To support the startups that we work with we provide a range of resources and support, from mentorship and networking opportunities to help with fundraising and software tools. But at the heart of our approach is a set of guiding principles that we believe are essential to building a successful startup. Here are the key ideas that underpin our work, “The Kiuas Way of Building Startups”:

Problem = Market: Most of your time as an early-stage founder should be spent on understanding if you’ve found a problem worth solving. Is it a problem that is painful enough that people are willing to pay for it to be solved? Before you figure that out, spending time on your logo or polishing your pitch deck is not the best use of your time.  At Kiuas we encourage startups to focus on problems that are large and growing, or that have been overlooked by existing solutions.

Be Fast: In the startup world, the speed of learning is essential. The faster you learn, the faster you can move, the more likely you are to beat competitors and capture market share. Furthermore, failure at some level is inevitable, so the faster you fail, learn from it and change course, the better.  We encourage our startups to prioritize speed in all aspects of their operations, from product development to marketing and sales.

Be a Scientist, not a Founder: Successful startups are not built on intuition and guesswork, but on rigorous testing and experimentation. We encourage our startups to approach their work like scientists, using data to guide decisions and constantly testing hypotheses. This means being open to failure and pivoting when necessary. It also often requires leaving emotions out of the equation, as your personal love for what you have built can lead you to wrong assumptions.

Can We Think Bigger?:  We are big believers in the saying “Shoot for the Moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars”. Whether it comes to finding advisors, first employees, or figuring out your long-term vision, we encourage you to constantly remind yourself to be very ambitious. Who would be the best possible person out there to help you? What would be the best possible outcome for a decision? Building a global success story is hard, but becomes almost impossible if you don’t think big enough.

Don't Build Alone: Finally, we believe that no startup can succeed in isolation. Building a strong network of advisors, mentors, and peers is essential to navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship. When you build with a community, you learn from the mistakes of others. This enables you to speed past the obstacles and pitfalls that others have struggled with on their entrepreneurial journey.

In conclusion, building a successful startup requires a combination of vision, hard work, and the right set of guiding principles. At Kiuas, we believe that the keys to success are different for every startup, but the ways to find them that we follow are universal. By following these principles and working closely with our startups, we aim to help them achieve their goals and change the world.