You already have an idea, which is why you've been accepted, congratulations!

However, you still need to test your idea with customers. We don't know if your idea will succeed, and you don't know either. This slide is designed to help you refine it so that you can pitch it in 30 seconds and be ready to pivot and improve it over time.

An idea is typically a solution to a problem or need in the market, or an improvement to an existing one. Your idea should address actual customer needs and signal a potential investment opportunity. It must be simple enough to spread and exciting for people to hear. Ideally, the idea should interest you or be something you know your users will benefit from.

Before you move forward, refining your idea is essential to make it clear and complete. Use tools you may already know, such as the “Five Ws,” “SMART Criteria,” “Mind Mapping,” “Customer Empathy Map,” or “Value Proposition Canvas.” These tools help you effectively communicate your solution so that people are interested in hearing it. The clearer your idea, the easier it will be to market it and develop it over time.

Any idea is just the beginning, around 1% of the project. To grow that percentage, you need to write it down and refine it. Start by breaking it down into smaller parts, test it with real customers, and gather feedback. This ongoing development will help you add more details and improve your solution.

To test your idea, create a simplified model of it and try to sell it. Talk to potential buyers to understand what part of the idea matters most to them. If they show interest in your prototype, that’s a good sign to move forward with the full implementation.

For a startup idea to succeed, it's not enough to simply solve a problem, you also need to ensure there's a clear market for your solution. Ask yourself the following questions:

• What specific problem are you solving?
• How does your solution address this problem?
• Are there existing competitors, and what makes your solution stand out from theirs?

Answering these questions will help ensure your idea is feasible and ready for the market. You can use tools like the “Lean Canvas” to outline key assumptions, the “Business Model Canvas” to visualize and test your business model, or others such as the “Customer Journey Map,” “Jobs to be Done (JTBD),” or “AAARR,” which we highly recommend.