The Basics
All 886 Interviews are conducted over 30-minute time slots over Zoom. We expect all co-founders to be on the call. In return, expect 1-2 of our partners to present, in addition to our operating team and program directors.
Due to time constraints we ask for your pitch to be concise. Teams are given 5 minutes to present, in which we expect you to walk us through your deck and do a brief demonstration of your product. Remember that the interviewers will have already read your application, so not every detail needs to be reiterated. The remainder of the 25 minutes is reserved for Q&A and discussion.
How to Prepare
- Online Etiquette – To ensure seamless delivery, preemptively address any potential technical issues. This involves having resources prepared and accessible, and ensuring Zoom functions properly without interruptions or updates during sessions. Time is limited and technical difficulties can be distracting.
- Your Pitch – Don’t try to memorize a script. Prepare talking points and conduct market research beforehand, but aim to be sufficiently familiar with the material so that you do not need to rely heavily on reading from your notes. These interviews are meant to imitate a conversation. Having a word-for-word script to recite is not only unnecessary, but also can appear unnatural.
What We Look For
- Progress – From the moment you first apply or contact us, we're interested in seeing the progress you've made since then. Whether you've pivoted, enhanced your software, or conducted valuable research, we appreciate witnessing your dedication to your startup.
- About You – We'd like a brief background on your team's size and experience in the field. Be prepared not only to describe the problem your company is solving, but also to explain why solving this problem is personally significant to you as founders.
- Data – Please be ready to provide details on your monthly operating expenses, runway, and any previous funding received, if applicable. If your company already has users or generates revenue, please share specific data and metrics (ex: customer retention rates). You can have them on your pitch deck.; we don’t expect you to memorize each number.
Questions
Remember that our interviews are not meant to be an interrogation where we expect you to know absolutely everything. We appreciate sincerity, and understand that some questions can be unexpected. These are some commonly asked questions to refer to:
- What feedback have you gathered from beta testing or comments from your users? How did you apply the feedback into ways to improve your product?
- How do you differentiate from competitors? What is your competition doing well? What might they be doing wrong?
- When have you pivoted and why?
- What stage of the process are you in? What does your timeline look like?
- How do you plan to scale your product? Who is your target audience?
- What do you hope to gain out of our program? What makes Ikigai a good fit for you?
After the Interview
If we have additional follow-up questions for you, our operations team will contact you via email. Furthermore, if our partners wish to have further discussions following the first meeting, we may request a second round of interviews. If you have any additional information or questions you'd like to share with us, please don't hesitate to reach out. Final decisions regarding your acceptance into the program will generally be communicated after we have completed interviews and reviewed all applicants.