The Pre-Startup Validation Funnel
From idea → interview → prototype → pre-sale, visualised.
“Validation is not a moment. It's a funnel — and most founders skip the top three stages because they're eager to get to the shiny one at the bottom.”
The Insight
The funnel forces sequence. You cannot legitimately prototype what you haven't interviewed for. You cannot legitimately pre-sell what you haven't prototyped. Every shortcut you take up the funnel is a hypothesis you'll pay for later in rebuilds, refunds, or reputation.
01
Stage 1 — Idea Framing (top of funnel)
Start with 10 possible versions of your idea. Compress them into 3 you'd bet a year on. Kill the rest. The compression is the work — not the brainstorm. Most founders have too many ideas and not enough convictions. Stage 1 is where hope becomes hypothesis.
02
Stage 2 — Discovery Interviews (narrowing)
15 to 30 real conversations. You're not validating — you're discovering. Patterns emerge by call 10: the same language, the same pain, the same failed workarounds. When three independent people describe the same problem in the same words, you've found signal. Anything less is still noise.
03
Stage 3 — Prototype and Pre-Sale (bottom)
Build the ugliest possible version — slide deck, Notion page, concierge service. Show it to the five most frustrated interviewees. Ask for £100 or more. Pre-sales convert 3 out of 5 real-pain prospects. Under that, your product isn't the issue — your problem-solution fit isn't there yet.
The Takeaway
Move down the funnel only when the prior stage has given you permission. Skipping stages feels like speed — until you hit the wall built out of your own assumptions.
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