At Novy, our six-stage process is more than a framework. It’s the heartbeat of how we turn ideas into high-growth startups. Over the past year, we’ve explored Ideation and Validation. Now, we’re deep into Creation for the very first time.

Creation is the third of our six stages, where rough concepts transform into real, working companies. In this post, we’ll pull back the curtain on what Creation looks like, why it matters, and how it sets the foundation for everything that follows.

What the Creation Stage Really Means

Creation is where the “paper startup” gives way to a real one. By this stage, ideas have been pressure-tested through Ideation and Validation. We know there’s a problem worth solving, a market that cares, and early signals of product-market fit. But knowing isn’t enough. Now it’s time to build.

Creation is about translating hypotheses into prototypes, prototypes into minimum viable products (MVPs), and MVPs into something customers actually use. It’s a stage of focused experimentation, where the key question shifts from “Does this idea have potential?” to “Can this become a profitable company?”

How We Approach Creation at Novy

At Novy, Creation is not an abstract framework. It’s a living, breathing process we’re experiencing right now with our first portfolio venture. Here’s what it looks like inside the studio:

1. Building in the Open

We aren’t waiting until everything is polished to share. At this stage, there are no customers yet and no “market-ready” product. Just a prototype, 30+ deep conversations with our target market, and the conviction that the problem is worth solving. By engaging openly, we’re inviting early buyers to help shape the product with us, turning them into champions in the process.

2. Turning Feedback Into Product Decisions…Fast

Momentum matters. Instead of waiting weeks for insights to trickle into development, we’re turning feedback into product decisions within hours. Every conversation with providers, administrators, and leadership informs what gets built next, ensuring we’re addressing the challenges that matter most.

3. Balancing Research and Action

Healthcare is complex, and it’s easy to stay in “research mode” forever. Our approach requires discipline to move forward, listening deeply to future users while also putting early product versions into their hands quickly enough to test, learn, and iterate.

4. Human Problems, Human Solutions

Creation at Novy is about more than building software. It’s about solving real human problems. In the case of our current idea (an intelligent shift scheduling solution for emergency medicine groups), that means understanding the pain of schedulers working in inherited spreadsheets, or the toll providers feel when an extra night shift tips the scale toward burnout. By focusing on these realities, we’re designing technology that lightens the load on a 24/7 workforce that cares for all of us.

Why Thorough Creation Matters More in Healthcare

Building in healthcare is uniquely challenging. Regulations, integrations, and workflow complexity make the leap from idea to product harder than in most other industries. That’s why the Creation stage is non-negotiable. Rushing it often leads to startups that stall later on, after far more time and capital have been spent.

At Novy, we designed Creation specifically for our focus on healthcare software companies. That means:

• Building compliance into MVPs from the start

• Testing usability with actual clinicians and administrators

• Prioritizing interoperability so solutions can integrate into existing systems

  
  

Looking Ahead to Growth

Creation is not the end of the journey, it’s only the launchpad. It’s where bold ideas take their first real breaths. It’s messy, energizing, and full of discovery. Done right, it produces not just a product, but a company that can last. 

The companies that emerge from this stage are built on validated ideas, tested prototypes, and a foundation ready for scale. At Novy, we’re proud to be in this moment, shaping startups that will change healthcare for the better. 

In the months ahead, we’ll be pulling back the curtain on our transition into Growth, moving beyond first builds and early customers into sustainable expansion. Stay tuned!