Idea / Validation Stage
The earliest phase, where a founder tests whether a problem and solution are worth pursuing.
At idea/validation stage there is little or no product — the focus is on research, customer discovery and small experiments to confirm demand. Validating before building saves time and money and lays the groundwork for everything that follows.
Examples
A founder validates demand with a landing page and waitlist. — Interviews confirm a problem worth solving.
How it relates to The Startup Foundry
Even at idea stage, the free Investability Report gives founders an honest baseline and a path to becoming fundable.