Majed Aleisa’s Post

42% of startups fail to reach product market fit (PMF) and perish, yet it often takes over 1.5 years to achieve it. Is PMF a game of perseverance? Examples of rapid PMF success: - Perplexity AI: (https://lnkd.in/dzRXWYw3) - Linktree (from $0 to $37M ARR): (https://lnkd.in/dET-g-Gd) - Wiz ($100M ARR in 18 months): (https://lnkd.in/dyHk2Pda) - HeyGen, Lemlist & Canny: (https://lnkd.in/dYNayi59) #Startups #Product

It’s no coincidence to us that Tinders PMF was immediate… Who would have thought people are willing to meet strangers? 1) Tinder acts as a middleman, the platform main objective is for people to join the app and connect people to people near them. 2) It’s a business that their objective was to see value in relationship, romantic relationships but still relationship. 3) Right Time, Right Placement…. Tinder focused on the people looking for their product college students and college campuses, in a time where social media wasn’t connecting us as we hoped. 4) User friendly UI… Swiping Right is Yes … Swiping Left is No! How simple is that? 5) Control over who you meet… “you may want to meet me but maybe i don’t want to meet you”. We at BLU have studied them quite a bit, and their success. At the time filled a vacuum for the people most in need; to people who suffered quietly; college students! The rest is history to be studied, replicated and improve upon.

Great post on PMF such a critical item to get right and continually evaluate through daily operations.. #productmarketfit #technology #startup #scaleup

Product market fit is like developing a product for people needs rather than developing a product and finding people who need it. The later one is a disaster most of the time.

Product-market fit (PMF) is not an instant milestone for most startups. As this post shows, many successful companies took months, or even years, to get there. Patience and perseverance are key in the startup journey. It’s about testing, refining, and sometimes pivoting until you find what clicks with your target audience. The data tells a clear story: while some companies hit PMF immediately, others—like Calm and Duolingo—needed time. That’s where resilience comes in. Don’t rush the process, and don’t be disheartened if PMF doesn’t happen right away. Stay focused on learning, iterating, and improving. Remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint.

A very important post for founders to see. Product market fit is critical for companies to establish. While perseverance is important, measuring market fit with objectivity is critical as startup often ignore signs and insist they are right. The ultimate test for market fit is when customers are ready to pay / adopt and use the product enthusiastically leading to sustainable revenue growth.

Definitely, an interesting read! As much as I firmly believe in this, I still doubt whether investors have ever had or if they have patience for startups to find PMF post funding. In fact, we never recommend getting funded pre-PMF. What are your thoughts on pre-PMF funding?

The sooner you develop empathy for your customers, the more likely you are to find the Product Market Fit. Too many startups fail to uncover the Customer’s Problem before they set out to offer a solution. The Customer’s Problem is the Independent Variable. Your startup’s solution can only exist in an environment where you have sufficiently used Customer Discovery to learn, directly from the Customer, what it is they are trying to accomplish and how well they are succeeding in that effort. In the absence of this critical evidence, you are throwing darts in the wind with no real target in sight. Your likelihood of success goes up when you can explain the problem that the Customer prioritizes as well as the solution’s value proposition.

🧐 I’m interested in learning from those in the tech industry who took several years to find product-market fit (PMF). 📝 The journey to PMF is often challenging and complex, involving continuous iterations and deep market understanding. What made your process so lengthy, and did shifts in the market landscape help in achieving PMF? Additionally, what strategies or insights proved crucial during your journey, and how did customer feedback influence your product development? Understanding these aspects can provide valuable lessons for those of us navigating similar paths. #productmarketing #saas #startups #techindustry #productlifecycles

Quick update on early-stage #VC activity in #AI 📈 AI venture investment stays strong, especially early-stage funding, despite the slow growth/volatility situation. 🌱 Investors (and founders too) are shifting to earlier-stage new AI segments, as first movers dominate GenAI and other 'mainstream' LLMs. 🔄 Funding is moving from general-use tools to more specific vertical applications (healthcare, energy) and AI infrastructure. 🔒Upcoming AI regulations centered on national security (EU, China) may bring opportunities for more transparent, secure models. 🌊 Well-funded AI startups from VCs and corporates are now ready to target rapid PMF in blue-oceans with new AI models or improved existing ones.