Request for Proposal - Concept Initiation Expert

ABOUT INJAZ LEBANON 

INJAZ Lebanon is non-profit organization with a mission to equip youth with the skills and mindset they need to become the entrepreneurs and business leaders stimulating their communities.

INJAZ Lebanon is an affiliate of Junior Achievement (JA) Worldwide®, an international organization dedicated to educating students about work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through hands-on training programs. INJAZ Lebanon is also a member of INJAZ Al-Arab, a regional network of 14 countries across the MENA region.

Position Summary

The Concept Initiation Expert will work closely with the Project Coordinator in coordination with the Programs Manager.

Scope of Services

• The service provider will be responsible for the workshop from planning and execution to coaching and monitoring.
• The service provider will conduct a 3-hours in person workshop and online one-on-one clinics for each startup within the IdeaLab Program.
• During the online one-on-one clinics, the service provider shall assist the startups in their customer validation, problem tree, empathy map, preliminary assumptions, customer Persona, value proposition canvas, characteristics of their target customers, list of potential customers/businesses to interview, review functional requirements documents and provide general tech support in coordination with the Project Coordinator to decide on the number of one-on-one clinics for each startup. 

The workshop shall cover the following key areas:

• Short introduction to the fundamentals of customer discovery theory: pain points, assumptions, Jobs-to-be-done, pains and gains.
• What does a persona look like? How do we recognize their characteristics? And most importantly how do we segment them?
• Teaching the startups that Customer Discovery and Experimentation is a recursive process developed to understand the customers’ needs, before proceeding.
• Define what they need to validate, how to validate their riskiest assumptions (Qualitatively: customer validation, how to run interviews with the audience, tips on how to formulate questions.)

Scope of Services

• The service provider will be responsible for the workshop from planning and execution to coaching and monitoring.
• The service provider will conduct a 3-hours in person workshop and online one-on-one clinics for each startup within the IdeaLab Program.
• During the online one-on-one clinics, the service provider shall assist the startups in their customer validation, problem tree, empathy map, preliminary assumptions, customer Persona, value proposition canvas, characteristics of their target customers, list of potential customers/businesses to interview, review functional requirements documents and provide general tech support in coordination with the Project Coordinator to decide on the number of one-on-one clinics for each startup. 

The workshop shall cover the following key areas:

• Short introduction to the fundamentals of customer discovery theory: pain points, assumptions, Jobs-to-be-done, pains and gains.
• What does a persona look like? How do we recognize their characteristics? And most importantly how do we segment them?
• Teaching the startups that Customer Discovery and Experimentation is a recursive process developed to understand the customers’ needs, before proceeding.
• Define what they need to validate, how to validate their riskiest assumptions (Qualitatively: customer validation, how to run interviews with the audience, tips on how to formulate questions ...)

Expected Deliverables

1. The service provider is required to provide a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation outline, detailing the various subtopics to be covered during the workshop. The Trainer shall agree to share the training materials with the beneficiaries of the IdeaLab program.
2. For the one-on-one clinics, the service provider shall submit a report form for each startup, covering the following points:

• Startup description.
• The quality and effectiveness of the deliverables created by the startup.
• Relevant key points on validation.
• Feedback on team coachability and skill set.
• Feedback on the value proposition canvas, the interview script.

Qualifications

• A Bachelor's degree in Business, Entrepreneurship, Engineering, or a related field is required.
• At least 3 years of experience working with startups, preferably in agritech and cleantech sectors
• Hands-on expertise in agritech or cleantech sectors, including understanding of current trends, regulations, and challenges
• Entrepreneurial mindset with awareness of startup landscape and opportunities
• Excellent communication skills and ability to provide constructive feedback
• Sincere interest in the mission of INJAZ Lebanon and in entrepreneurship
• Fluency in Arabic and English is a must.
• Experience in running a startup is a plus.