53 Ideas: Customer Discovery

Businesses fail because of a lack of customers. Learn how to prove you have a market at the onset using the Customer Discovery process. Find out the best way to approach potential customers to ask for information about their needs and to obtain feedback on your potential idea/solution. This early feedback is priceless and will help you design the "ideal" solution itself - one that customers want and are willing to pay for. Don't fail for lack of product market fit!

Speaker: Devin Collins, Executive Director, Ventureprise

Devin is the executive director of Ventureprise, UNC Charlotte’s innovation and entrepreneurship center serving the campus and Charlotte region as a center of excellence for evidence-based entrepreneurship. He is responsible for accelerating technology commercialization of University research and delivering various entrepreneurial training programs across the North Carolina community. In this capacity, he has worked with 100-plus scientific researchers and 500-plus entrepreneurs in a variety of industries. He is also the lead principal investigator of the Ventureprise Launch National Science Foundation I-Corps Site. Previously, Collins was an entrepreneur. He completed a bachelor's degree from Babson College and a master’s degree from American University. 

Sponsor: Fifth Third Bank

Training Partners: Southwest Region of the Small Business Center Network with centers located at Cleveland, Central Piedmont, Gaston, Mitchell, Rowan Cabarrus, South Piedmont and Stanly Community Colleges.