- Practice · 6 marks
Lean canvas and its blocks
Short answer
The Lean Canvas (Ash Maurya) is a nine-block one-page plan centered on problem, solution, metrics, and unfair advantage, omitting partners, activities, and resources. It differs from the Business Model Canvas by focusing on early-stage startup uncertainty and filling faster.
Draw and explain the Lean Canvas. How does it differ from the Business Model Canvas?
The Lean Canvas (Ash Maurya) is a one-page business plan adapted from the Business Model Canvas for startups. It focuses on problems, solutions and risks instead of partners and resources.
+--------+---------+--------+---------+--------+
|Problem |Solution | UVP |Unfair |Customer|
|(top 3) |(top 3 | |advantage|segments|
| |features)| | | |
| +---------+ +---------+ |
| |Key | |Channels | |
| |metrics | | | |
+--------+---------+--------+---------+--------+
|Cost structure |Revenue streams |
+------------------+---------------------------+
The nine blocks
- Problem: top three problems of customers, with existing alternatives.
- Customer segments: target users and early adopters.
- Unique value proposition: single, clear message.
- Solution: key features that solve each problem.
- Channels: path to customers.
- Revenue streams: price and revenue model.
- Cost structure: fixed and variable costs.
- Key metrics: numbers that show progress (activation, retention, revenue).
- Unfair advantage: something that cannot be bought or copied easily.
Lean Canvas vs Business Model Canvas
| Lean Canvas | Business Model Canvas |
|---|---|
| Designed for new, uncertain startups | Designed for any business |
| Has Problem, Solution, Key Metrics, Unfair Advantage | Has Key Partners, Key Activities, Key Resources, Customer Relationships |
| Faster to fill (about 20 minutes) | More detailed |
Answer: The Lean Canvas is a nine-block, one-page plan centred on problem, solution, metrics and unfair advantage, suited to early-stage startups.
✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)
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