5 questions that expose a broken business model in under 5 minutes:
1. Who's the customer? (one sentence, no jargon)
2. What problem are you solving? (without mentioning your solution)
3. How do you make money? (unit economics, not "ads")
4. Why would they switch from what they use today?
5. What gets harder for competitors the longer you operate?
Can't answer all 5? Your model has holes.
The fastest way to validate a B2B startup:
Don't build a product. Build a proposal.
Write a one-page description of the outcome you'll deliver, the price, and the timeline. Send it to 10 potential customers. See who responds.
Responses are signal. Payments are proof.
The founder's paradox:
The more passionate you are about your solution, the harder it is to hear that nobody wants it.
Passion is fuel. But it's also a blindfold.
The best founders channel passion toward the problem, not the solution. That way, every pivot still feeds the fire.
At its peak, the total crypto market has hovered around $3tn, where global public markets are worth more than $100tn.
The integration of blockchain into legacy financial markets, banking, capital markets, and asset management is the NEXT big thing.