Do you think the era of scrappy startups is over?

Question

I listened today to a podcast about the future of startups. The overall idea was that startups that hurry to launch without providing a quality product and differentiators, will most likely fail.

I'm also in a pretty competitive niche, so I would have to agree with what I heard on the podcast. Providing a high quality product and focusing on the customers should be our first priorities as founders.

What do you guys think? What's your approach on this?

Lisa Popovici · Accepted Answer

@wilsonbright I agree with that. Good for validation, but if you already have that validation, quality and results for those customers are a must.

Kyle Thacker · Answer

I think the bar has certainly raised. I'd look into the Kano model and see where your product fits, it could give some insight into where you're investing your time. The concept of an MLP, or Minimum Lovable Product, might also help you—it looks at what's the minimum expectations of your product to make your users love it.

Parker Ituk · Answer

It all depends on what you really consider to be quality product. Engineering? Design or even UX

Wilson Bright · Answer

@lisapopovici Definitely. Agreeing to that.

Wilson Bright · Answer

Lisa, many product launches are done to validate if there is a market for it. To validate, as long as comfortable quality and differentiation is seen in the minimal version, it is good enough to launch and get the early customers feedback. This gives an idea to go after the product big or not. If it doesn't work, kill and move to the next one.

Lisa Popovici · Answer

@kylethacker Good point! Thanks!

Do you think the era of scrappy startups is over?

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