Microsoft for Startups’ Post

Quick update on early-stage #VC activity in #AI 📈 AI venture investment stays strong, especially early-stage funding, despite the slow growth/volatility situation. 🌱 Investors (and founders too) are shifting to earlier-stage new AI segments, as first movers dominate GenAI and other 'mainstream' LLMs. 🔄 Funding is moving from general-use tools to more specific vertical applications (healthcare, energy) and AI infrastructure. 🔒Upcoming AI regulations centered on national security (EU, China) may bring opportunities for more transparent, secure models. 🌊 Well-funded AI startups from VCs and corporates are now ready to target rapid PMF in blue-oceans with new AI models or improved existing ones.

42% of startups fail to reach product market fit (PMF) and perish, yet it often takes over 1.5 years to achieve it. Is PMF a game of perseverance? Examples of rapid PMF success: - Perplexity AI: (https://lnkd.in/dzRXWYw3) - Linktree (from $0 to $37M ARR): (https://lnkd.in/dET-g-Gd) - Wiz ($100M ARR in 18 months): (https://lnkd.in/dyHk2Pda) - HeyGen, Lemlist & Canny: (https://lnkd.in/dYNayi59) #Startups #Product

Product market fit is like developing a product for people needs rather than developing a product and finding people who need it. The later one is a disaster most of the time.

A very important post for founders to see. Product market fit is critical for companies to establish. While perseverance is important, measuring market fit with objectivity is critical as startup often ignore signs and insist they are right. The ultimate test for market fit is when customers are ready to pay / adopt and use the product enthusiastically leading to sustainable revenue growth.

Definitely, an interesting read! As much as I firmly believe in this, I still doubt whether investors have ever had or if they have patience for startups to find PMF post funding. In fact, we never recommend getting funded pre-PMF. What are your thoughts on pre-PMF funding?

it's a marketing game. The product must provide value to your users and industry to succeed and get adoption. The most important thing is that your idea is worth sharing.

It’s no coincidence to us that Tinders PMF was immediate… Who would have thought people are willing to meet strangers? 1) Tinder acts as a middleman, the platform main objective is for people to join the app and connect people to people near them. 2) It’s a business that their objective was to see value in relationship, romantic relationships but still relationship. 3) Right Time, Right Placement…. Tinder focused on the people looking for their product college students and college campuses, in a time where social media wasn’t connecting us as we hoped. 4) User friendly UI… Swiping Right is Yes … Swiping Left is No! How simple is that? 5) Control over who you meet… “you may want to meet me but maybe i don’t want to meet you”. We at BLU have studied them quite a bit, and their success. At the time filled a vacuum for the people most in need; to people who suffered quietly; college students! The rest is history to be studied, replicated and improve upon.

Great post on PMF such a critical item to get right and continually evaluate through daily operations.. #productmarketfit #technology #startup #scaleup

How you can get $$$ from your Data. What's your opinion about this new entity (MID)? Do you think this would be a good idea? #AI, #Founder, #Startups, #SoftwareEngeniering For more insights about AI engineering and Startups, check out my newsletter: 🚀founderio.substack.com🚀

These are Asia’s most active investors in AI 👉 Read more: https://buff.ly/4apP72D 💼🌏 We've compiled a list of investors that are pouring money into Asia’s AI startups.