Founder path
If you are building something in Toronto and don't know what to do next, work through these six steps in order.
Step 01
Step 02
Step 03
Step 04
Step 05
Step 06
Step 01 · Idea validation
Use these TorontoStarts sessions to turn an idea into a series of customer conversations and small tests. Start with the short market-research introduction, or go straight to a workshop when you are ready to work on your own idea.
TorontoStarts · January 2024
A short introduction to customer research, demand, competing alternatives and using evidence to inform pricing and marketing decisions. Use it before starting the longer validation workshops.
Watch on YouTubeTorontoStarts · January 2024
An earlier upload with nearly identical market-research narration to the featured short clip. It covers understanding customers, checking demand, studying competition and using research to make business decisions.
Watch on YouTubeDr Sean Wise starts with a group you understand, have access to and can learn from. Look at the problems that group encounters in its everyday work or life. An idea becomes more useful when you can name the person, the situation and the unmet need.
Write a first assumption in plain language: “We think this customer has this problem in this situation.” Identify who uses a solution, who decides to buy and who pays. Those may be different people, with different reasons to care.
Check the alternatives already available, including manual work and choosing to do nothing. The market-research clips connect this work to demand, pricing and positioning. Competitor research gives you context; conversations with your own target customers show whether your particular offer fits.
TorontoStarts · September 2020
Dr Sean Wise starts with customer groups you understand and can reach, then shows how to find an unmet need and test it with a small offer. His maple-syrup restaurant example demonstrates how a founder can learn before committing to a full business. Includes questions about iteration, evidence and deciding what to pursue.
Watch on YouTubeIn the crash course, the Startup Coach separates problem interviews from solution conversations. Ask potential customers about actual experiences and how they deal with them. Give them room to explain the problem in their own words before showing your proposed product.
Record the situation, current workaround, impact and exact language you hear. Include observations that contradict your idea. Friends’ encouragement can be useful support, but seek evidence from people who experience the problem and could become customers.
The at-home haircut example begins with a simple landing page. The founder follows up with people who express interest to learn why they searched for the service and what they would need. A signup starts a conversation; it does not establish that someone will pay.
TorontoStarts · October 2018
The Startup Coach explains how to write down assumptions, identify the buyer and user, run problem interviews and test a small offer. The opening at-home haircut example shows how a simple landing page can lead to customer conversations before a product exists.
Watch on YouTubeHow to Validate Your Startup Idea separates three questions: do customers want the offer, can you deliver it and can the business earn enough to cover its costs? Use a business-model canvas to make your assumptions visible, then choose the uncertainty to investigate next.
Match the test to the question. An interview explores the problem. A prototype lets someone try an interaction. A landing page tests a message and response. A small pilot tests delivery and customer use. A paid offer gives different evidence from an email signup or a compliment.
Sean’s hypothetical maple-syrup restaurant shows how small the first offer can be. A founder could test a limited menu at a market before investing in a restaurant. Apply that logic to your business: deliver the smallest useful version that answers the question you need to resolve.
TorontoStarts · February 2023
This workshop explains business-model and value-proposition canvases, then separates desirability, feasibility and financial viability. It walks through test cards, learning cards and experiments such as customer interviews, prototypes and landing pages, followed by founder questions.
Watch on YouTubeComplete a learning note after each test: what you expected, what happened, what you measured and what you will change. Review it with your team. If the result is weak, examine the customer group, problem, offer or way you reached people before committing to a larger build.
Build on repeated customer behaviour and useful results. A total number of interviews or signups alone cannot tell you whether the business works. Keep testing the important assumptions as you move from the first offer to regular sales.
Turn this into your first month of founder workLegal foundations
The legal-foundations clips organize the first questions around structure, intellectual property, contracts and compliance. In Canada, begin by comparing a sole proprietorship, partnership and corporation. Ownership, tax treatment, liability and future financing affect that decision.
Federal and provincial incorporation are separate routes. Write down where the business will operate, who will own it and how you expect to fund it before choosing. The CRA explains that structure affects your tax returns and that not every business needs a business number or each program account.
The US-incorporation panel gives several perspectives on cross-border funding. Ask a prospective investor what entity they can invest in, then examine the tax, administrative and financing consequences with Canadian and US advisers. Interest from a US investor is a reason to investigate the structure, rather than an automatic instruction to change it.
TorontoStarts · January 2024
A short legal-foundations overview covering structure, intellectual property, contracts and regulatory obligations. Use the questions to prepare a focused discussion about your company with legal counsel.
Watch on YouTubeTorontoStarts · September 2024
The panel weighs Canadian and US fundraising, investor preferences and incorporation choices. Speakers offer different views on when a US presence helps; the discussion is a starting point for a company-specific cross-border decision.
Watch on YouTubeTorontoStarts · February 2024
An alternate upload of the same legal-foundations overview on structure, intellectual property, contracts and compliance.
Watch on YouTubeOwnership and agreements
Alex Morsink’s shareholder-agreement workshop examines how owners and directors share control. A founder team needs to discuss who makes decisions, what happens when an owner leaves and how shares can be transferred. A larger investor base raises additional questions about voting, information and running meetings.
List the outcomes you want before asking a lawyer to draft or adapt the agreement. Keep the ownership record consistent with the company documents and signed investment agreements. Revisit the arrangement when the ownership or financing plan changes.
The PAQT interview connects negotiation, signed terms and the relationship after signature. Keep the final agreement and the records needed to understand it together. For customer and supplier work, make scope, payment, delivery, responsibilities and changes understandable to both parties.
Identify which intellectual property the company needs and who created it. Include employees, contractors and co-founders in that record. Bring ownership and permitted-use questions to counsel before an investor or customer asks you to demonstrate the company’s rights.
TorontoStarts · December 2020
Alex Morsink explains how shareholder agreements allocate control and govern the relationship between owners and directors. The workshop examines changes for a larger shareholder base and questions about share transfers, voting and crowdfunding.
Watch on YouTubeTorontoStarts · September 2020
A founder interview about PAQT’s approach to negotiation, electronic signatures and agreement records. The 2020 discussion connects the contract with the communications and relationship before and after signing.
Watch on YouTube