Market Validation Workshop (MVW)

Are you creating an innovative product or service hoping your target market will buy it? Validate your customer segment before putting more time and money into your venture!

MVW is a customer discovery program that invites entrepreneurs to define their product market fit by conducting interviews with potential customers.

For groups: This crash course consists of an in-person kickoff workshop with team presentations, a 30-minute check-in (virtual) and a lessons learned finale presentation (may be virtual). Please contact mvw@fau.edu with your specific cohort request.

For individuals: Want to learn on your own time? Sign up here for $150 per entrepreneur. This includes all video lessons, quizzes, and a virtual instructor check in.

We help entrepreneurs and small businesses:

Gather qualitative data to identify or validate unmet market needs
Discover your product market fit (i.e. who is your customer and what needs are you fulfilling)
Identify gaps and assumptions in your business model canvas
De-risk your company/startup by conducting customer discovery interviews

Participants in this program receive multiple resources and opportunities, including:

Personalized instruction
Access to a no cost Florida SBDC at FAU consultation
Access to specialized software for course materials and interview tracking (upon request)
Potential entrance into FAU's Innovation and Business Development pipeline, programs and resources.

All resources and opportunities are contingent upon a signed agreement.

Note: workshop deliverables are subject to change, please refer to cohort syllabus.

Final Deliverables

Each team (or entrepreneur) will produce and present the following:

Kickoff Presentation
30 minute check-in
Finale Presentation: Lessons Learned
25 interviews completed over several weeks

*FAU Tech Runway participants do not have to pay for the Market Validation Workshop and may be eligible to receive credit for this program.

Applications open on a rolling basis.

MVW runs online and in person cohorts based on demand and availability.

Individuals: Sign up here.

Groups: Please email us to book a cohort.

“ THANK YOU to the instructors for your incredible contributions and unwavering dedication throughout the process. Your expertise and guidance made what seemed like a daunting task turn into an exciting adventure. Your patience in explaining complex concepts with such enthusiasm and care made all the difference. ”

Omar Sanabria, President of BeSwell24
“ It was truly a pleasure to participate. This methodology is fantastic and we will continue to use it to bring our app to market. ”

Audrey Levi, Co-founder, RideGuide
“ The customer discovery training provided by the FAU team has been instrumental in honing our focus on the pivotal driving force behind all innovation and change—the customer. Armed with comprehensive Customer Discovery skills and knowledge, we have experienced a remarkable transformation in our ability to validate our assumptions. As a direct result, we have been able to focus our scarce resources and consistently deliver value to our users. ”

Raul Pena, Branch Chief, Digital Capabilities and Technology Maturation, United States Air Force
“ The MVW workshop gave me the opportunity to learn and meet like-minded entrepreneurs. It was great to listen to other business individuals who want to make a difference in the world with their products and services. If you're looking to validate your ideas, I recommend taking on this workshop. ”

Stefano Selorio, CEO & Founder, Carevocacy
“ The best Market Validation program out there! We could validate one of our customer segment ideas and now we have all these insights and knowledge that we are applying to other customer segments. Even if you need to pivot from one idea to another, or your first idea can’t be validated, this Market Validation Workshop has all you need to validate the next idea. We are so grateful for the team that makes this possible! ”

Carlos Irizarry & Sarinette Caraballo
RedeLit Co-Founders
“ The customer discovery process not only helped me gain a deeper understanding of the real market need for my company's solutions, but it also bolstered the value of my grant funding applications with concrete evidence. ”

Rodrigo Griesi, Founder & Captain at NEPTUNYA Ocean Power
“ The FAU team that provided us with customer discovery training made all the difference. These newfound abilities allow us to focus on true courses of action and ignore potential pitfalls using the data gathered thereby minimizing wasted effort and maximizing potential successes. I am looking forward to using these tools in all my future projects. ”

Dr. Ward Dougherty
Strategic Integration Partnership Branch Chief, United States Air Force

MVW is part of the FAU Innovation and Business Development ecosystem. For more information visit www.fau.edu/innovation-and-business-development/.