Utopia is building an urban innovation ecosystem for emergent cities. We're doing this by establishing a network of CITYLABS, urbantech venture studios co-building startups alongside entrepreneurs across urban Africa, Asia, and Latin America. BuildX is an urban natural construction materials venture fusing traditional materials and technology to incorporate low-intensive resources and regenerative materials into Kathmandu’s built environment. We are currently refining a product, conducting market analysis, and testing with early customers.
Mandate to co-build the foundation for the venture’s product development and business model, including user and market research, prototyping, and testing. The fellow will work alongside the Kathmandu CITYLAB team during a part-time, four-month tenure from October 2023 to January 2023 with a possibility of extension.
Conduct comprehensive research on the value chain of the target market and materials for existing BuildX product
Identify variety of methods from age-old techniques to emerging technologies to continuously inspire, adapt, test, refine the prototype
Consistently conduct user testing with target users using various user testing methodologies, document feedback, and synthesize it to incorporate into prototype iterations
Help identify the target market through market research, building and maintaining partnerships with key market actors
(Learn and) Apply principles of circular business models
Support on development of venture vision and goal
Research local to global opportunities and innovative solutions in sustainable urban built environment and construction
Test and develop two different medium-fidelity prototypes
Explore market viability and opportunities and develop a Go-to-market strategy for two new products and/or services in the sustainable construction space
Support allied tasks necessary in product development and market analysis
You are passionate about cleaning up the way we build. You have experience working with natural materials and get energized by reimagining the current built environment of the city.
You are familiar with starting from scratch. You embrace ambiguity and understand the necessary uncertainty of early product development and, ideally, the business model process.
You have an entrepreneurial mindset and are curious ****to consistently research, tinker, and test solutions.
You are proactive and a good communicator. You are motivated to and quickly get ideas off the ground, and easily oscillate between working independently and with a team.