Research for Startups

​*Founders obsess over the problems they’re compelled to solve. They have a stubborn conviction about the unique solutions they’re already building, which they have pitched hundreds of times to anyone who would listen. At the same time, they are under huge amounts of pressure to answer critical questions like: Who is our ideal customer? Are we solving the right problem for them? Should we build A or B first?

​For many early-stage founders, trying to answer these questions can feel more like a fishing expedition than a series of well-planned experiments. It can be difficult and frustrating to try to draw actionable conclusions from too many conversations with a variety of people. Being able to answer these questions faster—before investing a lot of time, money, effort, or reputational risk—is a significant competitive advantage.

​Over the past 30+ years, I have learned that many research best practices in mature organizations don’t apply to young companies preoccupied with velocity, change, scarcity, and uncertainty. During my career, I’ve built products with world-class designers, user researchers, business owners, founders, scientists, product managers, and tech teams. Along the way, I’ve had to adapt and accelerate user research techniques for faster and leaner companies. The biggest lesson I learned, over and over, is that the quickest way to accelerate a team’s progress is to expose them directly to their customers so they see the world and their products through customers’ eyes.

​My unique experience as the first UX Research Partner at a VC fund has given me the opportunity to work with hundreds of startups across dozens of industries. At GV, I’ve conducted 300 research sprints with our portfolio companies. That large sample helps me see common patterns in the challenges early-stage startups face, and the customer and product questions they need to answer.

​As a culmination of many years of experimenting and optimizing user research methods for speed and impact, our team has developed a process that is tailored to what early-stage startups need and are willing and able to do. We call it a Bullseye Customer Sprint. We’ve proven this approach helps startups reduce risk, increase confidence, build momentum, and accelerate their progress. This playbook is our way of packaging that process so any team and founder can succeed with it.

​If I could give you one piece of advice before getting started,
it would simply be to trust the process. Even after hundreds of studies, the team and I still run into situations where we worry that a Bullseye Customer Sprint might not work out. But when we’re uneasy, Vanessa, Kate, and I remind each other to trust the process, because it works every time.

​Even if you don’t work for a GV portfolio company, we want you to succeed and move the world forward. We hate seeing teams waste time, energy, and money. If you’re the founder of an early-stage startup, this playbook will save you time and money—and maybe even a few sleepless nights.

​*Introduction to Learn More Faster, by Michael Margolis. Download the free e-book at https://www.learnmorefaster.com/