Do you have an idea for a software product that you need resources or expertise to bring to life?
Get your tech startup on the path to success.
Do you have an idea for a software product that you don't have the resources or expertise to bring to life?
There are unique challenges to getting a tech startup on the path to success.
What if you could build a software prototype to test the viability of your idea before fully committing yourself and your company resources?
What if you could find traction (aka paying customers) for your product even before building it?
What if you could use this early validation to de-risk your idea, build a team, and greenlight your project?
What if you had access to pre-seed capital when you successfully completed the workshop?
Let OUr Startup Program Show you How
Who's it for?
Entrepreneurs
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Product Managers
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Makers and visionaries
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Innovators and intrapreneurs
"This is some quote from a founder."
Founder Name
Title or company name
"This is some quote from a founder."
Founder Name
Title or company name
"This is some quote from a founder."
Founder Name
Title or company name
"Codefi is the engine that brought my idea into reality and made it marketable. I work really hard to do as much legwork as I can, and they’re the professionals that make the app work. I rely heavily on their advice. They were and are a big help."
Workshops Created by Entrepreneurs for Entrepreneurs!
We use a model that combines best-in-class tools and methods.
When it comes to leveling up on startup practice or product development skills, there is no shortage of options. Many tech founders try to learn on the job, read books, or take online courses.
Our cohort-based workshops are different.
More than an online course.
The key to mastering anything, including the process of founding a tech startup, is making time for deliberate practice and surrounding yourself with experts.
Large online courses have a dismal 6-7% completion rate. Our cohort-based workshops are about triggering a mindset change.
Participants in our cohort-based workshops learn while doing and follow a structured, iterative process dependent on the project delivery commitments they make during the program. Certified coaches and experienced entrepreneurs help facilitate, coach and reinforce these commitments through real-time feedback, live workshops, and 1:1 coaching.
You shouldn’t quit your day job or pack up and move.
Our workshops are delivered 100% online and designed to be taken part-time so you can attend from anywhere and don't need to quit your day job to participate. We recommend allocating 10-15 hours / week to get the most out of this program. The key to founding the next big idea isn't working longer hours, but focusing your scarce time on the few key actions that drive the biggest impact.
Practice trumps theory.
What sets this program apart is that it is taught and led by practicing entrepreneurs. We practice what we teach and the more we coach, the more we learn and share, the better results everyone gets. Everything in this program (content, tools, coaching) has been meta-recursively tested using every principle, technique, and tool in the program.
Our workshops are built by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs and it shows.
"I can't say enough good things about the Codefi team and how their expertise allowed me as a non-technical founder, to build a high-quality software product."
120-Day Startup is a product launch fast track that helps you take any idea from concept to the first significant milestone: Problem/Solution Fit.
The first 30 days are pre-work required for admission into the program and to help you deconstruct your idea, baseline your current progress, and formulate a stage-based validation plan. This is the 30-day Business Model Design workshop segment of the program.
From there, you spend the next 120 days validating your business model and product design using our battle-tested tools. This work is broken up into: 45-Day Problem Discovery, 45-Day Solution Design, and 30-Day Demand Validation.
120-day startup in a nutshell.
100% virtual.
Cohorts every 6 months.
Bi-weekly workshops.
1:1 coaching.
Learn by doing.
Build a prototype.
Feedback from experienced entrepreneurs.
Team discussions.
Private forums.
Structured schedule and accountability.
What will you Do in the 120-Day Startup?
120-Day Startup provides you a systems approach to test viability and establish demand, driving customer interest to your tech products and services -- before building them.
Establishing demand for your product before you build your product is the first step to take when launching a new product.
During the workshop, you will:
Design business models.
Test whether an idea is worth pursuing.
Communicate an idea clearly and concisely to internal and external stakeholders.
Identify and prioritize the riskiest assumptions in your business model.
Stress test your riskiest assumptions using small and fast experiments.
Use customer interviews to learn from customers.
Design and build a software prototype.
Pitch to customers.
Prepare to pitch to investors if your idea is worth pursuing.
120-Day Startup Outcomes
The goal of 120-Day Startup is to take any idea from concept to Problem/Solution Fit.
Problem/Solution Fit means you have:
A business model blueprint and traction roadmap for key milestones and validation.
An identified opportunity worth pursuing and a clear understanding of customers' needs (and wants).
A working prototype and knowledge of the smallest thing to deliver value to customers (MVP).
Secured sufficient tangible commitments (registrations, subscriptions) from customers.
The knowledge to be able to make an evidence-based go/no-go decision to move forward on the idea.
Apply for 120-Day Startup and Full Ride Scholarship
This program is hands-on and delivered over 120 days (4 months).
We offer 120-Day Startup twice a year: fall/winter and spring/summer.
The Fall/Winter 2023 cohort runs from October 10th, 2023 - March 14th, 2024. The Spring/Summer 2024 cohort is scheduled for May 7th - September 26th, 2024.
Registration for Fall/Winter 2023 is open until October 10th, 2023!
No Cost for 120-Day Startup Workshop for Eligible Teams in Southern Missouri!
Thousands of teams across the globe each year pay $7,999 /team to complete this workshop. This workshop is available at no cost for teams located in or willing to relocate to 1 of the 47 counties served by Innovate SOMO, thanks to the support of our generous partners.
"Codefi gave us that little catalyst, that spark if you will, to really take an idea and turn it into a company. After the program, that spark, we've had year-over-year growth. It's been really really great."
What is the origin of the Workshop? who delivers it?
Most of the tools and frameworks for this workshop were created by Ash Maurya, author of 2 best-selling books and creator of LEANSTACK and the Lean Canvas.
Ash Maurya
Author and createor of lean canvas "Life's too short to build something nobody wants."
Driven by the search for better and faster ways for building successful products, Ash has developed a continuous innovation framework for raising the odds of early product success built upon principles and techniques drawn from Lean Startup, Business Modeling Design, Design Thinking, Jobs-to-be-Done, Behavioral Science, and Systems thinking. He regularly hosts sold-out workshops around the world and serves as a mentor to several accelerators including TechStars and Capital Factory.
Dr. James Stapleton
Entrepreneur, Startup Coach, and Angel Investor Co-founder, Codefi and Innovate SOMO
James is a seasoned entrepreneur, certified LEANSTACK and Lean Startup coach, angel investor, and startup evangelist who has founded organizations that supported the creation of hundreds of tech startups and small businesses. He actively coaches tech founders across southern Missouri and will be the lead coach in the 120-Day Startup workshop.
Chris Carnell
Entrepreneur, Startup Coach, and Tech Talent Guru Co-founder, Codefi and Innovate SOMO
Chris has 15+ years experience as a tech entrepreneur and has managed international startup competitions. He works with startups going through customer development and technical discovery processes to onboard into the technology team for solution design. He is also the founder of a nationally recognized software developer training program and manages collaborations with business development/startup pipeline and workforce development/talent pipeline stakeholders to bridge connections.
Michael Seaman
Entrepreneur, EIR, and Sales Guru Co-founder & CEO, Swipesum
Michael is the co-founder and CEO of Swipesum. A veteran of the payments industry, Michael and his brother Stephen have led Swipesum since its inception in 2016. Michael is also an Entrepreneur in Residence at Codefi and the founder of its LeadLabs program, which provides sales strategy and customer acquisition training and services to startups in Codefi’s programs.
Alumni Testimonials
Alan Long, founder
Devon Edmonds & Matt Hildebrand, founders
Michael Seaman, founder
Murielle Gaither, founder
Max montrey, Founder
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is this program 120-Days?
After extensive testing across thousands of teams, The LEANSTACK team found that 120 days, made up of 30 days of business model design/stress-testing, followed by a 90-day cycle of business model validation is the right time-box to take any idea from concept to the first significant milestone: Problem/Solution Fit.
How many people can participate in a team?
We subscribe to Jeff Bezos' 2-pizza rule and recommend team sizes of 3-5 people with an overlapping mix of hackers, hustlers, and designers.
What are the criteria to qualify for 120-Day startup?
To qualify, your company must meet all the following criteria:
You have less than $100,000 in annual recurring revenue.
You've received less than $500,000 in funding.
You have fewer than 10 employees.
Why should I join this program? Can't I get the same learnings from your books and free videos?
For the same reason that we attend schools and universities, or elite athletes hire coaches -- for experience, advice, and external accountability. That's what makes this program different from traditional courses. In addition, we are constantly evolving and refining our framework. You'll learn a completely revised problem discovery process with updated interview scripts and offer testing techniques not covered in any books.
What are the important dates and deadlines?
We offer 120-Day Startup twice a year: fall/winter and spring/summer.
The Fall/Winter 2023 cohort runs from October 10th, 2023 - March 14th, 2024. The Spring/Summer 2024 cohort is scheduled for May 7th - September 26th, 2024.
Registration for Fall/Winter 2023 is open until October 10th, 2023!
We process applications on a rolling basis up until 1 week prior to program start. As this is a high-touch program, space is limited by coaching capacity and team fit. We give priority to early applicants who know they want to join 120-Day Startup and take action.
Is this a remote or onsite coaching program?
The program is run 100% online using the LEANSTACK platform to deliver courses, tools, and livestream events. We also have coaches across the southern Missouri region which means you can attend from anywhere.
How much time will I be required to dedicate to this program?
We recommend allocating 10-15 hours a week.
Can you introduce me to investors?
Yes. We have our own Seed funds that include investors from across southern Missouri, and we partner with a number of venture capital funds across Missouri and the U.S. to provide you opportunities to meet co-investors.