As we finish our last minute preparations for tomorrow’s Shotput Ventures Demo Day, I wanted to reflect on some of the lessons I’ve learned. This is not an exhaustive list, but rather a few quick thoughts based on my experiences over the past three months. Without further ado, here they are:
- Offering a co-working space as part of the program is a better way to go than no office space in a spread-out city like Atlanta
- I saw the most progress and excitement in the final 30 days of the program, correlated with having tangible products to test
- Letting a team change product directions mid-course is a good idea if they still have time to build something solid for Demo Day
- Community support is invaluable and Atlanta has been amazing at helping out
- The teams didn’t interact with each other as much as I would have liked, and we could have done a better job promoting and facilitating them spending time together
- Developing a timeline with general deliverables at the start of the program would have been beneficial (e.g. product user interfaces, roadmaps, potential beta testers, etc)
After Demo Day, and having more time to reflect, I’ll work to come up with additional lessons learned. I’m excited about tomorrow!
David Cummings on Startups 
I think providing co-working space is key. It forces the teams to focus on work since there’s no excuses — they have a place to work and that’s where they’re expected to be. It’s like a regular job, only more fun. 🙂
It would be cool to find eight adjacent live/work spaces (something cool, like a converted warehouse with exposed brick, industrial metal, and the whole lot) where the eight teams could live and have office space too. It’s convenient, it doesn’t require getting a car, and it would be uber-cool for youngsters living in a strange new city. It also speaks to another one of your points (promoting group interaction), assuming they are housed in the same building/complex. This co-housing/co-working setup would foster a more collaborative atmosphere. It’s like a college dorm, only more professional. 🙂