HubSpot For Startups’ Post

Most founders tend to worry about competition, pricing or building an awesome product but the data is clear: the #1 reason startups fail is building a product when there is no (or not enough) market need. There is a lot of advice on how to validate pain points and build the right product but how do you validate that you are tackling a venture scale idea in the first place? Between the Forum Ventures Accelerator, Pre-Seed fund, and Studio we work with 100+ early-stage B2B companies every year. Our zero-to-one GTM programming is specifically designed to help founders get to the meaningful customer traction and milestones needed to help secure their first big round of funding. Today, I’m opening up the process we use to help portfolio founders validate that they are working on a real (and venture scale!) market opportunity. It includes step-by-step instructions to: - Clearly define who your customers are: ICP hypothesis, Buyer Personas, User Personas - Put together a plan to go from Idea Validation to First Revenue - Build a Bottom-up Market Size Estimate of your TAM, SAM and SOM based on those inputs - Show investors your GTM strategy and a believable path to $150M ARR I’m also including the workbook template we use to help do this. This is a closed process only available to Forum’s portfolio founders and until now has remained private. Comment "Customer", or DM me, and I'll send you the download link. Or tag a founder who needs this and I’ll send it their way. [Credit to Gagan Biyani and the On Deck team for this slide]

"And you shouldn't just say like, '𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸?' after a first meeting." Sam Altman shares tips and points out an annoying thing to avoid during this pitch practice for Shipamax (acquired by WiseTech Global in 2022) with Paul Buchheit at Startup School SV 2016. ____ Here's a breakdown of how Sam did it: 1. Begins by noting that shipping accounts for 9% of world GDP, demonstrating deep expertise. 2. Highlights the inefficiency of the current manual, fragmented shipping process. 3. Describes Shipamax as the "Uber for shipping" - revolutionizes the traditional, slower process with a simpler, faster alternative. 4. Points out the market potential by sharing the annual broker fees. 5. Outlines a smarter business model by leveraging both software and human brokers. 6. Shows traction and metrics by sharing that they have 50 customers, the number of boats needed, and the timeline to achieve their first $10,000 in revenue. 7. Closes with the next step by asking the investor's thoughts and proposing a follow-up contact plan. ____ Found this helpful? Reshare this to your network and follow Startup Bites for daily bite-sized tips and insights from experienced founders. ____ Clip Source: Y Combinator View the full pitch practice here: https://lnkd.in/dPjRDt2X #startuppitch #pitchpractice #samaltman #paulbuccheit #startuplessons #howtopitch

As a community-driven media platform, we deeply value our readers and their perspectives. 🗣 To understand the impact The Recursive is making in the CEE region and beyond, we asked our audience to share their thoughts. Here's what Tomas Cironis from Ilavska Vuillermoz Capital & Startup Kitchen says. If you'd also like to share your feedback about The Recursive, let us know below or contact our team. 📩 #TheVoiceOfStartupsFromCEE

As a community-driven media platform, we deeply value our readers and their perspectives. 🗣 To understand the impact The Recursive is making in the CEE region and beyond, we asked our audience to share their thoughts. Here's what Tomas Cironis from Ilavska Vuillermoz Capital & Startup Kitchen says. If you'd also like to share your feedback about The Recursive, let us know below or contact our team. 📩 #TheVoiceOfStartupsFromCEE

As a community-driven media platform, we deeply value our readers and their perspectives. 🗣 To understand the impact The Recursive is making in the CEE region and beyond, we asked our audience to share their thoughts. Here's what Tomas Cironis from Ilavska Vuillermoz Capital & Startup Kitchen says. If you'd also like to share your feedback about The Recursive, let us know below or contact our team. 📩 #TheVoiceOfStartupsFromCEE

As a community-driven media platform, we deeply value our readers and their perspectives. 🗣 To understand the impact The Recursive is making in the CEE region and beyond, we asked our audience to share their thoughts. Here's what Tomas Cironis from Ilavska Vuillermoz Capital & Startup Kitchen says. If you'd also like to share your feedback about The Recursive, let us know below or contact our team. 📩 #TheVoiceOfStartupsFromCEE

As a community-driven media platform, we deeply value our readers and their perspectives. 🗣 To understand the impact The Recursive is making in the CEE region and beyond, we asked our audience to share their thoughts. Here's what Tomas Cironis from Ilavska Vuillermoz Capital & Startup Kitchen says. If you'd also like to share your feedback about The Recursive, let us know below or contact our team. 📩 #TheVoiceOfStartupsFromCEE

🔔 Excited to invite you to these upcoming events on ScaleupStream! Join me for: 1. From Zero to Growth: Marketing Strategies for Lean Startups:(https://lnkd.in/gi2QazWx)  2. Marketplace Mastery - A Comprehensive Marketing Dive (https://lnkd.in/gevhqKDy)  3. Marketing Strategies for Early-Stage Startups (https://lnkd.in/g7mHvWbE)    Don't miss out on these insightful discussions and networking opportunities! 🌟 #StartupMarketing #ScaleupStrategies #MarketplaceSuccess

Investing in our startup for growth is key. At xPage, we believe in using every dollar to fuel our rapid expansion and dominate the market. Reinvesting 100% of our profits ensures we have the resources to lead in AI landing page generators. In the startup world, prioritizing growth and innovation is essential. By reinvesting profits, we invest in research, expand our team, and scale operations to meet demand. This isn't just about short-term gains – it's about building a sustainable business. Focusing on long-term growth positions us to lead our industry for years to come. 💰🚀 #StartupInvestment #GrowthStrategy #MarketDominance #ReinvestForSuccess #AIInnovation #marketingGrowth #growth

🚀 Exciting News from Proven Ventures! 🚀 We're thrilled to announce our latest partnership with Startwave.io, an Omaha-based innovator transforming the way startups amplify their sales efforts. Why is this partnership a game-changer for Proven Ventures? Because Startwave.io specializes in what we value most: growth in revenue! Startwave.io's mobile-first approach is not just innovative; it's a strategic tool empowering emerging companies to place potential customers at the heart of their growth strategies. Here's how: 1️⃣ Discover & Engage: With Startwave's intuitive mobile application, startups can easily identify leads genuinely interested in their offerings. 2️⃣ Campaign Management: Simplify your outreach with tools designed to manage outbound campaigns effectively, ensuring your message reaches the right audience. 3️⃣ Conversion: Use Startwave's insights and analytics to refine your approach and turn potential leads into loyal customers. Ready to see how Startwave.io can transform your startup's outbound sales efforts? Read more about the partnership here! https://lnkd.in/gmVXzi3H #ProvenVentures #Startwave #Partnership #Innovation #StartupGrowth #RevenueGrowth