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What are Startup OKRs?
The OKR acronym stands for Objectives and Key Results. It's a goal-setting framework that was introduced at Intel by Andy Grove in the 70s, and it became popular after John Doerr introduced it to Google in the 90s. OKRs helps teams has a shared language to set ambitious goals and track progress towards them.
Crafting effective OKRs can be challenging, particularly for beginners. Emphasizing outcomes rather than projects should be the core of your planning.
We have a collection of OKRs examples for Startup to give you some inspiration. You can use any of the templates below as a starting point for your OKRs.
If you want to learn more about the framework, you can read our OKR guide online.
The best tools for writing perfect Startup OKRs
Here are 2 tools that can help you draft your OKRs in no time.
Tability AI: to generate OKRs based on a prompt
Tability AI allows you to describe your goals in a prompt, and generate a fully editable OKR template in seconds.
- 1. Create a Tability account
- 2. Click on the Generate goals using AI
- 3. Describe your goals in a prompt
- 4. Get your fully editable OKR template
- 5. Publish to start tracking progress and get automated OKR dashboards
Watch the video below to see it in action 👇
Tability Feedback: to improve existing OKRs
You can use Tability's AI feedback to improve your OKRs if you already have existing goals.
- 1. Create your Tability account
- 2. Add your existing OKRs (you can import them from a spreadsheet)
- 3. Click on Generate analysis
- 4. Review the suggestions and decide to accept or dismiss them
- 5. Publish to start tracking progress and get automated OKR dashboards
Tability will scan your OKRs and offer different suggestions to improve them. This can range from a small rewrite of a statement to make it clearer to a complete rewrite of the entire OKR.
Startup OKRs examples
You will find in the next section many different Startup Objectives and Key Results. We've included strategic initiatives in our templates to give you a better idea of the different between the key results (how we measure progress), and the initiatives (what we do to achieve the results).
Hope you'll find this helpful!
OKRs to identify high-potential startups for potential investment
ObjectiveIdentify high-potential startups for potential investment
KRAttend or participate in a minimum of 3 startup pitch events to expand network and discover new opportunities
Register and RSVP for the chosen startup pitch events- Engage with fellow entrepreneurs and exchange contact information for future collaboration
- Prepare a concise pitch to present at the startup pitch events
- Research upcoming startup pitch events in the local area
- KRResearch and evaluate a minimum of 20 startups with innovative and scalable business models
- Conduct thorough research on each startup's business model and scalability
- Create a report summarizing the findings and key insights from the research
- Compile a list of 20 startups with innovative business models
- Evaluate the potential of each startup based on identified criteria
- KRConduct thorough due diligence on at least 10 startups, assessing financials, market potential, and team
- Investigate the background and expertise of the team members in 10 startups
- Summarize the findings of due diligence in concise reports for each startup assessed
- Research and analyze the financial statements of 10 startups for detailed assessment
- Evaluate the market potential of 10 startups through market analysis and potential growth opportunities
- KREstablish partnerships with at least 2 trusted venture capitalists or angel investors for knowledge-sharing and potential co-investment opportunities
- Reach out to the selected venture capitalists or angel investors to express interest in collaboration
- Research and identify potential venture capitalists or angel investors with established credibility
- Set up meetings or calls with the identified partners to discuss knowledge-sharing and co-investment opportunities
- Establish formal agreements and partnerships with the selected venture capitalists or angel investors
OKRs to launch a viable startup in the tech industry
- ObjectiveLaunch a viable startup in the tech industry
- KRHire a core team of five professionals in tech, marketing, and operations
- Identify required skills and experience for each job role
- Schedule and conduct potential candidate interviews
- Post job vacancies on suitable recruitment platforms
- KRFinalize business plan with a detailed financial projection
- Review and refine existing business model assumptions
- Develop comprehensive profit and loss projections
- Incorporate relevant market research into the plan
- KRSecure investment from at least three different sources for initial capital
- Research and identify potential investors
- Conduct pitching sessions to these investors
- Create a compelling business plan
OKRs to enhance synergy between startup house and startup ecosystem
- ObjectiveEnhance synergy between startup house and startup ecosystem
- KRExpand network with 15 new startup ecosystem partners by end of next quarter
- Reach out with partnership proposals to potential partners
- Identify potential startup ecosystem partners for collaboration
- Follow up regularly and establish formal partnerships
- KRDevelop and organize 4 collaborative innovation workshops for startup house members
- Coordinate logistics, including location, materials, and guest speakers
- Determine workshop topics and objectives tailored to startup house members
- Create and distribute workshop schedules, invitations and promotional materials
- KRFacilitate 3 successful partnerships between startup house members and ecosystem players
- Identify potential partners within startup house members and ecosystem players
- Organize introductory meetings between identified parties
- Support negotiations to formalize partnership agreements
OKRs to launch a high growth and profitable tech startup
- ObjectiveLaunch a high growth and profitable tech startup
- KRDevelop a minimum viable product, tested and approved by a focus group of 25 participants
- Create and test the product with focus group
- Implement changes based on feedback
- Identify key features for the minimum viable product
- KRSecure funding worth at least $1M from reliable investors
- Schedule and conduct persuasive pitch meetings with investors
- Develop a compelling business proposal showcasing ROI
- Research and create a list of potential reliable investors
- KRAssemble a cohesive team of 5 skilled professionals for key operations
- Identify required skills for key operations team roles
- Source potential candidates through networking or recruiting
- Conduct interviews and select final team members
OKRs to successfully launch the tech startup
- ObjectiveSuccessfully launch the tech startup
- KRSecure funding from at least three investors by increasing company visibility
- Enhance online presence through social media and optimized website
- Participate in industry networking events
- Develop a compelling investor presentation
- KRDevelop, test and launch the MVP (minimum viable product) targeting user validation
- Design and develop the minimum viable product
- Carry out rigorous testing and fixing of the MVP
- Launch MVP and collect user validation data
- KRHire and onboard five skilled developers to establish the product team
- Create a detailed job description for developer positions
- Promote vacancies on targeted recruitment platforms
- Develop a comprehensive onboarding program
OKRs to increase online community subscriptions for startups
- ObjectiveIncrease online community subscriptions for startups
- KRAchieve a 20% increase in the overall number of startups subscribed
- Offer incentives or discounts to existing customers for referring new startups to subscribe
- Improve and optimize the onboarding process to increase conversion rates for new subscriptions
- Develop and implement targeted marketing campaigns to attract new startup subscribers
- Conduct market research to identify potential target audience for startup subscriptions
- KRIncrease user engagement by 15% to encourage startups to stay subscribed
- Improve onboarding experience with a guided tutorial showcasing key features
- Provide regular surveys or feedback forms to gather insights on user needs and preferences
- Send personalized emails with helpful tips and success stories to inspire startups
- Create an online community for startups to share experiences and network with peers
- KRGenerate 50% more leads through targeted marketing campaigns
- Implement lead nurturing campaigns using email marketing automation to engage and convert leads
- Optimize landing pages with clear call-to-actions and forms to capture leads effectively
- Identify target audience demographics and develop personalized marketing messages for each segment
- Analyze campaign performance data regularly to identify areas of improvement and adjust strategies
- KRImprove website conversion rate by 10% to attract more startups
- Utilize remarketing strategies to re-engage with potential startup customers and drive conversions
- Implement A/B testing for different call-to-action buttons and optimize based on performance
- Optimize landing page design and content to increase user engagement and conversion
- Enhance website loading speed to reduce bounce rate and improve user experience
OKRs to successfully launch startup
- ObjectiveSuccessfully launch startup
- KRSecure initial funding of at least $50K
- Set up pitches with interested investors
- Develop a detailed business plan highlighting investment value
- Identify potential investors in the chosen industry
- KRAchieve steady user growth rate of 20% month on month
- Identify and target a specific user demographic via social media campaigns
- Implement a customer referral program with incentives
- Optimize SEO strategies for increased organic user traffic
- KROnboard first 100 users
- Provide personalized support for early users
- Launch marketing campaign to attract initial users
- Develop a comprehensive, user-friendly onboarding guide
OKRs to scale the startup to achieve unicorn status
- ObjectiveScale the startup to achieve unicorn status
- KRExpand customer base by acquiring 100 new clients
- Identify target market segments and prioritize based on potential revenue and fit
- Develop targeted marketing campaigns to attract potential clients from identified segments
- Establish strategic partnerships with complementary businesses to leverage their customer base
- Implement referral program to encourage existing clients to refer friends and colleagues
- KRsecure $10 million in funding from investors
- Identify and approach potential investors with a tailored and persuasive investment proposal
- Develop and demonstrate a solid growth strategy and execution plan to convince investors
- Create a compelling pitch deck highlighting the market potential, competitive advantage, and financial projections
- Conduct thorough due diligence to ensure investors' trust by providing accurate financial information and projections
- KRIncrease monthly revenue by 30%
- KRAchieve a user retention rate of 80%
- Implement personalized notifications and incentives to encourage users to stay active
- Improve user onboarding process to enhance engagement and reduce churn
- Continuously analyze user behavior data to optimize the app experience and prevent attrition
- Conduct regular user surveys to identify pain points and address them promptly
OKRs to improve customer satisfaction
- ObjectiveAchieve next level customer love ❤️
- KRGet 15 new 5-star ratings on G2 Crowd
- Reach out to users high NPS feedback asking for review
- KRReduce the number of weekly support tickets by 50%
- Create a self serve documentation portal
- KRImprove the NPS score from 12 to 20
- Create a list of 15 highly requested features to implement
OKRs to secure Seed funding
- ObjectiveBe on track for Seed funding
- KRReach $200k ARR
- KRShow a 3x year-on-year revenue growth
Startup OKR best practices
Generally speaking, your objectives should be ambitious yet achievable, and your key results should be measurable and time-bound (using the SMART framework can be helpful). It is also recommended to list strategic initiatives under your key results, as it'll help you avoid the common mistake of listing projects in your KRs.
Here are a couple of best practices extracted from our OKR implementation guide 👇
Tip #1: Limit the number of key results
The #1 role of OKRs is to help you and your team focus on what really matters. Business-as-usual activities will still be happening, but you do not need to track your entire roadmap in the OKRs.
We recommend having 3-4 objectives, and 3-4 key results per objective. A platform like Tability can run audits on your data to help you identify the plans that have too many goals.
Tip #2: Commit to weekly OKR check-ins
Don't fall into the set-and-forget trap. It is important to adopt a weekly check-in process to get the full value of your OKRs and make your strategy agile – otherwise this is nothing more than a reporting exercise.
Being able to see trends for your key results will also keep yourself honest.
Tip #3: No more than 2 yellow statuses in a row
Yes, this is another tip for goal-tracking instead of goal-setting (but you'll get plenty of OKR examples above). But, once you have your goals defined, it will be your ability to keep the right sense of urgency that will make the difference.
As a rule of thumb, it's best to avoid having more than 2 yellow/at risk statuses in a row.
Make a call on the 3rd update. You should be either back on track, or off track. This sounds harsh but it's the best way to signal risks early enough to fix things.
Save hours with automated OKR dashboards
OKRs without regular progress updates are just KPIs. You'll need to update progress on your OKRs every week to get the full benefits from the framework. Reviewing progress periodically has several advantages:
- It brings the goals back to the top of the mind
- It will highlight poorly set OKRs
- It will surface execution risks
- It improves transparency and accountability
We recommend using a spreadsheet for your first OKRs cycle. You'll need to get familiar with the scoring and tracking first. Then, you can scale your OKRs process by using Tability to save time with automated OKR dashboards, data connectors, and actionable insights.
How to get Tability dashboards:
- 1. Create a Tability account
- 2. Use the importers to add your OKRs (works with any spreadsheet or doc)
- 3. Publish your OKR plan
That's it! Tability will instantly get access to 10+ dashboards to monitor progress, visualise trends, and identify risks early.
More Startup OKR templates
We have more templates to help you draft your team goals and OKRs.
- OKRs to ensure compliance through complete closing of audit findings for data governance
- OKRs to reduce 90 days past due balances
- OKRs to enhance my leadership capabilities
- OKRs to significantly reduce total work hours without compromising productivity
- OKRs to enhance efficiency and accuracy in month end reporting systems
- OKRs to ensure compliance and adaptability of Finance department for long-term success