Building Things That Matter
Session Content Summary:
This presentation gives students a clear path from idea to impact by centering on people, not features. It explains how great companies begin with sharp customer understanding, then align product choices and go to market priorities accordingly. The talk introduces two practical lenses, Jobs To Be Done and Ideal Customer Persona, and shows how they work together to keep founders focused on the right problem for the right audience.
Attendees learn how customers “hire” solutions to make progress in their lives across functional, social, and emotional dimensions, and why that insight should shape problem selection, positioning, and early traction efforts. The presentation walks through concrete questions to guide discovery, including what the customer is trying to accomplish, what they are struggling with today, what alternatives they use, and why they would switch.
The talk then outlines what defines an ideal early customer, covering goals, pain points, behaviors, and values, so founders can identify a specific first audience rather than build for everyone. With JTBD and ICP aligned, the presentation shows how to prioritize MVP features, craft credible messaging, and take the first steps toward product market fit while avoiding wasted time and spend.
Students leave with a concise mental model for turning ideas into solutions that matter to real people, plus a short checklist they can apply immediately after the talk to sharpen their concept, customer definition, and early go-to-market.
Session Learning Objectives:
By the end of this presentation, students and attendees will:
- Understand the Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) framework: Learn how to identify the underlying functional, social, and emotional “jobs” customers are trying to accomplish, and why this perspective matters more than simply listing product features.
- Recognize what motivates customer decisions: Gain insight into why customers “hire” certain products or services, what progress they seek, and how to uncover unmet needs through observation and questioning.
- Define an Ideal Customer Persona (ICP): Learn how to describe a target customer using demographics, behaviors, goals, values, and pain points to pinpoint who benefits most from their product.
- Connect JTBD and ICP to product-market fit: Understand how combining customer motivation (JTBD) with a clear audience profile (ICP) helps founders design the right solution for the right person.
- Apply customer focus to early business strategy: Learn how clarity about the customer and their problem leads to better product choices, sharper messaging, and more effective early sales efforts.
Speaker(s):
Kofi Ampadu, Founder and General Partner of SKU’d Ventures
