What should be the priority for startups in early stages of product development?

Question

Startups often face the dilemma of balancing between deeply understanding their user needs and securing enough funding to sustain and grow their business. Which do you think is more critical for the success of a startup in its early stages?

Sofia Gertzen · Accepted Answer

I can only speak from a bootstrapped perspective - Talking to customers to find out the most promising segments, understand their pains, gains and how your product fits into their daily job - find a value proposition that „clicks“, get to know the market and get a deep understanding on what’s out there and their unique positioning and differentiators. That’s needed with and without funding anyways.

Uma Venugopal · Answer

Talking to users, getting a strong understanding of their pulse and establishing yourself as someone who really gets your users before building anything to solve their problems

Catherine Madden · Answer

I guess the followup question is why do so many startups spend the majority of their time focussed on securing funding? chicken / egg...

Answer

Thinking customers approach first

Answer

Putting users first is our compass to success. Understanding their needs drives our journey, making every step count. While funding matters, our focus remains on meaningful solutions.

What should be the priority for startups in early stages of product development?

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