Founder guides
Practical, sourced guides on validating an idea, sizing a market, and testing real demand, written for a first-time founder. Teach first, one action you can take today, no fluff.
The product market fit survey and the Sean Ellis test, explained
The one-question survey that tells you whether you have product market fit, and the 40 percent bar.
Read the guideMarket research for startups: a checklist with cited sources
A practical, sourced checklist for startup market research: demand, competitors, customers, and costs.
Read the guideHow to validate a business idea before you build
Define your riskiest assumption, talk to real customers, and test demand for real, in a week.
Read the guideHow to run a fake-door test with a waitlist landing page
Prove real demand with a waitlist landing page before you build a thing.
Read the guideHow to build an investor pitch deck from research, not a template
The slides investors expect, why evidence beats a pretty template, and the one thing that sinks most decks.
Read the guideHow to prepare your Y Combinator or Techstars application
What YC and Techstars actually screen for, and a checklist to prepare an application backed by real evidence.
Read the guideThe pre-seed fundraising checklist for first-time founders
What to have ready before you raise your first round, and why evidence beats a flashy deck.
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