Process

1. The power of the team: the first step to success.

Before launching any great idea, something essential is needed: a strong and complementary team. In the early stages of a startup, the founding team is not just important, it is absolutely crucial. Each member brings unique skills, perspectives, and talents that, when combined, multiply the project’s potential. No one builds a social impact solution alone: it’s the combination of technical knowledge, creative vision, and organizational skills that turns an idea into a real opportunity for change.

You will form teams of 3 people, where each member will take on a specific and essential role for the success of the project:

  • CEO (Chief Executive Officer): responsible for coordinating the team’s work, making strategic decisions, and ensuring that deadlines and objectives are met.
  • Commercial Director: in charge of designing the strategy to promote the project, presenting its benefits, and attracting potential allies and investors.
  • Design Director: Responsible for creating the visual materials needed to communicate the proposal in an attractive and professional way.

Got your team ready? Let’s move forward!

 

2. Think like a Startup: Innovate. Impact. Grow.

Now that you have your team, it’s time to start thinking like a startup. You are not creating a traditional company, you are building a tech-based project, powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI), aimed at turning a social challenge into a real opportunity for change.

Startups are young, innovative, and dynamic companies, focused on rapid growth and on using knowledge and technology to solve problems in new ways. They are characterized by:

In this case, you are also creating a social impact startup, which adds an even more powerful dimension:

  • Your objective is not only economic, but also social: to improve the lives of deaf people and help build a more inclusive society.
  • Positive impact must be at the centre of your business model: every step forward in your project should bring you closer to changing real lives.
  • Social and ethical sustainability will be just as important as financial sustainability.

Remember: a social impact startup doesn’t measure success only by the money it earns, but by the lives it transforms. Are you ready to design a business model that combines innovation, technology, and purpose?

I also encourage you to discover the Lean Startup method, a business management approach whose main goal is to create a scalable business model in an agile and reliable way. It focuses on shortening development cycles, eliminating unnecessary practices, and establishing continuous innovation processes.

 

3. Bring your Startup to life!

Step 1: Choose a name with personality.

The name of your startup will be the first impression you give to the world. It should be memorable, meaningful, and aligned with your social mission. To get inspired and generate ideas, you can use the following AI tools:

Step 2: Create a logo that represents you.

An effective logo communicates the essence of your startup at a glance. Use these AI tools to create a professional design without needing any previous graphic design experience:

  • Logomaster.ai.  A complete solution for professional logo design.​
  • Tailor Brands. Answer a few questions about your company and style preferences, and you will get an AI-designed logo that reflects your vision.​

 

4. From problem to opportunity: designing purpose-driven solutions.

Now that you have built your brand identity, it’s time to focus on the heart of your startup: what problem you are going to solve and how your solution (powered by AI) will achieve it. This step is essential because it allows the whole team to focus their efforts on a clear objective and ensures that the solution is truly aligned with a real need of the target audience (deaf people and their communication needs).

 

Problem definition.

Before creating a brilliant solution, you must deeply understand the problem you want to solve.

A problem statement is a concise and clear description of a specific situation that needs to be addressed. In the context of a startup, this statement helps the team focus their efforts on a real customer need, avoiding solutions based on assumptions.

Think about the real difficulties that deaf people face in their daily lives and investigate them further:

  • What communication barriers exist??
  • In which situations do they feel most limited?
  • What emotions or frustrations do they experience?

Work as a team to write a short description that explains:

  • Which exact problem are you aiming to solve?
  • In which real-life situations it appears?
  • Why it is important to solve it.

This approach is key for developing products and services that truly address meaningful problems for users. Be clear and specific: a well-defined problem is the first step towards a great solution.

 

Get to know your customer: create your Buyer Persona.

Before designing any technological solution, it is essential to understand who it is aimed at. Knowing your customer in depth allows you to create products and services that truly meet their needs and solve their problems. In the case of a social impact startup, this knowledge is even more crucial, as the goal is to generate a positive change in people’s lives.

A Buyer Persona is a representation of your ideal customer, based on real data and research. It includes demographic information, behaviours, motivations, goals, and challenges. This tool helps us empathise with our users and design more effective and personalised solutions.

To build your Buyer Persona, you will need to research and collect data about potential customers through surveys, interviews, or market analysis. If you are not in direct contact with deaf people, you can conduct thorough research online or ask AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini. With that information, you will need to identify behaviour patterns, needs, and goals. Create your ideal Buyer Persona to design solutions that truly add value to their lives.

Some AI tools can help you define your Buyer Persona:

 

Building the Value Proposition.

Now it’s time to shape your Value Proposition, that unique promise you make to your customers, the special benefit or solution you offer to solve a problem or improve their lives.

A startup’s Value Proposition is a clear and concise statement that describes the unique benefit its product or service offers to customers, setting it apart from the competition.

Your Value Proposition should answer:

To help you write your Value Proposition, we are going to use the Value Proposition Canvas:

The Value Proposition Canvas is a visual tool that helps businesses design, test, and improve their value propositions, making sure they align with the customers’ needs and desires.

This canvas is divided into two main parts:​

Customer Profile: It analyses the customer’s tasks (Customer Jobs): the obstacles or problems they face (Pains); and the positive outcomes or benefits they hope to achieve (Gains).

Value Map: Products and Services: what the company offers to help the customer; Pain Relievers: how the products or services eliminate or reduce the customer’s pains; and Gain Creators: how the products or services create additional benefits for the customer.

The goal is to achieve a perfect fit between what the company offers and what the customer needs, improving the value proposition and increasing the chances of success in the market.

Check out these resources to help you complete the Value Proposition Canvas template:

You can also work with one of the templates available on this website:

Then, try creating your Value Proposition using this AI-based tool, which generates a Value Proposition Canvas from your company description:

Finally, write your Value Proposition in a simple and direct format (maximum 5 lines). You can use this structure as a guide:

[Product/solution] helps [target audience] to [solve the problem] by [main feature of your AI], achieving [key benefit].

Remember, a good Value Proposition is short, clear, and focused on the user’s benefit.

 

5. From dream to strategy: building your Business Model Canvas.

Up to now, you have been shaping your startup step by step. You have defined who you are helping (Buyer Persona), by identifying and understanding your ideal customer, their needs, and challenges.

You have also defined how you are helping them (Value Proposition), by designing a unique solution that meets their needs and highlights the benefits you offer.

Now, it’s time to move on to the next crucial step: designing how everything will work (Business Model Canvas). You will organise, in a clear and visual way, all the fundamental elements that will allow your startup to operate effectively and sustainably.

The Business Model Canvas is a visual tool that allows you to describe, design, and analyse a business model on a single page. It was developed by Alexander Osterwalder and is made up of nine key blocks that represent the main areas or dimensions of any business:

  1. Customer Segments: Who are you targeting?
  2. Value Proposition: What value do you offer to your customers? [Remember, you have already worked on this.]
  3. Channels: How do you deliver your value proposition?
  4. Customer Relationships: How do you interact with your customers?
  5. Revenue Streams: How do you generate income?
  6. Key Resources: What resources are essential for your business?
  7. Key Activities: What activities are fundamental to delivering your value proposition?
  8. Key Partners: Who are your strategic allies?
  9. Cost Structure: What are the most important costs in your business model?​

Creating your Business Model Canvas is an important step for your project because it helps you to visualise, structure, and understand how your startup will work, all on a single page. This tool mainly serves to:

  • Organise your ideas, logically connecting your value proposition, customers, resources, income, and costs.
  • Identify risks and opportunities. With a global view, it is easier to spot what could go wrong or what could be improved.
  • Communicate your project. This tool helps explain your business model clearly to investors, partners, or anyone interested.
  • Adapt and evolve. It allows you to make quick changes if the market, your customer, or your solution needs it.
  • Introduction to the Business Model Canvas.
  • The 9-Step Business Model Canvas Explained.

 

However, you must not lose sight of the fact that this innovative project is also a project with social impact. Therefore, the Business Model Canvas must be adapted to reflect both the economic and the social value that your startup aims to create. Although the traditional Business Model Canvas and the one adapted for social impact enterprises share a similar structure, there are some key differences:

  • Dual focus: The social impact model integrates both financial and social goals, while the traditional model focuses mainly on financial profitability.
  • Customer segmentation: It distinguishes between beneficiaries and customers, recognising that those who benefit from the social impact are not always the ones who pay for the service.​
  • Success metrics: In addition to financial indicators, it includes metrics to assess the social impact generated.​
  • Revenue streams: It considers income from sales, donations, grants, and other sources aligned with the social mission.
  • Value Proposition: It includes both the commercial and the social value propositions.​

These adaptations allow social impact startups to align their financial goals with their social mission, ensuring that both value propositions complement and strengthen each other.

Now it’s your turn to create the Social Business Model Canvas for your startup.

Download one of the templates provided earlier to start building your Social Business Model Canvas. You can also use a tool to customise your template.

You may also use an AI tool to help you generate a Business Model Canvas but remember to adapt it carefully to the social context of your project.

 

6. Present your project: build the Pitch that wins hearts.

Now that you have built your startup’s Social Business Model Canvas, you hold a clear map of how your project will create value, generate social impact, and sustain itself over time. You have defined who you help, how you help them, what resources you have, and what partnerships and income sources you need to make your mission a reality. With this strategic canvas, your idea stops being just an inspiration and starts becoming a concrete action plan.

Now it’s time to take the next step: prepare a simple, clear, and persuasive presentation (Pitch Deck) to share your project with the world.

Think about the project you are building: a technological solution that can change the lives of millions of deaf people, breaking down barriers and creating inclusion. Doesn’t it deserve to be told in the best way possible? Having a brilliant idea and a solid business model is not enough. If you cannot communicate it, no one will believe in your project. Let’s build the story that will make others believe in your vision as much as you do!

A Pitch Deck is a short presentation (around 10 slides) that tells the story of your project in a clear, attractive, and convincing way.

Its goal is to capture attention and spark the interest of those who can help you make your idea come true: investors, organisations, partners, or accelerators.

Your next challenge is to design a Pitch Deck that captures the soul of your project in a simple, visual, and inspiring way. Your Pitch Deck should include at least the following slides:

  1. Title: Name of your startup + a short slogan that reflects its mission.
  2. The Problem: What communication barriers do deaf people face today?
  3. The Solution: Your innovative AI-based proposal: how it works and the impact it creates.
  4. Buyer Persona: Who is your ideal customer? A brief profile.
  5. Value Proposition: What makes you unique? Why does your solution stand out?
  6. Business Model: How will you sustain your project in the long term? (Income + social impact).
  7. Social Impact: What positive change do you expect to generate in society?
  8. The Team: Briefly introduce the team members and their roles.
  9. Call to Action: What do you need? (Support, funding, collaboration, advice, etc.)

Feel free to create your Pitch Deck with the help of AI Here you will find several tools that can help you make your presentation truly impressive:

You can also use other tools to enhance your presentation, such as AI tools for creating photos and images:

Use a clean design, clear words, and always connect with emotion. You are building a bridge towards a more inclusive world!!

Would you like to impress your classmates? Give a live presentation of your Pitch Deck in the classroom. Your presentation must not exceed 10 minutes. Remember: a Pitch Deck is not meant to tell everything. It should spark interest!

Your Pitch Deck is more than just a presentation, it is your opportunity to inspire, to connect, and to open the doors that can bring your project to life.

Prepare your speech carefully and make every word matter!

Imagine that, thanks to your solution, in the future you could present your Pitch Deck in a way that also reaches deaf people and allows them to present their own projects in an accessible way too, breaking communication barriers and opening up new opportunities.

This is already becoming a reality through initiatives like Sign-Speak, which uses Artificial Intelligence to translate sign language into voice and text in real time, or DeafTawk, which instantly connects deaf people with sign language interpreters through a mobile app. Incredible, right?

These are amazing examples of how innovative social entrepreneurship, powered by AI, can create a huge impact.

And you, do you know any other projects that are using AI for positive change?

PreviousNext