What is a lean canvas?

A one-page business plan for early-stage ideas, created by Ash Maurya. It puts the customer's problem first and focuses on what is riskiest to get wrong.

What's the difference between a lean canvas and a business model canvas?

The lean canvas swaps four business model canvas blocks for startup ones: key partners becomes problem, key activities becomes solution, key resources becomes key metrics, and customer relationships becomes unfair advantage.

How do startups use a lean canvas?

To write down their assumptions quickly, pick the riskiest ones and test them. Most founders update it every few weeks as they learn.

WorkshopStartupsStrategy & planning

Lean canvas

60 minutes 7 blocksFree Free template

The problem-first startup canvas on a live board, filled in the right order, with dot voting to find the riskiest assumptions and a test plan.

Use this template See inside

Free to use and to run live. No card needed.

Problem

Top three problems, and how people solve them today

Customer segments

Who has the problem? Who are the early adopters?

Value proposition

Unique: one clear message, why you, why now

Solution

The simplest thing that solves each problem

Channels

How you'll reach those customers

Revenue and costs

Mark each note + for revenue or - for cost

Key metrics

The few numbers that show it's working

Unfair advantage

What can't easily be copied or bought

In short

A lean canvas is a one-page startup plan that starts with the customer's problem, then covers segments, value proposition, solution, channels, revenue, costs, key metrics and unfair advantage. This template puts it on a live board the team fills from their phones, then dot-votes the riskiest assumptions and plans tests for them.

Time: 60 minutes
People: 2 to 10
Board: 8 areas, 3 dots each
Plan: Free

Updated October 4, 2026

What's inside

The agenda

By the end of this meeting, the canvas is filled for one customer segment and the two riskiest assumptions each have a test, an owner and a date.

60 min · 7 blocks, drawn to scale Fits exactly

Who is this for?, 3 minutes
The rule: problem first, one segment at a time, 4 minutes
Fill the canvas in order, 18 minutes
Dot-vote the riskiest assumptions, 10 minutes
Design a test for the top two, 12 minutes
Test owners and dates, 9 minutes
What we'll know by next time, 4 minutes

+0′Who is this for?In one word, who is our customer?3 minCheck-in
+3′The rule: problem first, one segment at a timeTip: Lean canvas is Ash Maurya's adaptation of the business model canvas for early-stage ideas. If the team names two very different customers, run two canvases.4 minInfo
+7′Fill the canvas in orderTip: Order: problem, segments, value proposition, solution, channels, revenue and costs, key metrics, unfair advantage. An empty unfair advantage box is honest and normal.18 minBrainstorm
+25′Dot-vote the riskiest assumptionsTip: Three dots each, on the notes we're least sure are true. Problem and segment notes usually win; that's a good sign.10 minDiscuss
+35′Design a test for the top twoTip: For each: what would we see if we're right, and how can we find out in two weeks or less? At this stage, ten customer conversations beat a survey.12 minDiscuss
+47′Test owners and dates9 minDecide
+56′What we'll know by next time4 minWrap-up

How to run it

1Agree one customer segment before you start. Two segments on one canvas hides the real problem.
2Fill the boxes in order from phones, problem first. Leave a box blank rather than guessing.
3Give everyone three dots for the assumptions they trust least, and design a two-week test for the top two.
4Rerun the canvas after the tests. Change it as often as you learn something; it's a working document.

Questions people ask

What is a lean canvas?: A one-page business plan for early-stage ideas, created by Ash Maurya. It puts the customer's problem first and focuses on what is riskiest to get wrong.
What's the difference between a lean canvas and a business model canvas?: The lean canvas swaps four business model canvas blocks for startup ones: key partners becomes problem, key activities becomes solution, key resources becomes key metrics, and customer relationships becomes unfair advantage.
How do startups use a lean canvas?: To write down their assumptions quickly, pick the riskiest ones and test them. Most founders update it every few weeks as they learn.

All workshops

Open it, make it yours, run it live.

Change anything in the editor. When you're ready, press Present: everyone joins with a scan and answers on their phone.

Free forever
Pro free for 14 days
No card needed
Guests never need an account

Use this template More workshops

WorkshopStartupsStrategy & planning

Lean canvas

60 minutes 7 blocksFree Free template

The problem-first startup canvas on a live board, filled in the right order, with dot voting to find the riskiest assumptions and a test plan.

Use this template See inside

Free to use and to run live. No card needed.

Problem

Top three problems, and how people solve them today

Customer segments

Who has the problem? Who are the early adopters?

Value proposition

Unique: one clear message, why you, why now

Solution

The simplest thing that solves each problem

Channels

How you'll reach those customers

Revenue and costs

Mark each note + for revenue or - for cost

Key metrics

The few numbers that show it's working

Unfair advantage

What can't easily be copied or bought

In short

Time: 60 minutes
People: 2 to 10
Board: 8 areas, 3 dots each
Plan: Free

Updated October 4, 2026

What's inside

The agenda

By the end of this meeting, the canvas is filled for one customer segment and the two riskiest assumptions each have a test, an owner and a date.

60 min · 7 blocks, drawn to scale Fits exactly

Who is this for?, 3 minutes
The rule: problem first, one segment at a time, 4 minutes
Fill the canvas in order, 18 minutes
Dot-vote the riskiest assumptions, 10 minutes
Design a test for the top two, 12 minutes
Test owners and dates, 9 minutes
What we'll know by next time, 4 minutes

+0′Who is this for?In one word, who is our customer?3 minCheck-in
+3′The rule: problem first, one segment at a timeTip: Lean canvas is Ash Maurya's adaptation of the business model canvas for early-stage ideas. If the team names two very different customers, run two canvases.4 minInfo
+7′Fill the canvas in orderTip: Order: problem, segments, value proposition, solution, channels, revenue and costs, key metrics, unfair advantage. An empty unfair advantage box is honest and normal.18 minBrainstorm
+25′Dot-vote the riskiest assumptionsTip: Three dots each, on the notes we're least sure are true. Problem and segment notes usually win; that's a good sign.10 minDiscuss
+35′Design a test for the top twoTip: For each: what would we see if we're right, and how can we find out in two weeks or less? At this stage, ten customer conversations beat a survey.12 minDiscuss
+47′Test owners and dates9 minDecide
+56′What we'll know by next time4 minWrap-up

How to run it

1Agree one customer segment before you start. Two segments on one canvas hides the real problem.
2Fill the boxes in order from phones, problem first. Leave a box blank rather than guessing.
3Give everyone three dots for the assumptions they trust least, and design a two-week test for the top two.
4Rerun the canvas after the tests. Change it as often as you learn something; it's a working document.

Questions people ask

What is a lean canvas?: A one-page business plan for early-stage ideas, created by Ash Maurya. It puts the customer's problem first and focuses on what is riskiest to get wrong.
What's the difference between a lean canvas and a business model canvas?: The lean canvas swaps four business model canvas blocks for startup ones: key partners becomes problem, key activities becomes solution, key resources becomes key metrics, and customer relationships becomes unfair advantage.
How do startups use a lean canvas?: To write down their assumptions quickly, pick the riskiest ones and test them. Most founders update it every few weeks as they learn.

All workshops

Open it, make it yours, run it live.

Change anything in the editor. When you're ready, press Present: everyone joins with a scan and answers on their phone.

Free forever
Pro free for 14 days
No card needed
Guests never need an account

Use this template More workshops

Lean canvas

What's inside

The agenda

How to run it

Questions people ask

Goes well with

Open it, make it yours, run it live.

Lean canvas

What's inside

The agenda

How to run it

Questions people ask

Goes well with

Open it, make it yours, run it live.