Introduction

Your UVP is the anchor of your business narrative. It shapes how others perceive your value and determines how clearly your work resonates with the people holding resources, whether they are funders, partners, investors, or buyers.

In this lesson, you’ll focus on refining your UVP through the lens of each stakeholder type.

Grantors

Grant programs are typically structured around solving specific problems. Your UVP needs to demonstrate that you are a precise and timely solution aligned with their goals.

What to communicate:

• Alignment with the grantor’s mission and impact goals

• Evidence of demand or need for your solution

• Clear metrics that demonstrate your effectiveness

• A path for long-term impact beyond the grant cycle

Prompt:

• How does your work directly contribute to the outcomes this grantor cares about?

Example:

If a grant program is focused on Black maternal health, your UVP should not only name your target population and service but also connect that to health outcomes, policy relevance, or cost savings that align with the funder’s mandate.

Investors

Investors focus on return, momentum, and defensibility. A strong UVP tells them that your business isn’t only viable, it’s the right bet at the right time.

What to communicate:

• Why your solution is timely and uniquely positioned

• Signs of traction (revenue, users, demand)

• Market size and your ability to scale

• A team or founder story that shows credibility and drive

Prompt:

• Why does your business deserve capital over someone solving a similar problem?

Example:

A fintech founder might center their UVP on their traction with 15,000 unbanked users in Georgia, with partnerships already underway with CDFIs.

Strategic Partners

Partners don’t need equity. They need alignment. Your UVP should tell them why you’re the right organization to support, share, or co-create with.

What to communicate:

• What makes your product, brand, or audience a good match

• How collaboration supports their goals or fills a gap

• Your credibility in the space and what you’ve built so far

Prompt:

• What would make a larger org or institution want to lend its name to yours?

Example:

If you’re a health tech founder serving Latinx seniors, and you’ve already partnered with local clinics, a national health coalition might see alignment and want to amplify or co-brand your next pilot.

Customers

Customers evaluate value by asking: does this solve my problem, and do I trust it to work?

What to communicate:

• Clear transformation: what they get and how fast

• Language that speaks directly to their pain point

• Testimonials or proof points from people like them

Prompt:

• What’s the most direct and honest way to tell someone what you do and why it matters?

Example:

If you’re building a time-tracking app for hourly workers, your UVP might focus on eliminating wage theft, with proof that you’ve recovered $50,000 in unpaid time across your beta users.

Conclusion

Understanding your stakeholders' incentives and crafting a UVP that resonates with them significantly improves your chances of securing funding, attracting investment, building strategic partnerships, and winning loyal customers. In our next lessons, we'll dive deeper into a few case studies of effective UVPs.

💡 Key Takeaways

To craft a UVP that resonates with all stakeholders, it's important to:

• Understand each stakeholder's incentives and goals.

• Clearly articulate the unique value and benefits your business or project offers.

• Demonstrate potential for scalability, sustainability, and long-term success.

• Be clear, concise, and compelling in your messaging.