Week 4 at I2N: Building Real, Fast – My MVP Wake-Up Call
This week in the I2N Pre-Accelerator felt like flipping the startup switch from theory to traction. We moved beyond discovery interviews and deep into the world of MVPs — Minimum Viable Products — guided by the sharp and refreshingly witty Matthew Barry.
Up until now, I had been hovering in the idea-validation phase. But this week, the message was clear: build something real, even if it’s tiny. Your MVP isn’t meant to be perfect — it’s meant to be live.
🎓 Lessons from Matthew Barry: MVP = Momentum
Matthew Barry led this week's session, and to say it was valuable would be an understatement. His approach cut through the fluff and delivered a clear, focused framework on what an MVP is — and what it isn’t.
Here are a few lessons that stuck with me:
“Is the problem you are fixing dust on shoulder or stick in the eye.”
“Your MVP is the smallest thing you can build to test your idea in the real world.” It’s not about building the perfect version — it’s about launching something functional now.
He showed us how to create a simple landing page that can serve as an MVP. Not a full app, not a polished platform — just a clear message, a way to capture interest, and a call to action. That’s it.
Bring your MVP to the people who get the most value out of it. Focus on the segment that screams “YES, this solves a real problem for me.”
He even threw in some humor throughout the session, which made the lessons feel more real and grounded. You could tell he’s walked the founder path — and made the mistakes most of us are trying to avoid.
🎤 My MVP: Real Conversations, Real Progress
In a great twist of the week, Matthew even gave me a customer discovery interview about his own experience with receipts. Hearing firsthand how someone handles receipts as an end user helped me challenge my assumptions and pick up on small but crucial pain points.
For example:
He shared frustration with environmental damage by receipts.
He emphasized the importance of ease of access — not just receiving the receipt, but being able to retrieve it later quickly when needed.
These insights are shaping how I think about the MVP for my digital receipt platform. I'm no longer building what I think people want — I’m building what they've told me they need.
🤝 Mentor Wisdom: Eric’s Push for Discovery and Focus
Mid-week, I caught up with my mentor Eric Wedepohl, who continues to ground me in clarity and direction. His challenge for this week was simple but powerful:
“Keep the momentum going — more interviews, especially from POS providers. And start putting together your MVP.”
What I love about Eric’s mentorship is how he keeps it practical. No abstract goals, just focused execution: talk to the right people, test the right version, keep moving.
⚠️ MVP Pitfalls: What I’m Avoiding (Now That I Know Better)
With all this input, I also got clarity on what not to do. Here are a few traps I’m actively dodging now:
Feature Creep: I was tempted to include too many things in the MVP. Now I know better. Keep it tight and testable.
Perfection Paralysis: I’ve accepted that my first version will be a little ugly. That’s okay. Progress > polish.
Vague Targeting: Thanks to Eric and Matthew, I’m now zeroing in on POS providers and their business customers as my first key user groups.
Too Much, Too Soon: I’ve stopped planning 10 steps ahead. The focus now is on just one: get real feedback from a working MVP.
🎯 What’s Next
So what now? Here’s what I’m doing heading into Week 5:
Building a simple landing page MVP to test the core idea
Continuing discovery interviews, especially with POS players and small business owners
Creating a clear call-to-action that brings people to the MVP for testing
Looping in feedback fast and making small, focused improvements
✍️ Final Thoughts
Week 4 felt like a turning point. I’m no longer stuck in the idea stage — I’m taking action, guided by feedback and grounded in simplicity. I’m grateful for the honest and tactical input from Matthew, Richard, Kelly & Eric,— all of whom reminded me that startups aren’t built on perfect ideas. They’re built on tested ones.
If you’re building your first MVP, take this advice: Start small. Listen hard. Launch fast. You’ll be surprised how much clarity comes from simply doing.
Blog 4 coming soon — but first, I’ve got an MVP to test. 😉
