Leslie Forman
October 9, 2013 — By Leslie Forman

How Social Entrepreneurs Can Use Lean Startup to Make Meaningful Mushrooms and Optimal Toilets

In my class this week, I started with an overview of the method, and then showed two outstanding videos from last year’s Lean Startup Conference.

Yes, I just wrote about the lean startup a few minutes ago! But I also want to share how I’ve incorporated this method into the course I teach about Social Entrepreneurship. Perhaps this will be helpful to social entrepreneurs, design thinkers, teachers, and anyone else interested in the field. 

If you’re new to the lean startup method, the best place to get a concise overview is by reading this short Harvard Business Review article by Steve Blank.

In my class this week, I started with an overview of the method, and then showed two outstanding videos from last year’s Lean Startup Conference.

(1) Back to the Roots. Nikhil Arora and Alejandro Velez originally planned to go into investment banking, but in their final semester at Cal (go bears!!) they learned how to grow mushrooms from coffee grounds and decided to dedicate themselves to this cool and eco-friendly innovation. At first they sold mushrooms at farmer’s markets in the Bay Area, but then they figured out that getting people involved in the growing process inspired way more engagement than simply selling mushrooms. So they pivoted their business model to focus 100% on kits to grow food at home.

(2) Jocelyn Wyatt from IDEO.org. She talks about toilets in Ghana. More specifically, she explains how her team tested their assumptions in three areas — product, service, and brand — through direct feedback from users to provide more effective solutions to improve sanitation.

Both of these videos convey a ton of information in just a few minutes and vividly illustrate the world-changing possibilities of these methods. Enjoy!