Tool guide

The strategic
canvas
guided by AI.

A visual, collaborative workspace to structure business models, validate ideas and plan every launch phase — in real time, with your team.

AI Guided Multi-workspace Visual Canvas Team Collaboration 6 node types
Open the Canvas ↗
app.venturebuildingcanvas.upventures.io
Input
Text
Post-it
KPI
Research
MVP
⌘ Z
Saved ✓
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Input
App for Italian artisans
B2C marketplace with guided\nonboarding, no tech skills required
Text
Market analysis
1.2M artisans in Italy · 18% with active e-commerce · sector CAGR +14%/year
Post-it
Customer pays €29/month
Key hypothesis to validate
KPI
340%
expected growth Y1→Y2\nTarget CAC: €42
MVP Plan
6-week roadmap
Sprint 1: onboarding\nSprint 2: payments\nSprint 3: catalogue
AI Request
Analisi SWOT
Generate analysis with\nlinked market data
AI Analysis
Active selection
Node "Market analysis" selected. What do you want to do?
UpVentures AI
The market shows strong signals. With 1.2M artisans and 18% e-commerce penetration, there is a segment of 984k potential users.
Estimated CAC: €38–55 via social channels
Target LTV/CAC ratio: 3.2x in 18 months
Main risk: month-3 retention
Ask the AI...
How it works

4 steps to build the strategy

From an empty workspace to a complete strategic canvas — in under an hour.

01
🗂
Create a workspace
Every project has its own workspace. Separate ventures, clients or research phases. Invite the team with a link.
🗂 Startup Alpha
🗂 Project B
+ New workspace
02
🔷
Add nodes
6 node types: Idea, Text, Post-it, KPI, Market Research, MVP. Drag them freely onto the canvas.
Input
Idea
Post-it
Hypothesis
KPI
340%
03
🔗
Connect and structure
Link nodes to create logical flows. The AI reads connections as relationships between concepts.
Input
Idea
Post-it
Hypothesis
KPI
+340%
04
Ask the AI
Select nodes, hit Analyse. The AI generates SWOT, objections, action plans, market estimates.
Generate SWOT analysis →
✦ Strengths: large unserved market, low tech competition...
Risks: retention, pricing...

The node types

6 nodes, every purpose covered

From a simple idea to a planned MVP. Each node is designed for a specific moment in building strategy.

Input / Idea
App for Italian artisans
B2C marketplace with guided onboarding — no tech skills

Input / Idea

The starting point. Enter the core idea, the problem to solve or the strategic question. The AI builds everything else from here.

Starting point
Free text
Market analysis
1.2M artisans · 18% with e-commerce · CAGR +14%

Free text

Notes, research, data, text you have already written. The AI reads the content as fixed context, without modifying or reworking it.

Fixed context
Post-it
Customer pays €29/month
Key hypothesis — to validate with interviews

Post-it

Quick notes, hypotheses, assumptions, open questions. Available in 6 colours to categorise risks, opportunities, decisions and assumptions.

Hypotheses and notes
KPI
340%
expected growth Y1→Y2
Target CAC: €42 · LTV: €520

KPI

Key metrics: revenue target, CAC, LTV, churn rate. The AI uses KPIs to anchor analysis to real numbers, not vague assumptions.

Key metrics
Market Research
Competitive analysis
Etsy, Shopify, IT marketplaces — gap: none for non-tech artisans

Market Research

Structure competitive and sector analysis. The AI can expand it with market data, industry trends and competitor positioning.

External analysis
MVP Plan
6-week roadmap
Sprint 1: onboarding
Sprint 2: payments · Sprint 3: catalogue

MVP Plan

Development phases, team needed, milestones and timing. The AI generates a concrete action plan based on the other connected nodes.

Action plan

AI in action

How the AI actually works

Select one or more nodes — the AI reads the structure, the connections and the data, then produces a precise, contextualised analysis.

Workspace: App for Italian artisans 3 nodes selected · Analysis in progress
Input
App for artisans
Text
Market analysis
1.2M artisans · 18% e-com
KPI
340%
Post-it
€29/mese
✦ 3 nodes selected — Analyse →
AI output · Strategic analysis
📊 Market opportunity
With 1.2M artisans and 18% e-commerce penetration, there is a segment of 984,000 potential users not served by vertical solutions for the Italian artisan sector.
TAM: €2.4B SAM: €286M SOM: €28M Y3
⚡ Validation plan
  • Interview 20 artisans in 2 weeks — focus on digital pain points
  • Landing page with waitlist to test willingness-to-pay at €29/month
  • Figma prototype for usability testing with the 45-60 age target
⚠️ Main risks
  • Month-3 retention — depends on perceived value after onboarding
  • CAC potentially higher than the €42 target on traditional social channels

Step by step

From idea to plan in 5 steps

A concrete example: validating a startup idea in one hour using every Canvas node.

1
Log in and create the workspace

Log in with your UpVentures account. On the workspace screen click "+ New" and give the project a name. Each workspace is isolated — keep one per venture or client.

🗂
Startup Alpha — Q1 2025 Owner
🗂
Project B — Research Shared · 2 people
2
Enter the core idea

Add an Input node and write the idea or problem in as much detail as possible. The more context you give, the more precise the AI analysis that follows.

Input / Idea
Mobile app for small Italian artisans who want to sell online without tech skills. Target: 35–60 years old, revenue < €200k/year.
Be specific: include target, problem, geography and size. Vague phrases like "app to sell online" produce generic analysis.
3
Add context and hypotheses

Add Post-it nodes for the main hypotheses and Text nodes for data and research you already have. Connect everything to the main Input node.

NODES ADDED
Hypothesis · price
Customer pays €29/month
Hypothesis · channel
Acquisition via Instagram
Data · market
1.2M artigiani · 18% e-com
4
Ask the AI to analyse

Select one or more nodes (Ctrl+click), then click "Analyse" in the AI panel on the right. You can request: SWOT analysis, customer objections, MVP plan, market estimates.

AI Analysis · 3 nodes selected
Request
Generate a SWOT analysis based on the idea and the market data. Include the main risks.
UpVentures AI
Strengths: large unserved market, low tech debt, strong latent demand.
Risks: month-3 retention, CAC above target on social channels, digital resistance in the 45-60 age group.
Connect the nodes to each other before analysing — the AI reads connections as logical relationships and produces more precise, contextualised output.
5
Share with the team

Copy the invite link from the workspace menu. Collaborators log in with their own account and see the canvas in real time. Every change is saved automatically.

canvas.upventures.io/invite/a8f2c... Copy link ↗
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3 active members · live edits

Use cases

Who uses it and how

The Canvas adapts to every stage: from the initial idea to the quarterly strategy review.

Founder / Startup
Validate a new idea in 60 minutes
Before spending time and money on an MVP, structure hypotheses, identify risks and get a validation plan from the AI — all on a canvas shared with your co-founders.
Input
Startup idea
Post-it
Hypothesis #1
MVP
4 weeks
Idea validation Lean Startup Risk mapping
Manager / SME
Plan a new product launch
Structure the go-to-market, map competitors, define launch KPIs and get a week-by-week action plan from the AI — board-ready.
KPI
+42%
Text
Competitor map
MVP
Go-to-market
Go-to-market Competitor map KPI planning
Consultant / Agency
Strategic workshop with the client
Run a live workshop with the client on the canvas. Everyone sees the same screen, the AI produces output in real time and the result is instantly shareable.
AI · Output live
Strategy validated: 3 hypotheses confirmed, 1 critical risk identified.
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Workshop live Co-design Strategy deck

Ready to start?

Create your first workspace in 2 minutes. No setup required.