The BRICKS Canvas

Six bricks, one structure. Work top to bottom; answer plainly; half-built bricks are welcome. The BRICKS Method is a Cornerstone original for problem identification, articulation, value proposition design and venture formulation in the world's most unequal communities.

B

Base Problem

Name the ground. Find the problem worth a decade.

The struggle you observe (what you have seen, not what you assume)

What sits beneath it (the structure that keeps it in place)

Problem statement (In [place], [who] struggle to [outcome] because [barrier], costing [time / money / dignity])

How might we…

R

Recipients

Design with, not for. The people who will live with the answer co-design it.

Who exactly lives this problem (primary segment)

Sponsor recipients (real people who will co-design, week after week)

The job to be done (When I ___, I want to ___, so I can ___)

Pains / gains

Community assets the market never counts (stokvels, trade circles, taxi routes, faith groups)

I

Intelligence Insights

Size the prize with data, quantity surveys and AI.

Quantity survey: how many live this problem (show your maths)

Segments (2 to 4 groups that behave differently)

What they spend today on making do (every problem already has a budget)

Size of prize: total / serviceable / winnable in 3 years

Evidence and data sources

C

Curated Solutions

Curate value the recipients would miss if it disappeared.

The offer

Pain relievers / gain creators

Unfair advantage (what cannot be copied with money alone)

Value proposition (For [who], [offer] is the only [category] that [key gain], because [moat])

K

Keystone Venture

Lock the venture and make it buildable: statement, engine, first brick, 90-day proof.

Who / what / wow (one person; the new ability; the measurable difference)

Cashflow now (what pays the bills in month one)

Equity upside later (the asset that compounds)

The first brick and the 90-day proof of life

S

Systems

Raise the roof. Durability, safeguards, ownership.

The reinforcing loop that keeps it alive

The leverage point

Roof of protection: top risks and safeguards

Ownership: who owns what as it scales

What must stay true (if these break, we stop)

© 2026 Cornerstone Impact Ventures (Pty) Ltd. All rights reserved. The BRICKS Method™, the Cornerstone Blueprint™, Venture Idea Studio™ (VIS), the Keystone Arc™, the Narrative Compass™ the Hope and the Hope & Belief Index™ are proprietary frameworks and trademarksamp; Belief Index™ and IdeaKraal™ are proprietary frameworks and trademarks of Cornerstone Impact Ventures. This document is licensed for personal and internal organisational use. Reproduction, adaptation or commercial use without written permission is prohibited.