Conversations with CAPAi Participants, Part 2
At the American University of Kurdistan (AUK), the CAPAi Design Thinking Tech Bootcamp is now in its second week. Three teams of young entrepreneurs are competing to come up with the best MVP (minimum viable product). Content Writer Michael Collins caught up with the three teams during some rare downtime in their feverish work on their product ideas to interview them. Below, you will find the text for an interview with each team – each time composed of identical questions, for the sake of balance and comparison.
Team: Civic Tech
Coach: Herish Badal (AUK College of Engineering)
Q: Starting a new business is extremely hard work. I know you are working hard during the day through the structured bootcamp program. What is one thing your team, on an individual basis or a group basis, is doing even outside of the bootcamp hours to work on your idea?
A: We use apps to connect and keep track of tasks that are assigned to the members. We also plan regular off-campus meetings.
Q: A proper sales pitch should be concise and never confusing. Soon, you will have to make a sales pitch about your team’s product idea on demo day. Could you name another product and give your best example of a sales pitch for it, for practice?
A: Another product we have some interest in is a luxury watch made with recycled materials. “Sustainable fashion” is already big business that is not putting a hurting on the planet, and people looking to get in on this trend now can simultaneously promote local development, a greener future, and a more appealing look for themselves.
Q: Speaking in general terms, so as not to reveal any sensitive information, how are you trying to improve your product right now?
A: We are trying to incorporate technology into our product in a way that has not been done before within the region.
Q: Again as briefly as possible and without revealing too much information, why should your idea win?
A: We believe that our idea not only has the potential to benefit the community and the future of people in it, but that it also has the potential to awaken an entirely new segment of the economy.
Team: Educational Tech
Coach: Gulan Ahmed (AUK Library)
Q: Starting a new business is extremely hard work. I know you are working hard during the day through the structured bootcamp program. What is one thing your team, on an individual basis or a group basis, is doing even outside of the bootcamp hours to work on your idea?
A: Working continuously and consistently is the key, so we are keeping one another updated and asking one another questions. We communicate through online platforms to exchange ideas. Gulistan, in particular, has been great about checking in with everyone. Whenever a survey gets completed, we share the results, even outside of the in-person meeting hours at AUK.
Q: A proper sales pitch should be concise and never confusing. Soon, you will have to make a sales pitch about your team’s product idea on demo day. Could you name another product and give your best example of a sales pitch for it, for practice?
A: We would like to add that a proper sales pitch makes potential customers feel that they must have a certain product, that their quality of life will stagnate or even worsen without that product. We are comfortable making a sales pitch for electric cars. With them, customers will not be gouged by oil prices, they will be safeguarding the environment, and they will be promoting human well-being, too, since exhaust can cause so many health problems.
Q: Speaking in general terms, so as not to reveal any sensitive information, how are you trying to improve your product right now?
A: We are taking note of tips from visiting experts. We are conducting surveys. We are putting out feelers to local industry. Finally, we are carrying out market research, to see how best to propose a product that adds something new and, hopefully, better.
Q: Again as briefly as possible and without revealing too much information, why should your idea win?
A: Education is the foundation for everything else in a person’s life. Today’s world is evolving very fast, and many young people remain deficient in 21st-century skills. The pandemic brought the opportunity to learn in whole new ways, and we are bringing yet another new way to learn to the area.
Team: Health Tech
Coach: Fatima Ahmed (Lelav)
Q: Starting a new business is extremely hard work. I know you are working hard during the day through the structured bootcamp program. What is one thing your team, on an individual basis or a group basis, is doing even outside of the bootcamp hours to work on your idea?
A: We communicate extensively through applications, and we sometimes communicate via phone calls. We also met over the weekend.
Q: A proper sales pitch should be concise and never confusing. Soon, you will have to make a sales pitch about your team’s product idea on demo day. Could you name another product and give your best example of a sales pitch for it, for practice?
A: As a team, we can get behind the idea of promoting practically any health app that has been created professionally, with the consultation of medical experts. Such an app can save time and even lives. What more of a sales pitch would anyone need?
Q: Speaking in general terms, so as not to reveal any sensitive information, how are you trying to improve your product right now?
A: The appeal for the customer and the challenge for the designer come in the details. We are trying to improve our product by adding several small upgrades that, taken together, should amount to a big difference.
Q: Again as briefly as possible and without revealing too much information, why should your idea win?
A: We see ourselves as contributing to solving a major problem in society. Our proposed solution should save time and lives, and it should generate profit, too. Our concern for the health of fellow human beings is sincere, going beyond mere marketing speech; half of our team is already involved in the medical sector.