Everything from

pmarchive.com

1 resource from pmarchive.com we point founders to, and the questions each answers.

✍️ Essay
Free Intermediate

The Only Thing That Matters

From pmarchive.com by Marc Andreessen ~15 min read

Why we picked it

The essay that put 'product-market fit' into the startup vocabulary. Read it for the gut-level description of what PMF feels like when it's happening vs when it isn't, the intuition behind the metrics.

  • Market matters most; a great market pulls product out of a startup.
  • You can feel PMF, customers buy as fast as you can ship.
  • Before PMF, do whatever it takes to get there; nothing else counts.
Open pmarchive.com →
Answers What does 'validating an idea' actually mean? How do I know if I've found product-market fit? Why does 'why now?' matter so much for a startup idea? My market is small right now but growing fast. Is that a problem? Should I worry that my market is already crowded with competitors? How do I spot trends early enough to build a startup on them? How do I tell the difference between a real trend and a passing fad? Everyone says the next big thing looks like a toy. What does that actually mean? Where do I look to find emerging opportunities before they're obvious? Should I chase whatever is hot (AI, crypto) or build in a boring niche?