Startup Lessons Learned: Insights About Lean Startups

On Friday, April 23, the Lean Startup Circle - Boston organized a free simulcast of the "Dean of Lean," Eric Ries' massive conference - Startup Lessons Learned. Dubbed by Steve Blank as “the Woodstock of Lean Startup events”. If you weren't here, you would want to say you were here. Why? Well, because this event attracted everyone on the startup scene. From  innovators to entrepreneurs, and even thought leaders, putting them all together in one place where they could swap ideas and talk about everything startup. 

If you are unaware about what the Startup Lessons Learned Conference is, let me break it down for you. This conference, started by Eric Riles, the person most renowned for propagating the Lean Startup methodology, aims to create a platform which enables people to explore actionable strategies, which are critical for building robust organizations that are resilient, innovative, and adaptive. The conference aims to address common challenges which startups come to experience, right from validation of ideas to reaching the road for sustainable growth. 

Furthermore, this event was created for catering to emerging entrepreneurs as well as experienced company founders alike. As such, it focused on providing attendees with important insights from the likes of prominent speakers including Ash Maurya, Steve Blank, and more. These prominent startup figures shared some very useful insights, which you can find in the video below. Some of the key focal points or topics of the discussions included the following: 

• The important role that a hypothesis-driven approach to development plays. 
• The importance of introducing modifications according to the customer feedback. 
• Developing a keen sense for identifying when it is time to pivot from your original idea, and when you must continue to persevere. 

For everyone in the startup ecosystem, especially those that are looking towards the lean startup methodology, this conference and these discussions proved to be a treasure trove of information, providing a deeper understanding of the lean startup framework, and how varied industries and markets can immensely benefit from it. 

Highlights of the Simulcast 

The Simulcast featuring Boston entrepreneurs was more of an interactive event rather than a passive panel discussion. It allowed entrepreneurs to engage with people in a meaningful manner, giving way to discussions and idea sharing experiences. It also played a vital role in bringing the entrepreneurial community together, becoming a very important event, especially for first time startup founders who found a tremendous opportunity to connect with seasoned startup founders from diverse domains. 

Before ending my story about the event, I would like to extend many thanks to the Cambridge Innovation Center for graciously hosting this event and helping to keep it free. If you're interested in the many great talks that were held, please be sure to check the Startup Lessons Learned website for information on how to watch the recorded day-long events.

If you are a local Boston Entrepreneur, you may be interested in checking out the video, below, that I took during the event. Here you will get a chance to (virtually) meet the members of the Boston chapter of the Lean Startup Circle. I also took a few photos of the event, which you can check out below. 

Lesson

The Startup Lessons Learned conference proved to be an event of high value for startups, entrepreneurs, and founders in more ways than one. Beyond teaching from experiences gained by prominent figures in Boston’s startup ecosystem, the conference also created an electric atmosphere where young and seasoned founders as well as entrepreneurs could come together, share ideas, engage in discussions, and create the path for continued innovation.