<aside> 👥 Customer validation involves identifying and engaging with your customers to ensure that you are creating something they actually need, rather than what you assume they need. The goal is to deeply understand the problems your customers experience, rather than get positive feedback for your solution.

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Step-by-step guide

<aside> 💡

Mock Startup Idea:

Let’s pretend your startup is developing bacteria that eat plastic**.**

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<aside> 1️⃣

Identify potential customers vs. users

Think about who your users and your customers might be. They are not always the same.

Ask yourself: Who benefits from this solution? Who uses it, and who pays for it?

Users: Waste management companies, recycling facilities, municipalities, manufacturing plants.

Customers: Could be the same as users, or could be:

• Governments are funding clean-up projects.
• Large corporations looking to meet sustainability goals.
• NGOs tackling plastic pollution. </aside>

<aside> 2️⃣

List customer segments

Write down a list of potential groups who might benefit from your solution. For example:

• Industrial recycling plants
• Municipal waste authorities
• FMCG companies (e.g. Unilever, Coca-Cola)
• Environmental NGOs
• Packaging manufacturers
• Coastal clean-up initiatives

Tip: Be specific, and aim for a few clear segments to start with.

• Market research </aside>

<aside> 3️⃣

Make some educated guesses on their motivations, needs and pains, and where and how to reach them

You might want to fill out a Customer Persona worksheet to map out who your customers are. These are just educated guesses for now, i.e. hypotheses, so you will need to validate these.

Customer Persona worksheet.pdf

Also consider where these people are and how to access them. Ask Yourself: Where do these people “hang out”, and how can I reach them?

• LinkedIn – Reach out to sustainability managers at large corporations or municipal authorities.
• Email outreach – Contact operations leads at recycling facilities.
• Conferences & Trade Shows – WasteTech, GreenTech, COP-related events.
• Universities & Research Hubs – Speak with researchers or startup incubators working in biotech/sustainability.

• LinkedIn
• Networking </aside>

<aside> 4️⃣

Go out and talk to them!

<aside> 💬 “The customer doesn’t care about your capabilities – they care about their problems.”

- Dave Ulmer

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Conduct short, informal interviews, surveys or conversations with people from your target segments.

Don’t pitch the solution. Instead, ask problem-focused questions like:

• “What are the biggest challenges you face with plastic waste?”
• “How do you currently process or dispose of plastic?”
• “What percentage of your plastic waste is unrecyclable?”
• “How are sustainability targets influencing your operations?”
• “Would a biological solution ever be considered? Why or why not?”
• Avoid asking: “Would you buy our bacteria?”
• Instead, try: “What alternatives have you explored to reduce plastic waste?”

Tip:

The Mom Test is an amazing resource/book - this short video explains the basics in just over 2 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYF-eG0n9p8

https://www.momtestbook.com/

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<aside> 5️⃣

Analyse and iterate

Look for patterns in the responses. We generally recommend you have 15-20 conversations before you start reflecting.

Examples of how to reflect:

• Are frustrations repeated?
• Are some segments more engaged than others?

For example:

Are waste managers worried more about cost or regulation?

Are FMCG companies looking for PR wins or actual waste reduction?

Did NGOs show strong interest but no budget?

Use these insights to:

This data helps:

• Prioritise target customers.
• Adjust messaging (cost-saving vs sustainability).
• Rethink who your paying customer really is.

The insights you gain from conversations with your customers will often conflict with one another. However, by examining these diverse perspectives, you can identify patterns and common problems that will guide your Product design.

In the early stages, as you work to understand exactly who your customers are, these conversations will help you find them. This process should continue even after you have your MVP. Keep engaging with customers to learn where your solution falls short in addressing their problems, and be ready to pivot.

Remember, fall in love with the problem, not your solution.

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<aside> 6️⃣

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