β Glossary
Idea Validation
The process of testing and confirming that a business idea addresses a real market need before significant investment.
Idea validation is the antidote to the #1 startup killer: building something nobody wants. Methods include: customer interviews (qualitative), landing page tests (quantitative), concierge MVP (manual delivery of service), Wizard of Oz testing (human-powered backend pretending to be automated), crowdfunding pre-sales, and structured self-assessment tools like the Idea Validator quiz. The goal isn't certainty β it's reducing risk enough to justify the investment of time and money. A 2025 study found that founders who validated before building were 2.3x more likely to reach profitability.