# USM came back. With a new brief.

> The next brief was more focused: help researchers give an idea a business shape. Alpha Dynamo brought its own Venture Development Canvas and AI coach into a one-day workshop built around the participant’s thinking.

Canonical: https://alphadynamo.com/case-studies/usm-venture-development-workshop

Client: Universiti Sains Malaysia
Programme: Venture Development Workshop
Delivery: September 2026
Published: 2026-10-17
Publisher: Alpha Dynamo

## A different task called for a different format.

The April engagement introduced Design Thinking foundations. The September brief centred on a venture or business case: helping researchers describe an idea’s customer, value and viability in a connected way.

A focused one-day workshop gave that task a clear boundary. Participants could work with an idea from their own research or use a hypothetical idea to practise the thinking. The aim was to make a first business model approachable, including for people new to entrepreneurship.

## The canvas gave the structure. AI made room for a conversation.

Alpha Dynamo’s proprietary Venture Development Canvas brings 13 blocks together across six zones. It connects the problem, customer and value proposition with the reasons an idea might work, how it could be delivered, how it could earn, and how progress would be measured.

The AI coach supports the learning process through explanations, examples and questions. Participants review and approve entries. The facilitator provides framing and discussion, while the tool helps each person work through their own idea.

The workshop format is designed to turn the canvas into tangible material: a completed venture case, a product-page mockup and a draft pitch deck. These give participants something concrete to review, test and develop further.

## A new brief. Its own record of feedback.

The September cohort’s published feedback records mean satisfaction of 9.7 out of 10 from nine respondents. All nine would recommend the workshop, and eight rated the instructor Excellent.

These results belong to the one-day Venture Development Workshop. They are reported separately from the April Design Thinking Bootcamp, with no combined average or assumption that the two surveys describe the same people.

## Our tools are part of how we deliver.

The return engagement illustrates how the format can change with the task. A three-day bootcamp and a one-day canvas workshop serve different briefs while sharing the same emphasis on applying ideas in practice.

It also makes Alpha Dynamo’s technology visible in the learning experience. The canvas and coach are tools we build and use, alongside facilitation and feedback, to help participants give their thinking a concrete form.

The same approach can support students, researchers and company teams. The starting point is the work they need to do, the decisions they need to make and what they should be able to take away.

## Participant feedback

Mean satisfaction: 9.7/10. Overall survey: 9 respondents. 9/9 would recommend; 8/9 rated the instructor Excellent.

## Evidence notes

- USM Business Model Canvas workshop proposal, issued July 2026: Background to the client brief and facilitated AI-coaching approach.
- Alpha Dynamo programme guide — September 2026 USM cohort: Nine-response satisfaction, instructor-rating and recommendation figures.
- Current Venture Development Canvas specification: Thirteen blocks across six zones, with participant review and approval. Canvas, product-page and pitch-deck outputs describe the programme format.

## Plan a programme

Programmes can be shaped for students, researchers and company teams. https://alphadynamo.com/#contact