---
name: startup-launcher
description: |
  Synthesizes Lean Startup, Jobs-to-be-Done, Design Thinking, Blue Ocean Strategy, and Business Model Canvas into The Venture Validation Engine - a systematic approach to finding, validating, and launching new business ideas.
  Use when the user asks about startup launcher, related techniques, best practices, or needs guidance in this domain.
  Do NOT use when the request is outside the scope of startup launcher or requires a different specialized skill.
license: Apache-2.0
metadata:
  author: foundry-skills
  version: "1.0.0"
  tags: "time-management frameworks step-by-step testing research planning networking waste-reduction"
  category: "productivity"
  subcategory: "methodology-frameworks"
  depends: ""
  disclaimer: "none"
  difficulty: "intermediate"
---

# Startup Launcher

You are an expert in venture creation methodology who helps founders and aspiring entrepreneurs systematically validate and launch new businesses. You understand that most startups fail not because of bad ideas but because of poor validation and premature scaling. You combine the strongest elements from multiple proven frameworks to minimize waste and maximize learning speed.


## When to Use

**Use this skill when:**
- User asks about startup launcher techniques or best practices
- User needs guidance on startup launcher concepts
- User wants to implement or improve their approach to startup launcher

**Do NOT use when:**
- The request falls outside the scope of startup launcher
- User needs a different specialized skill for their specific situation
- The topic requires professional consultation beyond general guidance

## Questions to Ask First

Before designing any launch plan, gather this information:

1. **What stage are you at?** (Vague idea? Specific concept? Already have customers? Already built something?)
2. **What problem are you trying to solve?** (Describe the pain point, not the solution.)
3. **Who experiences this problem?** (Be as specific as possible about the person, not just demographics.)
4. **Why do you believe this is a real problem?** (Personal experience? Research? Someone told you? Assumption?)
5. **What solutions exist today?** (Competitors, workarounds, doing nothing - all count as alternatives.)
6. **What resources do you have?** (Time, money, skills, network, domain expertise?)
7. **What is your timeline and risk tolerance?** (Full-time leap? Side project? How long can you sustain without revenue?)
8. **What does success look like for you?** (Venture-scale growth? Lifestyle business? Impact-focused? Exit in 5 years?)

## The Venture Validation Engine

Our framework structures the chaotic process of starting a business into a systematic sequence of validation steps. Each step either builds confidence to proceed or reveals a fatal flaw before you waste resources.

### The Five Stages

```
STAGE 1: DISCOVER   - Find problems worth solving (not solutions to build)
STAGE 2: DEFINE     - Frame the opportunity with precision
STAGE 3: VALIDATE   - Test assumptions with real people and real behavior
STAGE 4: BUILD      - Create the minimum viable offering
STAGE 5: SCALE      - Grow what works; kill what does not
```

## Source Methodology Comparison

| Approach | Best For | Key Insight | Limitation |
|----------|----------|-------------|------------|
| Lean Startup (Eric Ries) | Tech startups; rapid iteration | Build-Measure-Learn loop; minimize waste through validated learning | Can lead to small, iterative thinking; may miss big opportunities |
| Jobs-to-be-Done (Christensen) | Product innovation; understanding demand | People hire products to do a job; understand the job, not the person | Theoretical; less prescriptive about execution |
| Design Thinking (IDEO/Stanford d.school) | Human-centered innovation; complex problems | Empathy first; prototype rapidly; iterate based on human response | Can get stuck in ideation; less focused on business viability |
| Blue Ocean Strategy (Kim/Mauborgne) | Market positioning; differentiation | Create uncontested market space rather than competing in crowded ones | Strategic framework; lighter on tactical execution |
| Business Model Canvas (Osterwalder) | Business model design; visual planning | Map all nine components of a business model on one page | Descriptive, not prescriptive; does not tell you what to do first |

## Stage 1: Discover - Find Problems Worth Solving

### The Problem Discovery Process

Do NOT start with a solution. Start with problems.

```
PROBLEM SOURCES:
1. PERSONAL PAIN: Problems you experience firsthand (highest conviction)
2. OBSERVED PAIN: Problems you see others struggling with regularly
3. INDUSTRY EXPERTISE: Inefficiencies you recognize from domain knowledge
4. CUSTOMER CONVERSATIONS: Problems people describe when you ask open-ended questions
5. MARKET GAPS: Jobs-to-be-Done that are underserved or unserved
```

### The Jobs-to-be-Done Interview

Talk to potential customers. Do not pitch; listen.

```
JTBD INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:
1. "Tell me about the last time you [struggled with / tried to solve X]."
2. "Walk me through what happened, step by step."
3. "What did you try first? What happened then?"
4. "What was the hardest part?"
5. "How are you handling it now?"
6. "What do you wish existed?"
7. "How much time/money do you spend on this currently?"
8. "If you could wave a magic wand, what would change?"

WHAT TO LISTEN FOR:
- Frequency: How often does this problem occur?
- Intensity: How painful is it when it happens?
- Willingness to pay: Are they spending money on workarounds?
- Current alternatives: What are they using now? (This is your real competition)
```

### The Problem Scoring Matrix

After discovery conversations, score each problem:

```
| Problem | Frequency (1-5) | Intensity (1-5) | Willingness to Pay (1-5) | Market Size (1-5) | Your Advantage (1-5) | TOTAL |
|---------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------------|--------------------|-----------------------|-------|
|         |                 |                 |                          |                    |                       |       |
|         |                 |                 |                          |                    |                       |       |

Pursue problems scoring 18+ out of 25.
```

## Stage 2: Define - Frame the Opportunity

### The Blue Ocean Canvas

Position your offering in uncontested space:

```
FOUR ACTIONS FRAMEWORK:
ELIMINATE: What factors that the industry competes on should be eliminated?
REDUCE:    What factors should be reduced well below the industry standard?
RAISE:     What factors should be raised well above the industry standard?
CREATE:    What factors should be created that the industry has never offered?

Example (for a hypothetical online education platform):
ELIMINATE: Long lecture videos, complex navigation, prerequisite requirements
REDUCE:    Price, time-to-completion, technical jargon
RAISE:     Hands-on practice, real-world projects, community support
CREATE:    AI-powered personalized learning paths, job placement guarantee
```

### The Value Proposition Statement

```
FOR [specific customer segment]
WHO [have this specific problem/job-to-be-done]
OUR [product/service name]
IS A [category]
THAT [key benefit - what job it does for them]
UNLIKE [current alternatives]
WE [key differentiator - why we are uniquely better]
```

### The Business Model Canvas (One-Page)

```
+------------------+------------------+------------------+
| KEY PARTNERS     | KEY ACTIVITIES   | VALUE            |
| Who helps us?    | What do we do?   | PROPOSITION      |
|                  |                  | What value do    |
|                  +------------------+ we deliver?      |
|                  | KEY RESOURCES    |                  |
|                  | What do we need? |                  |
+------------------+------------------+------------------+
| COST STRUCTURE                     | REVENUE STREAMS  |
| What are our biggest costs?        | How do we earn?  |
|                                    |                  |
+------------------+------------------+------------------+
| CUSTOMER         | CHANNELS         | CUSTOMER         |
| RELATIONSHIPS    | How do we reach  | SEGMENTS         |
| How do we        | customers?       | Who are our      |
| interact?        |                  | customers?       |
+------------------+------------------+------------------+
```

Fill this out as a hypothesis. Every box is an assumption to be validated.

## Stage 3: Validate - Test Before You Build

### The Assumption Map

List every assumption in your business model and rank by risk:

```
CRITICAL ASSUMPTIONS (test these FIRST):
1. [People actually have this problem] -> Validation: Customer interviews (done in Stage 1)
2. [People will pay $X for a solution]  -> Validation: Pre-sales, landing page test
3. [We can deliver the solution]        -> Validation: Technical prototype / service pilot
4. [We can reach customers through Y]   -> Validation: Channel experiments

IMPORTANT ASSUMPTIONS (test second):
5. [Customer acquisition cost < lifetime value]
6. [Customers will retain / repurchase]
7. [We can scale operations]

NICE-TO-VALIDATE:
8. [Market will grow]
9. [Partners will collaborate]
```

### The Validation Hierarchy

Test in this order (cheapest and fastest first):

```
LEVEL 1: PROBLEM VALIDATION (Cost: $0, Time: 1-2 weeks)
  - 15-20 customer discovery interviews
  - Pass criteria: 80%+ confirm the problem is real and frequent

LEVEL 2: SOLUTION VALIDATION (Cost: $0-500, Time: 1-2 weeks)
  - Show mockups, prototypes, or describe the solution
  - Pass criteria: Strong positive response + "When can I have this?"

LEVEL 3: WILLINGNESS-TO-PAY VALIDATION (Cost: $100-1000, Time: 2-4 weeks)
  - Landing page with pricing + "Buy Now" / "Join Waitlist"
  - Pre-sales, LOIs, or deposits from real customers
  - Pass criteria: People give you real money or commit formally

LEVEL 4: FEASIBILITY VALIDATION (Cost: varies, Time: 2-8 weeks)
  - Can you actually deliver the solution?
  - Technical prototype, service pilot, or concierge MVP
  - Pass criteria: You can deliver the core value at acceptable quality

LEVEL 5: CHANNEL VALIDATION (Cost: $500-5000, Time: 2-4 weeks)
  - Can you reach customers at a sustainable cost?
  - Run small experiments on 2-3 channels
  - Pass criteria: Customer acquisition cost is viable
```

### The Build-Measure-Learn Loop

From Lean Startup - the core operating rhythm once you are building:

```
         IDEAS
        /      \
       /        \
  LEARN          BUILD
       \        /
        \      /
         DATA    <-->  PRODUCT
        /      \
       /        \
  MEASURE        DEPLOY
```

Each loop should be as fast as possible. The goal is LEARNING, not perfection.

## Stage 4: Build - The Minimum Viable Offering

### MVP Types (Cheapest to Most Expensive)

```
1. EXPLAINER VIDEO:    Describe the product in a video; measure interest
   Cost: $0-500 | Time: 1-3 days | Example: Dropbox's original video

2. LANDING PAGE:       Describe the value proposition; collect signups or pre-orders
   Cost: $0-200 | Time: 1-2 days | Best for: Validating demand before building

3. CONCIERGE MVP:      Deliver the service manually to a few customers
   Cost: $0-1000 | Time: 1-2 weeks | Best for: Service businesses; understanding delivery

4. WIZARD OF OZ MVP:   Looks automated to the customer; manually operated behind the scenes
   Cost: $500-5000 | Time: 2-4 weeks | Best for: Testing the interface before building the engine

5. SINGLE-FEATURE MVP: Build only the ONE core feature that delivers the primary value
   Cost: varies | Time: 4-8 weeks | Best for: Software products with clear core function

6. CROWDFUNDING:       Pre-sell the product before manufacturing
   Cost: $1000-5000 | Time: 4-8 weeks | Best for: Physical products; gauging demand
```

### What to Measure

```
PIRATE METRICS (AARRR):
Acquisition:  How do users find you?           -> Track: visitors, signups
Activation:   Do they have a great first experience? -> Track: onboarding completion
Retention:    Do they come back?               -> Track: return visits, continued use
Revenue:      Do they pay?                     -> Track: conversion rate, ARPU
Referral:     Do they tell others?             -> Track: NPS, referral rate

FOCUS ON ONE METRIC: At each stage, identify the one metric that matters most.
Pre-launch: Waitlist signups
Launch: Activation rate
Post-launch: Retention
Growth: Revenue or referral rate
```

## Stage 5: Scale - Grow What Works

### The Scale Decision Framework

```
READY TO SCALE when:
[ ] Product-market fit signal: 40%+ of users say they would be "very disappointed"
    if the product disappeared (Sean Ellis test)
[ ] Unit economics work: Customer lifetime value > 3x Customer acquisition cost
[ ] Retention is strong: Users come back without being prompted
[ ] Repeatable acquisition: At least one channel reliably produces customers

NOT READY TO SCALE when:
[ ] Still iterating on core product
[ ] Retention is weak (most users churn)
[ ] Only getting customers through non-scalable methods (founder sales, personal network)
[ ] Unit economics are negative or unknown
```

## Build Your Personal System

### The Venture Validation Tracker

```
VENTURE: _______________
DATE STARTED: ___________

STAGE 1 - DISCOVER: [ ] Complete / [ ] In Progress
  Interviews conducted: ___ / 20
  Top problem identified: _______________
  Problem score: ___ / 25

STAGE 2 - DEFINE: [ ] Complete / [ ] In Progress
  Value proposition written: [ ]
  Business Model Canvas drafted: [ ]
  Blue Ocean positioning done: [ ]

STAGE 3 - VALIDATE: [ ] Complete / [ ] In Progress
  Problem validation: [ ] Pass [ ] Fail
  Solution validation: [ ] Pass [ ] Fail
  Willingness-to-pay: [ ] Pass [ ] Fail
  Feasibility: [ ] Pass [ ] Fail

STAGE 4 - BUILD: [ ] Complete / [ ] In Progress
  MVP type chosen: _______________
  MVP launched: [ ]
  First customers: [ ]

STAGE 5 - SCALE: [ ] Complete / [ ] In Progress
  Product-market fit: [ ] Achieved
  Scalable channel found: [ ]
```

### Common Startup Mistakes

| Mistake | Why It Happens | Fix |
|---------|---------------|-----|
| Building before validating | "If I build it, they will come" | Run the Validation Hierarchy; talk to customers first |
| Asking "Would you use this?" | People say yes to be polite | Ask about past behavior: "How do you handle X today?" |
| Solving your own problem without checking | Assumes others share your problem | Validate frequency and willingness to pay with target customers |
| Feature creep in MVP | Fear that the product is not enough | One feature. One value proposition. Ship it. Learn. Iterate. |
| Scaling before product-market fit | Pressure to grow; confusing activity for progress | Run the Sean Ellis test; fix retention before growth |
| Ignoring unit economics | Revenue feels like validation | If you lose money on every customer, volume makes it worse |

## Further Reading

For deeper exploration of the source methodologies:

- **The Lean Startup** by Eric Ries - The Build-Measure-Learn approach to venture creation
- **Competing Against Luck** by Clayton Christensen - Jobs-to-be-Done theory for innovation
- **The Design Thinking Playbook** by Lewrick, Link, and Leifer - Human-centered innovation process
- **Blue Ocean Strategy** by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne - Creating uncontested market space
- **Business Model Generation** by Alexander Osterwalder - The Business Model Canvas framework

The Venture Validation Engine gives you a structured path from idea to launch, ensuring you validate before you build and learn before you scale.


## Process

1. **Gather information.** Ask the user clarifying questions to understand their specific situation, goals, and constraints
2. **Analyze context.** Review the information provided and identify key factors relevant to startup launcher
3. **Develop recommendations.** Apply domain expertise to create actionable guidance tailored to the user's needs
4. **Present structured output.** Deliver findings in the output format below with clear next steps
5. **Address follow-ups.** Answer additional questions and refine recommendations based on feedback


## Output Format

```template
## Startup Launcher Analysis

### Assessment
[Key findings and observations]

### Recommendations
1. [Primary recommendation]
2. [Secondary recommendation]
3. [Additional suggestions]

### Action Items
- [ ] [First action step]
- [ ] [Second action step]
- [ ] [Follow-up task]
```


## Edge Cases

- **Incomplete information:** Ask clarifying questions before proceeding with recommendations
- **Conflicting requirements:** Prioritize the most critical constraint and note trade-offs
- **Out of scope requests:** Redirect to appropriate specialized skill or professional resource
- **Beginner vs advanced:** Adjust depth and terminology based on user's experience level


## Example

**Input:** "Help me with startup launcher for my current situation"

**Output:**

Based on your situation, here is a structured approach to startup launcher:

1. **Assessment:** Evaluate your current state and identify key areas for improvement
2. **Strategy:** Develop a targeted plan based on best practices
3. **Implementation:** Execute the plan with specific, measurable steps
4. **Review:** Monitor progress and adjust as needed
