Projects
Money shouldn’t be an objection when you’re starting a company. Be creative.
Carlos Solorio, Founder of Arden Reed, a custom menswear company.
http://under30ceo.com/5‐creative‐ways‐raise‐money‐without‐giving‐equity/

30.  Co founders fight
 They cant build their initial spec
 No one will fund their idea
 Too few people buy/use the product
Startups Fail Because They Confuse Search with
Execute
Steve Blank

31. Most startups fail
from lack of customers
not from failure of product development
Steve Blank

32. 4 Steps

33. Steve Blank

34. Steve Blank, The Startup Owner’s Manual

35. There are NO Facts inside the Building,
so get the HECK Outside
Steve Blank

36. Steve Blank, The Startup Owner’s Manual

37. Steve Blank, The Startup Owner’s Manual

39. Test the Problem, Then the Solution
Steve Blank

40. The Entrepreneurial Journey

43. Pivot: a substantive change in one or
more business model canvas
components

45. Step 1: State your Hypothesis
Step 2: Test the Problem
Step 3: Test the Solution
Step 4: Pivot or Proceed

47.  Step 1: Get Ready to Sell
 Step 2: Sell to Early Evangelists
 Step 3: Develop Positioning
 Step 4: Pivot or Proceed

48.  Teach'nGo
 the first Cypriot startup selected to participate in an international
acceleration program Startupbootcamp Amsterdam
 Teach'nGo is an online Student Management System for private tutors
and small schools which gives teachers the ability to manage their
physical and online students all in one place
 Manage your students, payments and teachers
 Access your information online from any computer, tablet or smartphone
 Parents and students can log‐in and view their information online
 Manage payments, issue receipts and view payment reports
 Offer downloadable lessons to students who can pay online
 Organize course material digitally
www.teachngo.com

49. http://steveblank.com/books‐for‐startups/…
http://www.cycrete‐mentor.eu/lms/

50. www.opencoffeecyprus.org
www.diogenes‐incubator.com
http://startupdigest.com/cyprus
Startup Cyprus Initiative

51. Be in the Loop
Take Part
in
Startup Live Cyprus

53. BE
THE
CHANGE.
BE
CRAZY.

54. Thank you
skofteros@diogenes.com.cy