This thesis provides insights into how radical innovations can be successfully launched and adopted in stigmatized markets, specially focused on the menstrual cup. The project is based on Casey, a cleaning and sterilisation solution for menstrual cups developed by the Fem-Tech start-up CupHub. Drawing from market analysis, qualitative research, and innovation theory, the study identifies main barriers to adoption, such as hygiene concerns, social stigma, and lack of education and translates these insights into a tailored go-to-market (GTM) strategy.
The research builds on Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations and Schuhmacher et al.’s Consumer Innovativeness (CI) framework to assess consumer readiness and develop segmentation strategies. Based on in-depth interviews, focus groups, and observational research, distinct personas were created to reflect different CI levels and psychological adoption profiles. These personas form the foundation for a phased GTM roadmap that aligns product messaging, education, and community-building with each group’s needs.
Rather than framing Casey solely as a sustainable innovation, the proposed strategy positions it around convenience and social proof: elements shown to resonate more strongly with potential users. Recommendations include prioritising peer validation, transparent communication, and phased educational efforts in order to normalise menstrual cup use and increase product adoption over time.
Ultimately, this thesis offers a replicable GTM approach for radical, user-first innovations in sensitive or habit-based industries. It combines academic theory with real-world strategy, contributing both to Fem-Tech entrepreneurship and innovation management research.

Deep-tech ventures, such as those developing digital twins, artificial intelligence, or blockchain
solutions, often struggle to connect their innovative technologies with clear, actionable market
opportunities. Unlike single-product start-ups that address well-defined customer pain points, deeptech ventures are often driven by technological innovation in search of practical applications. This “solution looking for a problem“ scenario hinders commercialisation, as many ventures fail to establish a direct link between their technologies and specific, solvable problems.

This thesis tackles this challenge by proposing a systematic Problem-Solution Fit (PSF) process
tailored to deep-tech ventures. The PSF process helps to identify, prioritise, and validate problem
areas, bridging the gap between technological potential and market relevance. The study was
conducted in collaboration with Docklab, a venture lab exploring commercialisation for NexTwin, a
digital twin technology. The research combined a literature review, case study analysis, semistructured interviews and an emerging method called a “Reverse Hackathon”.
The research highlights three key obstacles that hinder Problem-Solution Fit in deep-tech ventures.
First, stakeholder engagement is difficult in multistakeholder environments due to conflicting
priorities, trust issues, and fragmented data ecosystems. Second, integration challenges arise
from legacy systems, high adoption costs, and the perceived complexity of advanced technologies.
Third, ventures face strategic tensions between market-pull and tech-push approaches, creating
uncertainty in balancing their innovative potential with practical industry needs. These insights informed the development of the PSF process, which includes three phases: exploration, validation, and decision-making. Tools like stakeholder mapping and assumption mapping help to identify actionable problem areas, while the Reverse Hackathon serves as a central activity to
uncover hidden industry pain points and validate priorities. By prioritising actionability, stakeholder
alignment, scalability, and market relevance, the process provides a structured path for deep-tech
ventures to transition from abstract innovations to market-ready solutions.

The Docklab case study revealed critical lessons. While the Reverse Hackathon generated three actionable problem areas and direct client leads, internal challenges, such as reactive outreach
and broad value propositions, prevented these opportunities from being pursued. This highlighted
the importance of focus, proactive stakeholder engagement, and sector-specific value propositions
for deep-tech ventures. The process demonstrated its effectiveness in identifying and prioritising
problem areas while underscoring the need for refined commercialisation strategies.

This research contributes to academic literature and practice by extending frameworks like Romme et al.’s (2023) Reverse Hackathon to focus on earlystage PSF in tech-push contexts. The PSF process
provides a replicable methodology for navigating ambiguous markets, enabling collaboration, and
aligning technological capabilities with market needs. Its interdisciplinary design, integrating
sociology, cognitive science, and design thinking, enhances its adaptability across industries.
For practitioners, the PSF process offers actionable tools to reduce false starts, allocate resources
efficiently, and align innovations with stakeholder priorities. Although developed in the Docklab
context, the process is scalable and adaptable, offering a valuable framework for ventures addressing the “solution looking for a problem” dilemma. By achieving PSF, ventures can navigate uncertainty, build stakeholder trust, and establish a foundation for sustainable market success.

Baristina is a coffee machine developed to provide high-quality, fresh coffee. Versuni aims to enter the hotel sector with Baristina to generate additional revenue streams and address the need for a superior coffee experience in hotels. This report details the strategic plan for introducing Baristina into the hospitality market, leveraging its unique value propositions.

Desk research highlighted several critical findings. There is a noticeable gap between guests’ taste expectations and the actual coffee offerings in hotels. Hygiene concerns emerged as a potential barrier to adoption, as guests and hotel staff worry about the cleanliness of in-room coffee machines. Additionally, the sustainability challenges associated with capsule machines, pose a considerable issue for hotels aiming to implement eco-friendly practices.

Survey conducted with 87 hotel guests revealed that capsule machines currently dominate the market. The survey also found that some guests bring their own coffee supplies, indicating dissatisfaction with the current offerings. The importance of taste was a consistent theme, emphasizing the need for a high-quality coffee experience.
Interviews with hotel managers provided further insights. Sustainability is increasingly important in hotel operations, with many hotels seeking sustainable coffee practices. High-quality coffee is a priority, but there are concerns about Baristina’s open bean container, which is seen as a critical barrier to adoption. Additionally, managers noted that guests and staff frequently steal pods, adding to the operational challenges.

The proposed business model for Baristina includes leasing the machines with an optional add-on for a custom Baristina bean blend. This model addresses the key blocker of high upfront costs, making it more attractive for hotels to switch to Baristina. Validation interviews with hotel managers confirmed that while they were positive about Baristina, the open bean container remained a key blocker. Most chain hotels purchase through supplier platforms, and speed of service is a priority, as hotels often replace broken machines rather than waiting for warranty repairs. While beans were not the strongest selling point, hotels expressed interest in participating in a pilot program and showed willingness to switch to Baristina.

The final recommendation includes introducing Baristina with a locking bean container, utilizing a leasing model, targeting mid-upscale hotel segments, leveraging supplier platforms, and implementing a phased rollout plan, starting with pilot programs in smaller hotels to build credibility and gather feedback, expanding to larger midscale hotels, and finally targeting upscale hotels.

To support the communication of the value proposition, two prototypes were developed: a marketing leaflet and a sticker for the bean container to simulate the locking mechanism. The leaflet is designed to help the sales team present Baristina to hotels, while the sticker addresses the critical hygiene concern.

In conclusion, Baristina represents a significant opportunity for Versuni to address critical issues in the hospitality industry’s in-room coffee solutions, providing a sustainable, cost-effective, and high-quality coffee experience for hotel guests. By executing the outlined strategy, Baristina is poised to become the preferred choice for in-room coffee solutions in hotels across Europe.

Located in Suriname, the village of Ricanau Mofo faces a multitude of environmental challenges. This report delves into a comprehensive study that employed a multidisciplinary approach, leveraging the expertise of students from various backgrounds to address these pressing issues.

The most critical concern identified was the relentless erosion of the riverbank, forming an existential threat to the village. The report explores interventions for both riverbank and soil erosion. Building upon the previous year's sheet pile wall construction by van Dongen et al. (2023), the report evaluates its effectiveness and proposes potential improvements for natural shore protection. It presents an analysis of structural solutions like sheet pile walls and quay walls, alongside nature-based methods that promote vegetation growth. A multi-criteria analysis is employed to objectively evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of each intervention.

Moving beyond the riverbank, the report investigates soil erosion in Ricanau Mofo's old center. To understand the water flow patterns, a hydrological analysis was conducted. This analysis incorporated field measurements, on-site observations, and existing scientific reports. By considering factors like clay content, vegetation cover, discharge, and slope, the study categorized different flow areas within the village center. This detailed analysis lead to the proposal of a combination of targeted interventions, including roof gutters, strategic vegetation planting, and channel improvements, all aimed at effectively addressing drainage issues and mitigating soil erosion.

Waste management emerged as another critical concern. The report sheds light on the impact of inadequate waste collection systems on hygiene and even the success of other implemented solutions. Recognizing the importance of community involvement, the report proposes a roadmap and implements a physical prototype for establishing a more organized and effective waste management system, promoting a sense of shared responsibility for a cleaner Ricanau Mofo.

This report illustrates the value of a multidisciplinary approach. By combining diverse expertise and conducting thorough analyses, the study provides a comprehensive understanding of Ricanau Mofo's environmental challenges. The proposed solutions for riverbank and soil erosion control, improved drainage, and effective waste management offer a sustainable path forward for the village's future development.

Entrepreneurship, as a driver of economic growth, involves identifying opportunities and creating ventures. However, the success rate of startups is significantly low, with various sources reporting different failure rates. Common reasons for startup failure include lack of market need, insufficient funds, inadequate team, strong competition and pricing/cost issues. Scholars and practitioners have developed numerous theories and tools to assist entrepreneurs, such as the Value Proposition Canvas, Lean Startup and Customer Development. Despite these efforts, the failure rate of startups remains high, raising doubts about the effectiveness of existing tools.
To improve the success rate of startups, academic research could be used. However within entrepreneurship, academic research becomes detached from practical relevance. This is an issue described in academic literature as the ‘Research-Practice Gap’. To address this gap, a “third body” or “design” is proposed as a mediating factor between research and practice. This design could offer prescriptive principles and tools that are useful for entrepreneurs. Currently, such designs are predominantly created by reflective practitioners rather than scholars. This offers certain problems in practice, such as their lack of rigor, limited generalizability, bias and subjectivity and finally lack of theoretical grounding.
This thesis aims to provide scholars with knowledge how to create learning tools that entrepreneurs actually use. As a result, scholars are able to covert their academic papers into desirable action-oriented learning tools. The first part of this thesis analyses this research-practice gap in three ways. First, it conducts a literature research of relevant literature in the domain of learning within entrepreneurship. Second, it researches the perspective of entrepreneurs on the gap by using a qualitative research study. Finally, the author dives into the role of an entrepreneur by solving a case-study for Stippl. This reveals a first-person perspective into the research-practice gap. The conclusions of these three research methods are combined into 4 important elements to implement when creating a learning tool for entrepreneurs.
The second part of this thesis converts the analysis into a product to use for scholars. This product does not only provide insights of the analysis, but it also supports scholars in using the important elements within their learning tool. In this part, the thesis identifies the necessary requirements for the product and creates three concept ideas. These concept ideas are tested with scholars to create one final product which implements the 4 important elements for scholars to create relevant learning tools.
This thesis aims to provide scholars with the necessary knowledge to create relevant learning tools. The ultimate goal is to improve the success rate of startups by providing entrepreneurs with desirable and relevant knowledge.

This thesis report explores the integration of haptic technology in enterprise processes through the case of SenseGlove, a scale-up company based in YesDelft that produces Virtual Reality Gloves. The study aims to identify the potential barriers and requirements for the enterprise’s clients to adopt haptic technology and integrate it into their company processes. The research also investigates potential markets for SenseGlove's products, with a particular focus on the online meetings market.

Initially, the researcher intended to design a new use case for SenseGlove products. However, further research revealed that numerous ideas for haptic glove applications already existed. Recognizing the company's vision to enter the consumer market and become the mouse and keyboard of the future, the researcher decided to further investigate what could be a way for SenseGlove to accomplish this. Drawing upon the concept of prosumer products, exemplified by smartphones and 3D printers, the study explored four potential markets, ultimately selecting the online meetings market as the most promising through the application of Blue Ocean Theory.

To assess the potential of haptic technology in online meetings, the researcher conducted an interview with a professional experienced in online and offline meetings and performed additional observational research. The findings, combined with an examination of market factors such as price and virtual/augmented reality, implied that it was not currently advisable for SenseGlove to enter the consumer market. The main argument supporting this vision is that peripheral products like haptic technology heavily rely on the development of the AR and VR markets, which have not yet had a breakthrough in the consumer market.

A pivotal aspect of the thesis involved an internal analysis of SenseGlove’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats , uncovering an important issue: very few, if any, of the current clients integrated SenseGlove's product into their company processes. This discovery led to the formulation of the research question: "What needs to happen for enterprise clients to start integrating haptics in their company processes?" To explore this question, the researcher employed grounded theory, conducting qualitative research through interviews with 15 of SenseGlove’s clients. By analyzing these responses a comprehensive list of 15 arguments was created, detailing the necessary product improvements for SenseGlove’s clients to embrace their product. These arguments were subsequently clustered into three categories: immersiveness, usability, and costs versus benefits.

The final chapter of the thesis presents strategic recommendations in the form of a future roadmap for SenseGlove. This roadmap consists of three steps; step one focuses on encouraging adoption of the product, step two outlines strategies for establishing SenseGlove as the industry standard in the business-to-business haptics market, and step three explores entering the consumer market with a product specifically tailored for online meetings.

The findings of this thesis provide valuable insights for SenseGlove's future direction and development. By addressing the identified barriers and incorporating the recommended roadmap, SenseGlove can enhance its product offering, increase integration with enterprise clients, and potentially position itself as a leader in the haptic technology market.

The purpose of this graduation thesis is to design for Tiler’s long- term strategy, based on research into mobility. As a hardware startup that produces a wireless charging solution for light electric vehicles, Tiler sought guidance on its next steps to grow into a thriving business in the future. The company finds itself in the tumultuous mobility industry, which changes fast as the world tries to decarbonise transport. The mobility transition requires collaboration between different stakeholders such as municipalities, mobility providers and other parties that help to enable the changes society wants to see. Forging a future of sustainable transport in cities results in boosts of innovation and regulatory responses as we try to define what we want urban mobility to be like.
After conducting in-depth research into the mobility context during the exploration phase, this project describes the design process of creating a dynamic roadmap for Tiler as a strategic tool for the future. This concept was crafted based on trend research, knowledge of the stakeholder system and technologies that could drive the product evolution. The designed roadmap distinguishes itself from the common format as it integrates the uncertainties of the mobility context through use of scenarios. To evaluate the content, the concept was tested with experts. To discover the value for Tiler, the concept was evaluated with the team in the form of a workshop. In this session, I facilitated a walk-through of the concept which triggered discussions about the impact of alternative future scenarios.
Based on this evaluation, the team has gained insights on which markets to approach, which stakeholders to manage closely and the importance of continuing the conversation about the company’s future strategy on a weekly basis. The dynamic roadmap concept shows the potential to be adopted by the company. Furthermore, to extends its application, additional research and design activities could focus on making it suitable for other target groups and adding additional visual elements to bring the future to life even more.

Heineken wants to become more popular under generations Y and Z. Therefore, the Heineken Design and Sustainability team want to create the Heineken Innovation Lab. The HLab aims to be a playground for co-creation, a mix between a bar and design space.
However, co-creating means sharing unfinished ideas, innovations, and opinions with people outside the company. Heineken is a legacy brand and has a strict brand policy to ensure the brand's premium quality is maintained. Poorly executed creations or prototypes might water down the Heineken brand.
It is difficult for Heineken to relinquish their strict brand principles because they fear damaging or hurting the brand. However, these strict principles can overshadow creative space when working on the disruptive innovation the HLab wants.
This thesis aims to solve the following Research Question: How to set up a design and innovation process that balances creative freedom with a legacy brand and aims to create novel prototypes in the Innovation Lab of a multinational organisation?
The double diamond method is used in this thesis as a base for the process, which cuts the project into four distinguished phases: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver. This method provides the necessary structure for organising diverging and converging phases.
This research uses literature and interviews to gain insights into how to co-create without damaging a brand and what elements of Innovation methods the HLab should use. Furthermore, this thesis collaborates with the HLab team and external agencies during two workshops and several meetings. The workshops are used to realign the parties involved in the HLab and create a common ground and theme on which GenYZ can connect with Heineken.
The research found that there is no readymade method that the HLab can use to innovate with GenYZ. Rather, this thesis shows that combining elements of popular methods already proven to work within other Innovation Labs is a better option. This thesis finally proposes a specially crafted Innovation Flowchart for the HLab.
This Flowchart satisfies most requirements that were determined in the Discover and Develop phases. The Flowchart is based on Design Thinking, Lean and Open-Innovation methodologies.
Moreover, this thesis also found that Heineken and GenYZ have enough common ground to connect. The design of the Theme and Exploration Roadmap shows just one of the many possibilities to engage GenYZ with the Heineken brand effectively.
The thesis concludes by advising Heineken on how to start the process. The HLab should start by giving more authority to GenYZ and choosing believable external creatives who can be affiliated with Heineken. To protect the Heineken brand, the HLab should carefully pick communities or groups of like-minded GenYZ collaborators for co-creation and could use a sub-brand for outward communication.

The world is facing a climate crisis. We are polluting the earth with high CO2 emissions and waste. In addition to this, the human population is ever-growing. This results in a demand for more products, which will create even more waste. Products that are predominantly made of raw materials. Meanwhile, the global economy is only 7,2% circular and this situation is getting worse year after year.

While on the one hand, there is a desire for raw materials, and on the other hand, there are ever-growing piles of waste, there is an opportunity to meet the two. The growing desire for repurposing waste streams creates fruitful ground for businesses that focus on waste stream innovation, like Renewi. Renewi currently enables the circular economy by giving new life to used materials. It positions itself as the leading waste-to-product company in the world’s most advanced circular economies. To stay a leader in recycling and the production of secondary materials, an ambitious goal is created, called Mission 75. This goal is to recycle 75% of Renewi’s collected waste in 2025. This is 10% more compared to 2020, where 64,7% of the collected waste was recycled. The only way to get to this 75% is through improving current activities and being innovative. By all means, after reaching Mission 75 the goal will without doubt rise to 80% or 85%.

Being an innovative company calls for having a proficient innovative process. This process entails a dynamic workforce keen to engage in innovation activities and is well-informed about ongoing activities. Being innovative is one of Renewi’s core values. Yet, the current innovation process doesn't work optimally, while it is challenging to spread an innovation mindset across a large, geographically widespread company with various working cultures. This paper endeavours to contribute to this objective by addressing the research question: “How can the innovation process of Renewi be improved to enable the company to recycle more and at a higher quality?”.

The challenge addressed within this master thesis is to decide on the next focus area for Equip as an early-stage startup regarding new proposition development. Equip is a Fintech startup currently developing a financial coaching platform to be offered to employees paid by their employer. For employers, it is a valuable strategy to improve employees’ financial wellbeing since financial stress results in lower productivity, increased absenteeism and lower retention. In addition, improving employees’ financial wellbeing can also attract young and new talent while maintaining current employees.

The most common reasons early-stage startups fail are lack of resources and insufficient customer research, resulting in the absence of good product market fit. The platform involves a complex stakeholder field: two types of customers, namely the employer and its employees, and in addition to these, the service supplier in the form of several financial experts. The researcher of this master thesis has identified each of these actors’ motivation to use and interact with Equip.

Different stakeholders' needs and value indicators were discovered through literature, user interviews, generative sessions and internal analysis of Equip. During a joint prioritisation session with Equip’s team, the identified needs were assessed according to the expected customer and business value they would generate.

The prioritisation resulted in the focus area: Providing personal guidance during the first steps users have to take to secure their financial future so that they stop procrastinating.

A new proposition, i.e. the Financial Roadmap, was developed through ideation and experimentation. The Financial Roadmap enables users to simulate the effect of specific financial decisions (i.e. life events) on the development of their financial situation over time. This allows users to think ahead of their financial future by putting a plan together and making their finances more tangible.

Given that measuring the impact on the repeat usage rate by implementing the Financial Roadmap is impossible since this requires full implementation and time, a Minimal Viable Product is presented to validate the concept further. A product roadmap and operational roadmap show how the designed concept and its MVP fit within the bigger picture of Equip’s development as a startup to accomplish its vision of becoming the go-to platform to manage your entire financial life.

Before this thesis, the startup Maki was founded with the aim to inspire people in their twenties to sew their own clothing. A product was developed which gained promising traction. But to scale Maki, gaining traction is vital, just like it is for other startups.

To answer the main question, ‘how can early-stage startups obtain their first 1000 customers? ‘, this thesis explores literature and distills 6 elements that seem essential for driving traction: segmentation, positioning, core message, channels & content, branding and revenue model. For every of these elements, experiments are done to find what works for driving traction for Maki. This includes for example deep dive interviewing, testing different positionings using Instagram Advertisements, trying out TikTok as a promotion tool, testing different brand identity styles and testing revenue model types.

The learnings from these tests are eventually combined into an implementation plan for Maki. But next to this, the learnings are combined in a compact, straight-forward manual (consisting of a Booklet and a Recipe Sheet) for other startup founders to use to experiment with their ‘traction ingredients’.

This project lives in the intersection between marketing and entrepreneurship. The client company is Athlete Development, an early stage start-up that creates digital strength & conditioning training plans for team sports athletes. They sought external expertise in the field of branding and the commercialization of their product. As a start-up using bootstrapping as their method of financing, they face many challenges related to managing limited resources. Thus, the minimal means they have cannot facilitate the application of established go-to-market strategies. This project aims to explore how a start-up like Athlete Development can design a go-to-market strategy, using principles from experimental learning while only operating with internal financial resources.

For the past decades, aviation has had a fair amount of incremental innovations, such as improved traffic management, optimization in conventional aviation technology and process developments. With the global sustainability ambitions, new technologies and innovations have been in development by a vast amount of parties. Electric aviation is one of these innovations within the developing sustainable aviation industry. Therefore, the scope of the project revolves around electric aviation, executed in collaboration with Royal Schiphol Group (RSG) and its Innovation Hub department. The Innovation Hub's main role within RSG is to provide research and set in motion radical innovations to be implemented, of which Sustainable Aviation. The research questions within the scope are therefore defined as follows: What are the current developments in the electric aviation industry? And how can RSG facilitate the transition towards sustainable aviation within the aviation industry?Geels' (2002) system transition theory serves as the foundation for the research approach, structuring the thesis in two phases accordingly to the research questions which define the scope; research and concept phase (figure 0). Within the research phase, the landscape drivers have been analysed, depicting a sustainability pull through global sustainability ambitions and a technology push through the developments in the battery technology. With these developments, multiple niche innovations have emerged over the past years, consequently making electric aviation feasible for specific use cases. The most prominent parties developing these niche innovations are Heart Aerospace, developing a 19 passenger electric aircraft with a range of 400 km, and Eviation Alice, developing a 9 passenger electric aircraft with a range of 815 km. The socio-technical (ST) system transition towards sustainable aviation is the goal of electric aviation. This transition is enabled by the interaction of technology and people. Based on this, the landscape cultural trends have been analysed and used as a basis for the comparison of the use of modalities within the mobility industry. Thus, deriving a potential ideal use case for electric aviation of 300-400 km, potentially increasing in range depending on the battery developments in the future. The current expectation is that batteries increase in energy density from 260 Wh/kg to 600 Wh/kg by the end of the decade. This range is the foundation for the entry use case, the concept of the thesis. The range of 300-400 km is one of six metrics used to develop the entry use case. The others are passenger substitution potential, network potential, location in the Netherlands, innovation resources and viral factor. In line with RSG its values, network potential has been the deciding factors when choosing the entry use case, with other potential entry use cases available when altering the deciding factor. This entry use case is between Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm, as this has both a high passenger substitution potential with a critical strategic motive. Scandinavia aims to implement electric aviation on their airports, enabling a higher certainty and willingness to collaborate towards the development and implementation of electric aviation. With this entry use case, several bottlenecks emerge. As a pioneer in the sustainable aviation industry, RSG has a seven step plan to overcome these bottlenecks, of which creating a coalition of industry stakeholders collaborating in researching and developing the electric aviation industry. With this actionable plan, RSG has the ability to accelerate the transition towards a sustainable aviation industry, as well as progress in the research for the implementation of electric aviation.

This thesis was performed in assignment of Alpha.One for their new eye tracking prediction platform expoze.io. The project started of with the brief; What does the future of expoze.io hold? This indicates the need for a future vision. In order to create a future vision the company purpose must first be researched, the reason why they exist. The purpose of the company is often related to the customer needs, therefore it is important to understand the subjective value that the product offers to the customer. Therefore before the preliminary research the research questions proposed were; What does the future roadmap of expoze.io look like? What is the future vision for the predictive eye tracking platform expoze.io? What is the purpose of expoze.io? What is the customer value of expoze.io? What are market gaps / differentiating factors in the market? The preliminary research revealed that for the roadmap to succeed a process integrating the roadmap should be designed. This process should also fit the company as it is still a startup, therefore it must be time, effort and cost efficient. Another insight was that there needs to be a shift to a more human oriented mindset within the company. These insights led to the addition of the following research questions. What does the future roadmap of expoze.io look like? How can the roadmap assist in adapting the product to be more Human? How could the roadmap be best adopted into the operation of the expoze.io team? (process) How to build an innovation process that fits a small startup team? cost, time, effort efficient How to create a shift to a more human oriented mindset in this process? How to make sure that ideas selected fit the needs of the customers? Through customer interviews it became evident that the subjective customer value that expoze.io brings to the customer is confidence. Through eye tracking analysis the customer gains confidence in their advertisements and if they will perform in the market as they would like it to perform. It also brings confidence in presenting their analysis to their bosses or clients. This in turn makes the purpose of expoze.io “bringing confidence to marketeers”. By accompanying the purpose with the insights from competitor analysis, customer research, trend analysis and market research the future vision could be created. Through brainstorming the following vision was proposed; “Bringing the brains to the art of marketing”. This vision was tested through a workshop with the employees at Alpha.One. The workshop also ensured the involvement of the people working at Alpha.One in the creation of the roadmap, it also facilitated communication about everyone’s ideas about the future path of the company. The vision was chosen by the most people and is therefore implemented into the roadmap. The roadmap was based on the vision that was created accompanied by the insights from the research to fill in the steps that need to be taken in order to reach that future. The core strategy of the roadmap is to create confidence by facilitating deeper insights through the platform. In order for the roadmap to succeed an innovation process to support roadmapping was designed. This innovation process will also facilitate the shift towards a more human mindset by incorporating the customer in the ideation and validation of ideas. The innovation process revolves around three meetings on the following topics; strategy, ideas and planning. For every meeting a process is designed that interacts with the roadmap and makes sure that ideas added are actual customer needs and will create an impact for the customer.

Eleven out of twelve startups still fail (Startup Genome, 2019). Even though startups are a growing breed of companies. From 2016 to 2018, startups created $2.8 trillion in value, which is more than the annual GDP of the United Kingdom. In the same period, growth was at 20,6% increase from the preceding periods. Even though startups are growing in popularity, and on macro-economic scale a force to be reconed with, on the individual level they are still major gains to be made.

As co-founder of Lynk, the startup used as a case in this thesis, I understand the hype around becoming a startup founder and the struggle and uncertainty coming with it. At Lynk, we are developing a B2B SaaS Document-Project Management (bingo lingo) solution for the construction industry. The product is struggling with gaining traction with customers as sales conversations are long and pilots postponed or delayed. As with the other eleven out of twelve failed startups, Lynk is having difficulty with becoming successful. Or, in other words, to launch their product.
The aim of this thesis is twofold;
Develop and evaluate an improved product launch plan for Lynk.
Create new learnings on how startups might effectively launch a B2B SaaS products by connecting theory to practice.

To accomplish these goals, an action research approach is taken. With two purposes, to bring theory into practice and help bridge the gap between marketing literature and practice. At the same time, an autoethnographic reflective perspective is taken to create rich data from which new learnings are created.
To develop and evaluate an improved product launch plan, the project is divided into two phases, the research and design phase. Field texts are written throughout the project and transformed into autoethnographic texts by connecting the events to literature. The texts create rich data for the development of the launch plan for Lynk, as forming anecdotal learnings for other entrepreneurs.
In the research phase, a literature review is carried out and synthesised into product launch criteria concerning launch strategy and B2B selling practices. Second, Lynk’s launch practices are critically assessed through empirical research. Interviews and observations are analysed to evaluate strategic launch opportunities in each segment. Furthermore, through observations and autoethnographic reflection, Lynks sales practices are assessed. Based on the critical assessment of Lynk’s launch practices, two improvement plans are proposed to improve Lynk’s product launch. First, by developing a niche launch strategy, second by improving Lynk’s discovery and learning practices to inform future strategic planning.
The design phase explores both improvement plans. A niche positioning is developed for the two most opportune segments, translating deep customer insights regarding jobs, pains and competitive alternatives into a differentiative value proposition. While a founders sales approach is proposed that embeds customer-centred discovery practices in Lynk’s customer conversations to improve reliable data gathering. The niche positionings are evaluated through a second empirical study; both new customers interviews and ongoing sales conversations are used to evaluate the new positionings. The evaluation shows the customers are interested in the value proposition, but some insights regarding product improvements are gathered. For the next iteration, it is proposed that Lynk should reduce implementation complexity and invest in both early adopters and resellers.
Finally, the product launch plan is delivered to Lynk in the form of a Strategic Roadmap. The niche positioning, evaluations and customer-first discovery approach are evaluated through internal sessions with the team. From which input for further launch plan development are created. The launch plan for Lynk is summarised in a
Although the road of a startup is unclear, it can be said that both the strategic planning practices underlying the positioning and customer-focused discovery help Lynk to improve its product launch plan. The positioning and discovery approach proposed in this thesis might help other B2B startups analyse their launch practices and improve their launch plan by taking a customer- and competitive first approach.
This thesis aimed to improve Lynk’s launch plan. The proposed launch plan and underlying practices might help Lynk launch more effectively and improve further product development and launch in less time. On a personal note, my understanding of products and startups has changed significantly because of this thesis. By bringing theory into practice and reflecting on it in relation to daily practice, I feel I now better understand what makes a launch a success and how I can guide the development towards that. That will help in this startup, but even more so in the next. By understanding product launches better, I feel it has also improved my ability to assess and evaluate startup opportunities by considering competitive and adoption criteria.
For any startup founder reading this, my giveaway would be that any product competes with other solutions. Deeply understanding the customers view on that solution, their job and the concept of product advantage will help to shape product strategy and launch products effectively.