Building a successful company requires more than just an innovative idea or technology. Obtaining and growing proven market interest is critical for your business at any stage, and will help you determine if you’re building the right solution for the problem you’re trying to solve. Proven market interest from real customers will ensure you have identified good product-market fit, incorporated feedback from customers, and will put you in a stronger position to earn external non-dilutive or equity investments.

In this session, you will hear from experienced entrepreneurs who will discuss how they have developed proven market interest for their own companies, how you can find and capture proven market interest at an early stage, and continue to develop that interest to help inform the direction of your business over time.

Event Speakers Include:

• Peter Van der Gracht, Senior Mentor at Alacrity Canada (Moderator)

• Jayesh Vekariya: Co-Founder and Co-CEO, joni

• Paige Whitehead: Founder and CEO, Nyoka Design Labs

• Bill Collins: Chairman, Cascadia Seaweed

See below for a full profile of each speaker.

What is proven market interest?

Proven market interest can look different depending on where you are in your business journey. Essentially, proven market interest is the result of customers validating first that there is a need for the solution you’re developing, and second that they would be willing to pay for the product or service you’re offering. Indications of proven market interest can look like a series of successful customer discovery interviews initially, but that interest must be further validated as you develop your product by singing letters of intent, doing product demonstrations and securing pilot projects.