On March 20th, eCornell hosted a webinar “Evidence-Based Entrepreneurship: A Mindset for Startup Success” featuring Ken Rother, Director of Rev: Ithaca Startup Works and Cornell’s eLab, and Tom Schryver, Executive Director of Cornell’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement.
The purpose of the webinar is to help entrepreneurs and startups grasp a deeper understanding of the importance of customer insights and identifying customer needs before presenting a solution.
The webinar debunks the myth that many startups are unsuccessful due to the creation of the invented product or service and explains that the majority of startup failure comes from the successful creation of a product that simply does not meet a customer need or want. This introduces the idea of evidence-based entrepreneurship, which they describe as the pursuit of an idea based on need and evidence of that need, rather than faith that an idea will succeed based on personal opinion or evaluation of whether or not the idea is a good one.
Rother relates this concept directly to customers, stating that it allows entrepreneurs to understand “What can we learn about our customers and the market that really informs the decision of ‘Are we making the right thing for the right person? Are we solving the right problem?’”
The webinar remains available on the eCornell website and is free to viewers here.