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Is your "great" startup idea truly great?

These questions will give you a reality check.

Every single one of them came up with multiple ideas. Honestly, trying to guide them in just 20-30 minutes was often overwhelming, and we kept running into the same roadblocks:
 
  • Which idea to choose?
  • How to validate them or where to even begin.
  • Developing a convincing value proposition and unique selling point (because some of the ideas were quite well-researched!)
     
After each session, I realised I didn’t do justice in providing them with any guidance, and it became clear that a more structured approach was necessary.
 
So I compiled every validation question I could find, from my own experience in validating two startup ideas (and backing out due to fear), B-school coursework, and researching through 100+ blogs and Reddit threads. 
 
This isn’t a validation checklist - it’s about doing diligent homework before asking people to invest their money, time, and trust in your vision. 
 
The questionnaire has approx. 150 questions bucketed into 12 sections with tools and proven frameworks, which will test your ideas across the six fundamentals:
 
  • Customer-problem fit: Are you solving a real problem for real people?
  • Problem-solution fit: Can you build a solution that will work?
  • Founder-market fit: Are you the right person/team to do this?
  • Business model-market fit: Can you make money doing this long term?
  • Product-market fit: Will people actually buy it?
  • Channel-market fit: Can you easily reach your customers?
     
It took me two months to compile this, and I hope it helps you validate your idea before you build (and avoid the mistakes I made).

Before you jump into this, I’ve got a few disclaimers. Take a look at those, and good luck on this journey!

BACKGROUND

Last year (2024), I mentored seven students in Startmate’s winter and summer student fellowships – an intense 2-week crash course where they had to validate their startup ideas, build an MVP, and pitch to top ANZ VCs.

01

I'm no expert, just a startup enthusiast! If you notice anything vague, incorrect or not up to mark, please let me know.

02

I'll continue to update with more questions as I find them, and also make changes to the UI soon. This is just an MVP.

03

This is an exhaustive list, so please DO NOT attempt to do everything in one go. Also, not every question applies to every startup idea. Use what fits, ignore what doesn't. 

04

Every answer is an assumption/hypothesis. You must actively validate it through either primary or secondary research before accepting it as final.

05

I’ve put relevant frameworks for every section, and you'll notice some repetition across multiple sections - this is intentional, so you can work through sections independently without cross-referencing. Also, frameworks are there to provide structure to your thought process; you don’t have to follow them to the T.

06

The questionnaire is meant for first-time founders - those without mentors or experienced teams to guide them. If you're a veteran founder, you already know these questions (and probably have better ones). 

    • What specific problem are you solving? Can you articulate it in one sentence?

    • Do you think this idea will solve a genuine problem or fulfil a real need? Or is it a solution in search of a problem? 

    • Do you experience this problem yourself? 

    • Rate this problem's severity (1-10).

    • What happens if the problem isn't solved?

    • Who experiences this problem? Build the buyer persona(s) with demographics, psychographics, behaviours, and firmographics (for a B2B audience). Specifically, add where they typically hang out (e.g., a community, LinkedIn, meetup groups). Do they identify as a named group (based on location, job title, income threshold, and generation)? Please note that the next set of questions can help you develop the buyer personas.

    • How many people experience this problem (calculate TAM)? 

    • Are they actively looking for a solution? How do you know that?

    • How often do they typically encounter this problem (frequency of occurrence)?

    • How does this problem fit into their daily routine?

    • List the specific frustrations customers experience with current solutions. Include their stressors about the current process, hidden costs (time, effort, emotional energy) they hate paying, and what they wish to avoid entirely while dealing with this problem. Create a table with your solution against each alternative for better comparison.

    • How much do they currently pay to solve it?

    • What would make them switch from their current solution immediately?

    • When and where do they typically encounter this problem?

    • List the outcomes that would make them feel successful or accomplished that current solutions don’t deliver. Include what would make them proud that they want to share it with others - this is important to map out the retention strategy. Ask how much time, money and effort they can save, and what would reduce their stress and anxiety around this problem. For most of these, the answers can be vague, especially for products that are innovative. 

    • How do they currently describe this problem to others? Explore the words/terms they use when. 

    • When facing this problem, what do they do to avoid/procrastinate?

    • What do they celebrate or get excited about in this problem domain?

    • What are their rituals or habits around this problem area?

    • What do they consider "good enough" vs. "amazing" in this space?

    • For what features are they willing to pay premium prices?

    • What features do they see as "must-have" vs. "nice-to-have"?

    • What would they never compromise on?

    • What features or aspects of the business would they view as unnecessary complexity or bloat? This can include not onboarding and implementation processes, support, messy sales practices, constant marketing messages, etc.

    • Who influences their decisions about solutions in this space? These can be industry influencers, other customers, or competitors. For each persona, the influencing party might be different, so try to nail those properly!

    • What information do they seek before making a purchase decision? Are these customer case studies and reviews, or do they also include educational materials, knowledge hub resources, marketing collaterals, etc?

    • What objections or concerns do they typically have?

    • What would make them feel confident about trying something new?

    • What would make them hesitant to switch from their current approach?

    • What other additional tools, apps, or services do they need to use your product?

    • How does solving this problem relate to their bigger goals?

    • What would seamless integration of your product look like in their life/work?

    • How many potential customers have you interviewed, and what evidence do you have that this problem exists?

    • Have you directly observed this behaviour/problem?

    • What evidence do you have that customers will pay for this solution, and at what price point?

    • Is your solution within the budget of the target market?

    • Problem Statement Frameworks (5Ws: Who, What, Where, When, Why)

    • "5 Whys" Technique

    • Value Proposition Canvas

    • Jobs-to-be-Done Framework (Clayton Christensen's approach)

    • Customer Discovery Interviews (Steve Blank's methodology)

    • Problem-Solution Fit Canvas (Ash Maurya's Lean Canvas)

    • Customer Empathy Maps

    • Customer Journey Mapping

    • Prioritisation Matrices (Eisenhower Matrix)

    • Customer Persona Development

    • Market Sizing (TAM, SAM, SOM)

    • The Mom Test

    • Willingness to Pay Analysis

    • Value Proposition Canvas (Customer Profile side - jobs, pains, gains)

    • Empathy Mapping (Says, Thinks, Feels, Does quadrants)

    • Customer Journey Mapping (Emotional journey throughout touchpoints)

    • Moments of Truth Analysis (Critical emotional moments)

    • Voice of Customer (VoC) Analysis (Actual customer language)

    • Behavioural Observation Studies (Ethnographic research)

    • Day-in-the-Life Studies (Contextual understanding)

    • Critical Incident Technique (Specific problem moments)

    • Kano Model (Feature satisfaction analysis)

    • Peak-End Rule Analysis (Memorable experience moments)

SECTIONS

Questions to validate your startup idea.

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