The Validation that Predicted 15 Unicorns.
- buckminsterf7
- Jul 4
- 3 min read
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This insightful piece from Tribe Capital explores the journey of Carta, a company that has evolved from a simple cap table management tool to a critical infrastructure for the private markets. The article highlights how Carta is on a path to becoming a central utility for the financial and technology industries, potentially unlocking a trillion dollars in equity.
Teaser: What if the next Nasdaq wasn't a traditional stock exchange, but a platform for private company equity? This article unpacks the audacious vision of Carta and the key ingredients that are propelling it to become a generation-defining company. It’s a masterclass in how to identify and dominate a new "atomic unit of value."
Key Takeaways:
N-of-1 Companies: The concept of "N-of-1" companies – businesses that are so unique they defy existing frameworks for success.
The Atomic Unit: How focusing on and capturing the "atomic unit" of a market (in Carta's case, equity) can create an unassailable moat. What’s the atomic unit in your industry?
From Service to Utility: The journey of a company from providing a service to becoming a central utility that an entire ecosystem relies on.
The Startup Validation Framework That Predicted 15 Unicorns
What if the vast majority of startups fail because they're validating the wrong thing? Marshall Hargrave, who performed an analysis of 847 startup pitches, argues just that.
It introduces a powerful methodology that separates billion-dollar ideas from expensive mistakes by shifting the focus from product demand to customer behavior.
Teaser: Stop asking, “Do people want my product?” and start asking, “Do people want to change their behavior?”. This single shift in perspective is the core of the BEHAVE framework, a 6-part test that predicted the success of 15 future unicorns, including Airbnb, Uber, and Slack.
Discover how to kill a bad idea in 72 hours rather than wasting two years building something nobody truly wants.
Key Takeaways:
The Validation Trap: Most founders validate demand for a product, but successful founders validate a customer's willingness to change their existing habits. The article highlights a case study where a "smart water bottle" with flawless product validation failed because users didn't want to change their behavior.
The BEHAVE Framework: A scorable system for testing your idea against six critical elements:
Behavior Change Willingness
Existing Workaround Pain
Habit Formation Potential
Acquisition Channel Clarity
Value Demonstration Speed
Expansion Path Visibility
Actionable Validation Sprint: Modern Strategy runs a detailed plan to test your idea against the BEHAVE framework, from customer interviews and pain quantification to channel discovery and strategic decision-making. All 15 unicorns analyzed scored 47+ points on this framework.
Feedough provides a comprehensive yet accessible guide to the world of venture capital. This article breaks down the jargon and complexities of VC, offering a clear overview of how venture capitalists operate, what they look for in a startup, and how the funding process works.
Teaser: Ever wondered what really goes on behind the closed doors of a VC firm? This guide demystifies the world of venture capital, revealing the strategies and motivations that drive investment decisions. It’s an essential read for any founder seeking funding, or any leader looking to understand the forces that shape the modern business landscape.
Key Takeaways:
The VC Mindset: Understanding the risk-and-reward calculation that governs venture capital investments.
The Funding Lifecycle: A step-by-step guide to the stages of venture capital funding, from seed rounds to late-stage investment.
What VCs Look For: The key characteristics that venture capitalists seek in a startup, including the team, the market, and the product.
At Modern Strategy, we help businesses build the foundations for durable growth. The principles in these articles—from identifying an "atomic unit of value" to validating customer behavior before you build—are central to our approach. We work with ambitious ventures on the path to market leadership and high enterprise value.
Contact us today to see how our team of founders and operators can help you implement these frameworks.
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