Cihan Behlivan’s Post

Next video is out! This one’s all about how to approach problem statements. Whether you’re working on projects or hackathons, I had coverd practical steps to help you break down and solve problems effectively. Check it out and let me know your thoughts! 👉 https://lnkd.in/gtGRpRp7

The journey starts here...

“[My mentor] understood what I was going through. That was really helpful to have somebody that kind of understood [my] background.” Meet Michelle Nguyen, founder and CEO of Emmi's Closet, and learn how her SCORE mentor has helped her thrive in today’s ALL NEW success story! 👗🤩 #SOARwithSCORE #WomensSmallBusinessMonth

We’ve facilitated hackathons with agency partners across the country and the day always starts with the same question. What is a hackathon?! Inspired by the tech-style hackathons, the hackathons hosted by SWIM are fast-paced work sessions where organizations brainstorm prototypes that help them implement a variety of Neighbor Centered practices. The day is full of brainstorming, learning, and connecting with one another. Check out the learnings from the day in our Hackathon Report. https://buff.ly/3vNgCUu

Transformation begins!

This was the first Voltaage MVP in 2021 🤩 At the time we had no company, 0 customers, 0 revenues, little knownledge of the problem and just about a 100 potential user interviews. We created an MVP of a tool to replace Excel with, well, an Excel 😅 We asked my co-founder Edoardo Carlevaris's girlfriend to lend us her voice, and then we sent this demo video to all the potential users and investors we had spoken to. And, believe it or not, it worked. This helped us get our 2 first customers and our first investment: 1. It was already solving a real problem 2. It was created with real potential users (the same that bought it later) 3. We marketed well. Paula your voice made the difference 😁 ❤️

🏫 SCHOOLS ARE OUR THING! 🏫 This clip comes from one of our most valued partnerships: Accel Schools. We plan to be helping these folks out for a long, long time... and we couldn't ask for a more gracious and partner. Thanks so much for sitting down with our marketing team for this interview! More to come in the future! Oh and if you know of any schools that could use The RamClean Difference, tell em to give us a call 😉🐏💪 #theramcleandifference #ramclean #schoolcleaning #schools #commercialcleaning

Judging is crucial in hackathons, requiring skill to ensure fairness and maintain credibility. A poor judging process can drive talent away, regardless of great food, venue or prizes. The best hackathons have a focused scope, clear problem statements and judges who are actual problem owners with mix backgrounds. Judges and mentors should engage with teams throughout the event, as feedback loops before demos greatly improve overall outcomes. D-E-C-S Framework for Hackathon Judging! 1. Depth: How deeply the team understands the problem and its nuances. - Success:  Problem's root cause with at least one supporting statistic, user insight or real-world example. 2. Effectiveness: How effectively the solution addresses the problem and its impact. - Success: A working MVP/demo with at least one core feature operational. 3. Clarity: How clearly the team communicates and resonates with audience. - Success: A clear & easy understandable story. 4. Speed: How fast the solution is built. - Success: Prioritized tasks using frameworks like: MoSCoW (Must/Should/Could/Won't) or RICE (Reach*Impact*Confidence/Effort).

How do you ensure fairness, consistency, and no great ideas slip through the cracks for your hackathons? In this guide, we break down 6 judging criteria to evaluate projects like a pro: 🔹 Creativity 🔹 Technical execution 🔹 Functional MVP 🔹 Problem-solving 🔹 Impact 🔹 Final pitch Learn more 👇 https://lnkd.in/dRTTsvjr

Finding capital to grow their business is one of the toughest challenges faced by small business owners. Learning to pitch -- whether to find investors or to secure a bank loan -- is critical. Creating a compelling deck is equally important (and especially if you are looking to sell your business). Kudos to SCORE Mentors for helping growth-minded business owners understand the importance of being able to present yourself and your business in the most compelling way possible. At Business Growth Resource, we're working with a $12M snack manufacturer with growing sales and plenty of upside potential to do just that ... #smallbusiness #entrepreneurship #womenowned #minorityowned #veteranowned #capital #acquisitions #elevatorpitch #SME #brandingexpert #investmentready #success #mentors #accesstocapital #venturecapital #angelinvestors #pitch #pitchdeck U.S. Small Business Administration