Validate Your Startup Idea Program | Iterative Startup Academy

You have an idea,
but does it work?

Is my idea good?

I’ve built something… why isn’t anyone buying?

Why don’t people care about my product?

Should I quit my job for this?

You’re asking yourself if your idea is good enough, but you don’t know how to get the answer.

Or you’ve been working on your startup and you’re stuck on what to do next.

If you’re asking yourself these questions, or doubting what you’re building, you’re likely missing a way to test your ideas. Most founders don’t need more motivation, they need a clear way to test whether their idea actually works.

You bring the idea. We’ll help you figure out if people want it and whether it’s worth pursuing.

Why This Program Should Matter To You

The biggest regret we hear founders say all the time? “I should’ve tested my idea earlier.”

Too many founders spend months—even years—building something no one actually wants. It’s a costly mistake. You don't have to make it.

The Validate Your Startup Idea Program gives you the tools, structure, and support to run real experiments to figure out if your idea is worth pursuing.

In 6 weeks, you’ll:

Test your idea with real people

Get up to US$10,000 to fund your experiments

Talk to customers to learn what they really want

Work with experienced founders who’ve been through it before

Gain a repeatable process you can use every time you have a new idea

What you’ll avoid:

Wasting time and money building features no one uses

Chasing growth without understanding why it happened (or how to do it again)

Sitting on an idea because you're unsure if it’s “good enough”

Falling in love with your own product before you’ve talked to your customers

Burning out on something that was never viable to begin with

What you'll do in the program

This 6-week program combines weekly lessons, founder-led office hours, and hands-on assignments to help you move from idea to evidence.

Each week introduces a key validation topic and ends with a live office hour where you’ll get feedback on your work.

You’ll work toward clear milestones and by the end of the program, you will have: run two real validation experiments, learned how to define, test, and iterate on your idea, debugged challenges with experienced founders and gained clarity on what’s working, what’s not, and what to do next.

ITERATIVE STARTUP ACADEMY

Topic

Milestone

Office Hours

Week 1

Introduction to Validation and Experiment Design

15 - 21 Sep

Why most founders get validation wrong, and how to avoid it. Learn how to design smart experiments and create a clear, testable hypothesis for your startup.

Topic

Define your startup hypothesis

Milestone

Get feedback on your startup hypothesis

Week 2

Design Your First Validation Experiment

22 - 28 Sep

Learn different ways to generate traffic, communicate your idea, measure user interest, and design your first validation experiment.

Topic

Design your first experiment

Milestone

Get feedback on experiment design

Week 3

Run Your First Validation Experiment

29 Sep - 5 Oct

Put your plan into action. Launch your first validation experiment and gather data to learn what’s working (and what’s not).

Topic

Execute and collect data

Milestone

Share early results and discuss challenges

Week 4

Analyse Experiment Results and Iteration

6 - 12 Oct

Make sense of the data. Learn how to spot real signals of interest, address bottlenecks in your funnel, and identify the right changes to improve your approach.

Topic

Analyse results and plan your next iteration

Milestone

Review what worked, what didn’t, and what to improve

Week 5

Run Your Second Validation Experiment

13 - 19 Oct

Apply your learnings. Launch a second experiment driving stronger user interest and engagement than your first.

Topic

Design and execute your second experiment

Milestone

Get feedback on your second experiment

Week 6

Wrap Up

20 - 24 Oct

Make sense of everything you’ve tested. Decide what’s working, what’s not, and what the next steps are for your startup idea.

Topic

Complete your retrospective

Milestone

Group retrospective, founder sharing, and what comes after validation

What you’ll gain

Real-world examples of how successful startups tested and refined their ideas

No code tools to reach early users and test demand

Two live validation experiments designed, launched, and analysed by you

Direct feedback from experienced founders on your validation experiments

Weekly office hours to get help, refine your approach, and get unstuck

A structured way to evaluate ideas before committing time or money

What you’re funded

$10,000

Every idea we fund receives up to US$10,000. These funds are yours to spend as you wish, but we strongly encourage you to invest it in developing the two validation experiments that you’ll run throughout the program.

The minute you’re accepted into the program, you’ll receive the money. We don’t wait till the program begins.

Who this program is for

This program is designed for early founders who already feel the pull to build, but need clarity and direction. It’s a great fit if:

You have a startup idea, but aren’t sure what to do next. You’re asking: Is this idea any good? Should I pursue it?

You’re a first-time founder without structure or support, and you’re struggling to make progress.

You’ve started something before that didn’t work — and you’re ready for a second shot, this time with a clearer process.

Who it’s NOT for

This program isn’t the right fit if:

You don’t yet have a startup idea. The program is designed to help founders validate existing ideas.

You’re only looking for funding. Participation in the full 6-week program is required, and the goal is to walk away with proof, not just a cheque.

Your startup is already at seed stage. This program is focused on idea to validation — not growth or scaling.

Learn from founders who’ve done it before.

Starting something new can feel like you’re guessing every step of the way. That’s why we pair you with people who’ve been through it before.

Every Program Partner is a founder or ex-founder who’s learnt valuable lessons from the uncertainty, the pivots, and the pain. We’ve distilled these lessons so you can skip the guesswork and start making real progress.

Meet Your Program Partners

These are the founders leading weekly office hours, giving feedback on your experiments, and helping you stay focused:

Hsu Ken Ooi

Founder, General Partner.

Hsu Ken is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Iterative. A two-time founder with experience building startups on both sides of the globe, he helps founders cut through the noise and build real businesses – no fluff, no BS.

Martha Cabaero

Content Manager, Iterative.

Martha founded the edtech platform UpNext as a university student and was part of Iterative’s W22 batch. She has guided over 100 student entrepreneurs in launching their early business ideas.

‍

Cathy Guo

Head of Investments, Iterative

Cathy founded Dunya Labs while still in university and previously led Antler’s portfolio. She’s served as a Visiting Partner at Iterative, helping founders across multiple batches sharpen their offering and execution.

Meet Iterative’s General Partners

Meet the founders behind Iterative and Startup Academy.

Brian Ma

Founder, General Partner.

Brian was previously the Co-Founder and CEO of Divvy Homes (a16z, GIC). In 2014, he and Elpizo Choi started Weave (YC S14). In 2009, he started Decide.com, an early machine learning company that predicted the future price of consumer goods. It was acquired by eBay in 2013. In 2005, he was one of the first PMs at Zillow before they launched. Brian has a BS in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington.

Hsu Ken Ooi

Founder, General Partner.

Hsu Ken was previously the Chief Product Officer of Workmate, an on-demand blue collar staffing platform in Southeast Asia. In 2014, he was VP of Product at Weave (YC S14). In 2009, he started Decide.com an early machine learning company that predicted the future price of consumer goods. It was acquired by eBay in 2013. Hsu Ken has a BS in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Washington.

Upcoming Events

Want more information about our Validate Your Startup Idea Program? Sign up to these upcoming events to find out more.

Coming soon.

See upcoming events

Tell Me Your Idea, I'll Turn It Into a Startup

🕓 Tue, Aug 13, 6:00 PM (GMT+8)

📹 Virtual event (Zoom)

Founder to Founder: Solve Your Startup Problem

🕓 Thu, Aug 27, 6:30 PM (GMT+8)

📍 the Hive Thonglor, Bangkok

Got questions?

When does the program run? Do I have to attend all 6 weeks?

The 6 week program runs from 15 September to 24 October 2025. Each week, you’ll be expected to watch short videos and complete tasks to hit your milestones. While we encourage you to join the group office hours to get feedback and connect with other participants, they’re optional. Office hour sessions will be recorded so you can catch up anytime, no matter where you are in the world.

What kind of ideas are a good fit for this program?

This program is for early-stage ideas that are solving a real, specific problem, even if you haven’t proven it yet.

You don’t need a product, traction, or users. But you should have a well-defined problem you care about solving, and the drive to test whether your solution actually works.

If you're serious about your idea and ready to find out if it actually resonates with your target audience, this program is for you.

Is this a full-time commitment?

No, you do not need to be a full-time founder to commit to this program, and you do not need to quit your job to attend the program. You do however have to be available for the duration of the 6 week program.

Do I need a co-founder or can I apply solo?

You can apply solo or with co-founders, as long as you have an idea.

Who can apply for this program?

Anyone with a startup idea is welcome to apply, no matter where you are in the world. This program support founders from all backgrounds and locations.

Read our Global Program FAQ

Get up to US$10,000 in funding to test your startup idea in 6 weeks