The Value Proposition Canvas helps you answer one of the most important (and trickiest) questions in business:
“Why would anyone care about what we’re building?”

Created by Alex Osterwalder, the same mind behind the Business Model Canvas, this framework digs deeper into just two boxes of the original canvas: Customer Segments and Value Propositions. It’s a focused tool designed to help you make sure your product or service actually solves a real problem for real people — in a way they’ll value and pay for.

Put simply, it helps you build something people want. Not something that just looks good on a pitch deck.

This is especially useful if you’re:

• Validating a new product idea
• Trying to improve product-market fit
• Developing a go-to-market strategy
• Creating better messaging or marketing content
• Or just realising your current offering isn’t landing like you hoped

It forces you to stop thinking like a founder and start thinking like a customer.

At Foundra, we’ve made the Value Proposition Canvas easy to jump into. You can access it in PDF or Google Sheets. It’s built for whiteboarding, quick iteration, and team discussion — not for writing a novel.

The aim? To align what you’re offering (left side) with what your customer actually wants and needs (right side). When that alignment clicks, you’ve got traction. When it doesn’t, you’ve got crickets.

The canvas has two halves:

✅ Right Side: Customer Profile

Start here. Understand your customer before you try to sell them anything.

Jobs (centre of the circle)
What is your customer trying to get done in their life or work?
Break it down:

• Functional jobs (e.g., book a meeting, write a report)
• Social jobs (e.g., look smart, gain status)
• Emotional jobs (e.g., feel secure, avoid stress)

Pains (bottom right)

• What annoys or frustrates them?
• What risks or obstacles stop them from getting their job done?
• What keeps them awake at night?

Gains (top right)

• What would make them smile?
• What improvements or outcomes are they looking for?
• What does “success” look like from their point of view?

✅ Left Side: Value Map

Now switch to what your product/service actually offers. This is where you check if you’re solving anything meaningful.

Products & Services (centre of the square)
List the core things you offer. This isn’t your full product roadmap — just the stuff the customer interacts with.

Pain Relievers (bottom left)

• How does your product reduce or remove the customer’s pains?
• Can you eliminate risks? Save time? Reduce cost or stress?

Gain Creators (top left)

• How does your product help customers achieve their desired gains?
• What outcomes or benefits do you unlock for them?

📊 Spreadsheet Version Tips

In the Google Sheet version, each section is laid out in editable boxes — great for brainstorming or tracking customer insights during research. You can:

• Add bullet points under each section
• Link notes or customer quotes
• Sort by importance or confidence
• Use colour coding to highlight validated vs assumed insights

It’s like a living hypothesis board you can update as you learn.

• Don’t guess — talk to customers. You can’t fill this out from your gut alone. Go interview 5–10 people. Listen, don’t pitch.
• Be specific. “Save time” is vague. “Save 20 mins per day on manual data entry” is gold.
• Match one to one. Every pain or gain on the right should have a matching reliever or creator on the left. If it doesn’t — either drop it or build it.
• Start messy. You’ll write too much, then refine. This is normal. Use post-its, bullet points, whatever works.
• Print it or share it. This is a collaboration tool. It’s made to spark debates and uncover blind spots.

When the two sides of the Value Proposition Canvas align — when your product solves meaningful pains and creates meaningful gains — that’s when growth gets easier. Your message hits. Your product sticks. And your customers come back.

Download the PDF or the access **Google Sheet **version to get started today.