Sachin Rekhi

I've long believed that the traditional MVP model, "launch fast with the basics," is outdated. I was delighted to see Tuomas Artman, co-founder of Linear, agrees! MVPs work in blue-ocean markets where even the basic tenets of the business concept need validation. The reality is, the vast majority of us are not building in blue oceans. In today’s ecosystem, where established players crowd nearly every sector, "MVPs are dead." You have to make a first impression that not only meets the market's needs but also dazzles from the start. We’re calling it the Minimum Delightful Product - MDP. 🎯 Focus on a Narrow, Well-Defined Market Tailor your product to meet specific customer needs, enhancing its relevance and significantly improving user feedback. ✨ Know What Delivers a Magical Feeling I told a story on the podcast of my YC experience all the way back from 2007. 🤙 Conduct In-depth Customer Interviews Understand potential users' true needs with broad, open-ended discussions, refining your product concept with increasing specificity. ✅ Validate Based on Riskiest Assumptions Identify critical assumptions that could derail your product. For instance, with LinkedIn Sales Navigator, we used pre-sales to validate pricing strategies. 🔒 Refine Through Closed Betas Use closed beta periods to refine the product with detailed feedback from a select group of users, and make sure they are in your target audience. 🚀 Leverage Waitlists Strategically Use waitlists not just for hype but to align your product with an audience that will benefit most from and appreciate your offering, ensuring relevant feedback and strong initial advocacy. Find the link to the full podcast episode below 👇