Before you start to code or build something, it is essential that you need to find out who is the potential users, what their problem is, and why it is a problem for them. To validate your problem and find the right one for aspiring founders.

1. Problem Validation:
Find the right problem
Week 2

2. A few examples of startup ideas
● Solve your own problem
● Solve other people’s problem: you know someone who has a problem
● Trendy problem

3. Test your hypothesis
● Who has a problem (describe user or customer persona)
● What is the problem (simple sentence)
● And why is there a problem now?

4. Deep dive into your hypothesis

5. Test your hypothesis-1
● What is the problem (simple sentence)?
- Tell us what the problem is
- Is it a problem that people really want to solve by spending money or time?
- Why do you think this is a problem? Why might other people think this is a problem?
- When do potential users have this problem?
- What is the situation when potential users have this problem?

6. Test your hypothesis-2
● Who has the problem (describe user or customer persona)?
- Describe their persona and segment
- The key is to add 2 to 3 adjectives/characteristics to describe persona
- And, you can use a real user as an example
- E.g. name, age, country, city,
- Degree, school
- Industry, type of work, title
- Interests
- Status
- Company, industry, work title, income or sales volume

7. Test your hypothesis-3
● Why is there a problem now?
- Before thinking about the solution think about it again below
- How are users dealing with the problem now?
- How often do they face this problem?
- Are they paying now?
- If so, how much?
- If not, why not? Too expensive, etc.
- Any existing competitors or services?
- Any feedback or information about why it doesn’t work for them?
- Why now?
- And then, based on this, is it a solvable problem?

8. Validate a market

9. Why now: validate market -1
But, if this is an obvious problem,
why are there no startups?
- Execution risk
Focus on a niche part
of a big market

10. Why now: validate market -2
Focus on a growing market
- Market risk

11. Why now: validate market -3
● Political
○ Brexit
○ Presidential election
● Economic
○ New economy and market: gig economy
○ Emerging market, population growth
● Social
○ Pandemic/social distance
○ Remote work
● Technology
○ 5G
○ Machine learning/AI
○ Blockchain

12. Why you and your team?
Especially without traction, this part is a key question
● Are you a very famous founder; exited your startups before or have traction?
● Do you have industrial knowledge; work, ops, license?
● Do you have technical knowledge; Ph.d., IP, or research experience?
● Do you have a sales pipeline or client list?
If not, how to prove that your team is the right startup that is able to increase
traction as much as possible

13. Examples

14. Zoi meet

16. Any questions?