Pre-Launch Validator
290
discussions evidencing this problem
A structured checklist and conversation guide that walks founders through problem validation, customer discovery interviews, and demand signals before building, helping confirm problem-market fit through real conversations instead of assumptions.
Straight from Reddit
“I had spent an entire year building based on my own assumptions. Every feature felt logical to me. I had reasons for all of it. The problem was that those reasons lived only in my head.”
“I did not have a feedback problem. I had a visibility problem. I had no real way of seeing what people actually cared about before I built it.”
“Last year I spent 6 months building a product I was sure people needed. Launched to crickets. 12 signups, 0 paying users. Wasted time, money, and motivation.”
“Built something I was completely sure was solving a real problem, launched it, and basically heard nothing.”
“The problem I face right now is that no one answers my emails. My emails are not generic or AI-generated, I keep them short and tailored for each one of them. But after two weeks, I literally got zero replies.”
“Email response rates for early users are brutal.”
“From experience, the hardest part is actually knowing what matters right now.”
“And you have zero audience, zero email list, zero community presence. You're launching into a void.”
“Day 1: Shared it on Twitter. 3 likes (two from my mom's account and my cofounder).”
“Actually talk to people about their pain before you build”
From r/SaaS and r/startups
290×
discussions evidencing this
520
pain statements
259
distinct people
2
communities
What a useful checklist would help with
It could help you work out:
- Validation checklist progress
- Demand signal assessment
- Go/no go recommendation
- Interview question templates
Based on target customer description, problem hypothesis, number of interviews completed, customer feedback notes.
Source threads
- Most SaaS fail before writing a single line of code. Here's the mistake I see everywhere. · r/SaaS
- How Solving My Own Problems Led to 1,275+ Users · r/SaaS
- why is finding a cofounder still so painful in 2026? · r/SaaS
- Are We Building the Wrong Things? · r/SaaS
- gmIdeas : Market research from online communities · r/SaaS
- A common mistake entrepreneurs make when validating their ideas · r/SaaS
- Founders: Where do you find SaaS problems that customers will actually pay to have solved? · r/SaaS
- How I got my first 100 Users · r/SaaS
- My last 4 product has failed so I am launching this now · r/SaaS
- Spent 6 months building a SaaS nobody wanted. Now I'm trying to actually listen before I write code again. · r/SaaS
- Im building an AI CFO for small businesses . Tear the Idea Apart .Brutal honest feedback Please! · r/SaaS
- Nine years in brand strategy did not prepare me for the mental toll of building a Saas. · r/SaaS
- Stuck at finding the "PERFECT" idea · r/SaaS
- First time building a SaaS and suddenly lost motivation [I will not promote] · r/startups
- Realized I have no wedge (I will not promote) · r/startups
- 6 months into trying to build SaaS products, and I still can’t crack distribution - i will not promote · r/startups
- I am starting to hate my own company that I have built myself - I will not promote · r/startups
- Struggling to find PMF two years in and "pivot fatigue" is getting real... I will not promote · r/startups
- 23M, one year after graduating college and I still have no idea what I'm doing with my life. “I will not promote” · r/startups
- Solo founder here ---> how do you know when something is good enough to show real users? ( i will not promote) · r/startups
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