Three strangers came together in the start-up scene fellowship. The first week not only brought a common idea, but also the first reality check.
Three strangers, one week, one startup: Theodora Both, Minh Vu Ngo and Garry Lazovskis have found themselves as a founding team in the start-up scene fellowship “Start-up scene is looking for the super founders”. They are now working together on an app for restaurant recommendations.
Her idea: Instead of anonymous Google reviews, friends should recommend the best (or worst) bars and restaurants to their friends. While Garry thought in this direction from the start, Vu and Theodora initially wanted to develop a dating app for digital twins. In the end, the shared vision convinced him.
“Startup scene is looking for super founders” is a ten-week startup fellowship from Gründerszene. Eight selected fellows develop consumer startups in Berlin using artificial intelligence – from the idea to the first product. During the program, the fellows work together in the Axel Springer high-rise and are accompanied by experienced entrepreneurs, investors and experts. Partners like OpenAI, Vercel, Dash0 and DHL support them with technology, know-how and mentoring. Gründerszene documents the entire journey with articles, videos and social media content – and shows up close how the next generation of startups is being created today.
One idea, several approaches
The team quickly agreed on the basic idea. What the app should look like in the end is not yet clear. Instead of committing to a single concept early on, the three consciously test different versions of their idea.
“We realized that we shouldn’t get stuck in a fixed concept,” they say. “Instead, we need to try multiple approaches in parallel.” Only when it becomes clear which version really works for users will the team want to fully concentrate on it. Until then, the rule is: test instead of discuss.
The reality is harsher than expected
The first reality check followed in the first week. To validate their idea, the team approached passers-by on the street and collected feedback.
The result was sobering. “We approached about 30 people. Only a few really liked the idea,” says Garry.
It was still a success for the three of them. They have learned that good ideas alone are not enough – what matters is how real users react to them. That’s exactly what the fellowship is there for: finding out as quickly as possible whether a product-market fit can be created or not.
Next, the founders want to publish a first prototype, win users and collect significantly more feedback.
Sales means, above all, perseverance
The team was particularly impressed by a workshop with Philipp Strack, sales manager at Dash0. His most important message: In sales, it is often not the best idea that wins, but the greatest persistence.
On average, it takes 16 contact points for a prospective customer to become a customer appointment, explained Strack. However, most people would give up after just five attempts.
The founders now want to transfer this way of thinking to their own startup. Especially in the beginning, success is often a numbers game, not the result of the perfect pitch.
Encounter with Capital Bra and Samra
There was also a rather unexpected moment during their street survey: Suddenly Capital Bra and Samra stood in front of them. However, they missed the chance to make a spontaneous video. “We didn’t really have the courage,” they say.
For the second week, the goal is even clearer: discuss less, build more. The first prototype should go online as quickly as possible. After that, it is no longer the founders who should decide which version of the app is the best, but rather the users.
“Start-up scene is looking for super founders” powered by Dash0, DHL, OpenAI & Vercel.
