My first week at the European Innovation Academy in Porto was a crash course in problem-first entrepreneurship. In just five days, we went from an unvalidated logistics idea to a clear, real problem: learning math is frustrating and inefficient. Guided by mentors like Dennis DeMeyere (CTO Physna, ex-Google), we learned to fall in love with the problem, not the solution. We ran user interviews, drafted surveys, pivoted early, and built our first Python prototype with a clear multi-platform strategy. This week taught me that early validation, founder focus, and small testable steps are the foundation of any successful startup.