Startup Development House run tailor-made workshops for the InCredibles

Startup Development House runs tailor-made workshops for the InCredibles, a mentoring program established and promoted by Sebastian Kulczyk

At Startup Development House we take as active a part in the startup ecosystem as possible. For us, sharing knowledge and experience via tailor-made workshops and mentoring is an ideal means of supporting tech entrepreneurs who are on their way to launching successful digital products. We were therefore delighted by the opportunity to organize and host workshops dedicated to the finalists of the start-up mentoring program, InCredibles. These workshops took place in April and focused on the end-user role in the business model.

About the InCredibles

InCredibles was initiated by Sebastian Kulczyk and is a comprehensive mentoring and educational program for the most innovative Polish startups. It is distinguished by its authorial concept of "tailor-made" workshops and the individual consultations they offer with mentors, potential clients, investors and recognized business practitioners.  

Since its inception in 2017, InCredibles has successfully helped 42 of Poland’s most innovative, rising-star start-ups gain the valuable skills and expertise necessary for achieving their aims and ambitions. In 2022, the programme completed its 5th edition with 11 participating companies.

The program is open only to finalists of the most prestigious competitions that are organized by Rzeczpospolita (Eagles of Innovation), My Company Poland, European Tech and Start-up Days, the European Economic Congress in Katowice, Business Incubator at Wrocław University of Economics (InQube), Eastern Business Accelerator (MeetUp Day) and Gdańsk Business Incubator (Starter). 

InCredibles is also a platform for projects and inspirations that contribute to the development of the Polish startup ecosystem. For this purpose and in cooperation with content partners and media, InCredibles initiates and co-creates specialized reports, debates and publications, and patronizes educational events dedicated to young Polish entrepreneurs such as MBA for Startups, Jutronauts and Firmament broadcast on Radio 357.

“In the InCredibles program, we share not only our knowledge and experience, but our aim is also to effectively connect startups with investors, clients and potential contractors. We are very glad that Startup Development House joined the group of our mentors. Thanks to their support, the companies had the opportunity to benefit from a tailor-made workshop that focused on the process of building a product, market requirements and identification of potential users” – Jarosław Sroka, coordinator of InCredibles.

About the workshops

At Startup Development House, we turn ideas into commercial products. We believe the success of this process very much depends on identifying and fulfilling the true needs of the end-user. It was therefore only right, prior to organizing the workshop, that we ask the InCredibles about their needs.

We began with a survey in which we asked the participants about their current challenges. We also wanted to understand at what stage of development these startups were, and how they were collecting feedback from potential clients. 

With this analysis, we were able to recognize an element that was common to all participants' needs, despite the differing industries each startup operated in, the products they used (hardware vs software) and the challenges they faced. Here, the workshop focused on the key role the user plays in the product-building process. This involved:

• researching and getting to know the users

• understanding the importance of a correct user description in the business model

• qualitative and quantitative methods for researching target groups

Two of our highly experienced product managers/user research experts, Monika Mostowska-Żybura and Seweryn Olek, then guided the startups through the more obscure issues that are typically related to identifying and defining true market needs.  

“We did our best to make the workshop as practical and productive as possible. Our goal was to exchange experiences and make sure that participants are clear about the critical issues to hear the customer’s voice. We do hope that diving into the true essence and the most successful methods of user research will allow them to gain a competitive edge.” – Monika and Seweryn. 

About the user research

The two-hour online workshop began with discussing individual experiences in contact with users. This constituted the basis for elaborating on issues related to customer segmentation and for discussing the differences between qualitative and quantitative research methods. It was also a good opportunity to present the most popular tools.

Thanks to our survey, we managed to avoid a theoretical lecture format and instead developed these same topics with more specific relation to the participants’ individual experiences. A practical discussion ensued, addressing both what the participants had achieved thus far and what the process of gaining a more in-depth end-user understanding should look like. This revealed what the greatest challenges are when conducting user research as well as what business idea adjustments one should apply to accommodate market needs.

At Startup Development House, we build successful digital products based on user needs. We confront the results of our work with user opinions throughout the development process. We think this to be the best way to gather feedback and implement improvements, whether they be to the business concept or the already existing product. It’s also an effective method for the early identification of errors, thus increasing efficiency within the development process whilst decreasing the venture’s risk factor. 

We also believe that in such a competitive environment, there is no margin for simply guessing what customers want. Only those who can anticipate, recognize, address, and then meet these needs will stand the best chance of survival. 

“Apart from commercial projects, we try to take an active part in educational initiatives for startups. As we have already worked with over 70 companies from 5 continents, we do believe that our insights can give their businesses a boost. But taking part in such initiatives like the InCredibles is also very valuable to us. Being in constant touch with startups gives us a broader perspective to understand what are their real challenges and thus adjust our services accordingly.” -  Marek Pałys, co-founder of Startup Development House.