The form is perfect. It looks exactly the way it looked before. But it doesn't work. So I call these things cargo cult science, because they follow all the apparent precepts and forms, but they're missing the essential parts.
Richard Feynman Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman, 1974
Burning Man 2013
Sounds familiar?
What if it’s the same for startups?
No, seriously
Hype Social elevator
Glamor
No responsibility
But in reality…
It’s a pain
There are two phases in startups
Before validation: Stay cheap
Before validation: Iterate, Experiment
Before validation: Understand Problem
Cargo Cult #1: Accelerators
Reality:
Cargo Cult #2: Pitching Fetish
First pitch
Second pitch
Elevator pitch
- What - How - Why
- Tech jargon - Explanation - Boring
Best elevator pitch
Cargo Cult #3: LEAN
All those books sell really well
But everything has been said by
sgblank
Lean only teaches you how to fail in acceptable ways
Cargo Cult #4: MVP
MVP is established through discovery
Remember the two Mileys?
How do you know validation?
No hard numbers, just indicators:
20+ recurring business/enterprise subscriptions 3x/5x in waiting list 1 distribution partnership Monthly break-even revenues