Idea validation is both an art and a science
I have been on this sub (and other startup subs) for awhile and there is so much angst around idea validation. Do the MOM Test, put up a website and collect emails before you build, build in public. And yet these same would-be founders who check these boxes still fail.
I believe that a scalable idea comes from a combination of science (data) and art (intuition).
Does the MOM Test work? Not in a vacuum, and not badly implemented. Does building in public work? Maybe, but you'll get lots of bad feedback from people who aren't your ICP. Does collecting emails before launch work? Only if you can execute your idea.
My friend recently called me a "market empath." I think she meant that there is a part of seeing the pain point, solving it, and knowing you have a founder/opportunity fit, that is a lot about intuition.
The biggest, most successful founders (and many of the second and third tier founders) didn't do focus groups. They didn't build in public, and they would never have followed the advice of the MOM Test. They had an idea, knew instinctively how to solve it, and built it without fanfare.
Thoughts?
**This is not AI slop. Be nice.