“First do it, then do it right, then do it better.” – Addy Osmani
Smartsheet.com has a great description of what a roadmap serves for:
“An effective (product) roadmap will do more than 'tell:' it will also present a simple, realistic visual representation of your vision and how it is tied to company's goals. Additionally, your roadmap should be easy to understand and persuasive.”
Although roadmaps are mostly used in the technical world for the development of software products, I felt that creating a simple roadmap would help me clarify the goals I have at the moment for the Sonvela Social Impact Investing project. It's another way to explain that I'm working on a (concrete) plan for the next 20 years.
2 decades that start off with thinking about different things and asking the right questions. Then, taking a first small step in the right direction. Small steps might not look and feel like much, but they are very powerful as part of a bigger plan.
Productplan.com describes a roadmap as “the strategic process of determining the actions, steps, and resources needed to take the initiative from vision to reality.” I find this an interesting definition because to me strategy (plus vision) is everything. For this project to move forward I will need to make strategic choices at the right time and in the correct order.
As a reminder, these are the goals I shared for Sonvela on Twitter in July 2020:
– Angel investor syndicate/club
– Startup generator/incubator
– Fund for micro- and small businesses
– University and company of the future for innovation and disruption
Help to solve Cape Verde's biggest problems.
I aim to work towards the above within 20 years. However, in this document I've only outlined the next 4 years. The roadmap and goals will be updated whenever there is a change in ideas or direction. This is the (current) roadmap that will lead to achieving those goals:
2021
- Start a scout program
- Organize a first event for founders
- Make a minimum of 3 investments
- Officially start fundraising
2022/2023
- Publish project evaluation of the past 1,5 years
- Organize multiple events
- Have a minimum of 10 portfolio companies (half tech/half others)
- Create our own investor tool
- Welcome new Sonvela boardmembers
- Establish the Generator/Studio
- Continue fundraising
2024/2025
- Start purchasing land
- Open an (online) developer school
- Have a minimum of 15 portfolio companies (half tech/half others)
- Present the Public Private market
Next to updating the roadmap and goals, I'll be writing a project progress update every 3 months. These updates exist to share all the relevant things that happen around this exiting project. Expect way more detailed writing in these updates, especially in the investor version. Subscribe below if you would like to receive future updates right in you inbox.
Read More Here:
Why we need to invest in Cabo Verdean startups
