Stage 1: Problem Validation

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At this stage, founders often hold off on:

• Building features
   
• Pitching solutions prematurely
   
• Inflating validation signals
   
• Assuming willingness to pay
   

Being in Stage 1 is normal.
Remaining here for an extended period can sometimes indicate uncertainty.

Common patterns include:

• Many conversations, but an inconsistent problem description
   
• Positive feedback without urgency or behavioral follow-through
   
• Engaging too broad an audience instead of a defined segment
   
• Using “we need more validation” to avoid making a decision

Founders usually feel ready to move forward when:

• The problem is described consistently without prompting
   
• Urgency shows up repeatedly across conversations
   
• There is clarity around who the solution would be built for — and who it would not
   

The Chicago Tech Scene Navigator serves as a dynamic guide aimed at assisting founders in navigating the vibrant landscape of Chicago. This resource simplifies the process for early-stage founders to connect with essential tools, networks, and opportunities throughout the city.

Serves: First-time and early-stage founders exploring problem spaces and customer needs

Fit: Entry-level programs and workshops help founders pressure-test assumptions and refine problem understanding prior to solution development.

Serves: Healthcare and digital health founders validating problems with providers, payers, and operators

Fit: Provides direct industry access and structured pathways to test whether healthcare problems are real, urgent, and worth solving before building.

Serves: Founders (often technical or research-backed) testing whether a real buyer 

Fit: Structured customer discovery program explicitly designed to validate problem hypotheses through direct buyer interviews before solution commitment.

Serves: Student, alumni, and first-time founders exploring early startup ideas
 

Fit: The pre-accelerator is designed to help founders validate real problems and translate early insights into initial solution concepts before committing to full execution.

Serves: Women founders and entrepreneurs building early-stage businesses
 

Why it fits: Provides market research, customer discovery guidance, and early business modeling support to validate problems and shape viable solutions before scaling.

Y Combinator Managing Director and Group Partner Michael Seibel on the biggest mistakes first-time founders make.

A reality check on why market size, timing, and ambition matter early—illustrating how even strong teams fail when the opportunity is structurally too small.

Practical guidance for early founders on how to run customer development conversations that surface real behavior, not polite feedback—so you can validate the problem before building or fundraising.

A clear explanation of why market size and timing determine startup outcomes, helping founders avoid building great products in opportunities that can’t support real growth.

Explore insights on building confidence in your startup idea, avoiding superficial validation, and staying focused on true progress and conviction as a founder.