Chris, this piece brilliantly reframes validation as a continuous discipline rather than a one-time checkpoint. The structured layers - from gauging market interest to testing feasibility and behaviour - offer a clear, tactical roadmap that any founder can follow, regardless of stage. What stood out most was the case study: raising $2M with just a prototype and a waitlist is proof that disciplined validation isn’t just lean - it’s powerful. It’s a wake-up call to stop hiding behind code and start learning from real signals. Every founder should bookmark this as their pre-launch playbook.
Liked how you broke down validation into actionable layers, especially the real-world founder examples. Essential reading for anyone trying to raise without burning time or capital too early. Thanks for sharing this!
Jam-packed with lots of good stuff! Thank you, Chris Tootman.
Chris, this piece brilliantly reframes validation as a continuous discipline rather than a one-time checkpoint. The structured layers - from gauging market interest to testing feasibility and behaviour - offer a clear, tactical roadmap that any founder can follow, regardless of stage. What stood out most was the case study: raising $2M with just a prototype and a waitlist is proof that disciplined validation isn’t just lean - it’s powerful. It’s a wake-up call to stop hiding behind code and start learning from real signals. Every founder should bookmark this as their pre-launch playbook.
Liked how you broke down validation into actionable layers, especially the real-world founder examples. Essential reading for anyone trying to raise without burning time or capital too early. Thanks for sharing this!