A great venture starts with focus. In this workshop, participants will identify their beachhead market, the earliest adopters most likely to say “yes”, and translate customer discovery into a clear, actionable customer persona. They'll move from broad assumptions to sharper insight, helping them tighten their messaging, product decisions, and go-to-market priorities. Spark Founders will walk away with: a defined early ...
This session introduces the fundamentals of positioning, category design, value proposition clarity, and strategic differentiation, so founders can own their space with intention. They'll explore positioning maps, “moat” thinking, and how to craft messaging that resonates with the customers they're built to serve. Spark Founders will walk away with: sharper positioning, clearer differentiation, and language that strengthens your go-to-market foundation.
This workshop equips founders with frameworks to explore and validate channels, measure performance, and build a culture of iteration. From experimentation strategy to feedback loops and product-market fit tracking, they'll learn how to test, learn, and scale what works, without wasting time or budget. Spark Founders will walk away with: channel experimentation frameworks, a plan to test traction, and tools ...
Revenue growth starts with a repeatable path from interest to action. In this session, founders will map their sales funnel, identify top-of-funnel (TOFU) strategies, and learn practical approaches to lead generation and conversion. Whether they're building B2C or B2B, they'll focus on how customers make decisions and what their venture needs to move them forward. Spark Founders will walk away ...
Negotiation shows up everywhere, in compensation conversations, team dynamics, partnerships, and big decisions. This workshop, hosted by Dr. Melissa Murphy (UT Austin), equips students with practical strategies and frameworks to negotiate with clarity and confidence. Through exercises and real-world scenarios, you’ll learn how to prepare, communicate value, and advocate for outcomes that move you (and your goals) forward.
This workshop introduces core pricing principles, common models, competitive analysis, and how to balance profitability with growth. Founders will also explore tools like willingness-to-pay methods so you can price with confidence and build a monetization strategy that matches their market and venture goals. Spark Founders will walk away with: a pricing direction you can test, stronger value-based thinking, and practical ...
This session demystifies the basics of financial statements, cash flow thinking, forecasting, and the metrics investors look for. Founders will learn how to connect operations to outcomes, plan for scenarios, and build financial confidence that supports smarter decisions and stronger storytelling. Spark Founders will walk away with: foundational finance fluency, investor metric awareness, and a clearer path to building a ...
Your brand is what people believe about you, before they buy. This workshop helps founders define brand identity, clarify positioning, and craft a story that connects with the audience they're built to serve. Founders will explore what makes brands memorable (and scalable), and how to translate their venture’s purpose into messaging that feels aligned, compelling, and consistent. Spark Founders will ...
Innovation starts with seeing what others miss. This workshop, featuring the team from IDEO, introduces design thinking as a practical toolkit for identifying white space, solving problems creatively, and building better solutions in any organization.
This workshop turns marketing from “posting” into performance. Founders will learn the fundamentals of organic and digital growth, SMART goals, channel strategy, and the key metrics that help them evaluate what’s working (and what’s not). Our guest speaker will also cover competitive analysis and cost-effective approaches to building awareness and acquisition while staying true to their brand. Spark Founders will ...
Spark Founders Pitch Practice is a high-impact prep session for the student founders selected to take the stage at KS WELI Changemakers Summit. This is our presenting founders' space to rehearse their pitch in a supportive room, sharpen their story, and get real-time feedback on clarity, confidence, and flow—so they can show up on Summit day ready to lead with ...
The KS WELI Changemakers Summit is our signature, end-of-year gathering that brings together students, founders, mentors, and ecosystem leaders for a full day of inspiration, connection, and action. Register Here!
