Startup Validation for Founders
This guide shows how to find out whether buyers want what you plan to build, before you spend months building it. It covers interviews, demand tests, pre-selling, market sizing and the pass marks that tell you to build, change or stop.
What is startup validation?
Startup validation is collecting evidence that a specific group of buyers has a real, costly problem and will commit time or money to solve it, before you build the full product. Most methods come from customer development, Steve Blank’s process of customer discovery and customer validation (Wikipedia on customer development).
Building the product is covered in the MVP Development guide; proving it keeps customers is in Product-Market Fit.
What counts as evidence?
Evidence gets stronger as it costs the buyer more. Use the ladder below to see where your idea stands and what to test next. Each step links to the page that covers it.
| Step | Evidence | Page |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buyers describe a recent, costly problem | Discovery interviews |
| 2 | Strangers in the segment act on a landing page | Smoke tests |
| 3 | A targeted ad test produces booked calls | Ad tests |
| 4 | Buyers sign letters of intent or pay for pilots | Pre-selling |
| 5 | Results meet pass marks set in advance | Pass marks |
Validate the problem
Talk to the right people, ask questions that get honest answers, and prove the problem before the solution.
Test demand
Landing pages, small ad tests, pre-selling and market sizing: evidence that people will act, not only agree.
Decide
Tell real evidence from false positives, and set the pass marks that tell you to build, change or stop.
Count commitments, not compliments.
Set pass marks before you test, ask buyers for something that costs them, and let the evidence decide whether to build, change or stop.
Frequently asked questions
What is startup validation?
Collecting evidence that buyers have a real, costly problem and will commit time or money to solve it, before you build.
How do I validate a startup idea?
Interview potential buyers, test demand with a landing page or small ad test, ask for commitments, and decide against pass marks.
How many customer interviews do I need?
Usually 10 to 20 per segment, until answers repeat.
Can I validate an idea without a product?
Yes. Interviews, smoke tests, ad tests and pre-sales all work before you build.
What is the strongest validation evidence?
Money or formal commitment: deposits, paid pilots, signed letters of intent and, later, repeat use.
What comes after validation?
Building the smallest product that delivers the result, then measuring usage and retention.
Sources & further reading
Figures and rules change. These sources let you verify the current information directly. Example numbers on this page are illustrative, not benchmarks.