Harvard Innovation Labs

2 resources from Harvard Innovation Labs we point founders to, and the questions each answers.

📄 Article

Free Beginner

Why we picked it A clear, credible how-to for a non-technical founder building a first MVP without hiring anyone. It maps common no-code tools to the kind of product you are testing, which helps you match the tool to a workflow, marketplace, or form-heavy idea. Practical starting point if you have decided a no-code probe is the right move.

No-Code, No Problem: Building Your First MVP Without an Engineer

From Harvard Innovation Labs by Harvard Innovation Labs 10 min read

• You can ship a testable first version without an engineer.
• Match the no-code tool to the shape of your product.
• The aim is a working test, not a polished final build.

Open innovationlabs.harvard.edu →

Answers Should I build my MVP on no-code before I hire any developers?

▶️ Video

✓ Link checked Free Intermediate

Why we picked it Skok frames market opportunity through unworkable and unavoidable problems, which is a useful way to find the painful behavior you are replacing when no category exists. He connects the value of the problem directly to the size of the prize. Watch it to size around pain rather than around an existing product line.

Startup Secrets: Building a Value Proposition

On Harvard Innovation Labs by Michael Skok ~90 min

• Find the unworkable or unavoidable problem, then size the value of fixing it.
• The person who gets fired if the problem persists is often your first buyer.
• Market size follows from how costly the problem is, not from a category label.

Watch on YouTube youtube.com →

Answers How do I estimate a market size when the product I'm building doesn't have a category yet?