Validating a startup idea
Before you build anything, find out whether anyone actually wants it. Customer interviews, fake door tests, and the signals that tell you to keep going or stop.
24 guides
April 7, 2026
7 min read
Problem-Solution Fit: Are You Building the Right Thing?
Problem-solution fit means you've proven a real problem exists and people will use your fix. How to know when you have it, and when you don't.
The batch0 Team
March 27, 2026
8 min read
How to Test a Business Idea Before You Build It
Test a business idea in a weekend without building the product: landing pages, fake doors, pre-sales, and concierge tests. How each one works.
Shresht Chopra
March 24, 2026
7 min read
The Lean Canvas, Explained for Teen Founders
The Lean Canvas is a one-page replacement for the business plan. How to fill out all nine boxes, with examples a high schooler can follow.
The batch0 Team
March 17, 2026
8 min read
How to Do Customer Interviews as a Beginner
Good customer interviews ask about the past, not the future. A beginner's script for talking to strangers and getting the truth about your idea.
Rishabh Dagli
March 13, 2026
8 min read
23 Real Business Ideas for High School Students
23 realistic business ideas high schoolers can start now, from service businesses to software, with what makes each work and who your first customer is.
The batch0 Team
March 10, 2026
7 min read
How to Find a Startup Problem Worth Solving
The best startup ideas start with a problem, not a product. How to find problems worth solving by mining your own life and communities.
Shresht Chopra
March 6, 2026
5 min read
How to Validate a Startup Idea in High School
Validate a startup idea by talking to 10 potential customers before you build. The exact process teen founders use to test an idea in a week.
The batch0 Team
February 27, 2026
6 min read
How to Validate a Startup Idea With No Money
You do not need funding to test an idea. Here are free ways to validate a startup idea with no money and no budget as a high schooler.
Rishabh Dagli
February 25, 2026
7 min read
What Is a Fake Door Test and How to Run One
A fake door test measures real demand for a product you have not built yet. Here is how to run one as a student founder in a weekend.
Rishabh Dagli
February 23, 2026
6 min read
Pivot or Keep Going? How to Read Your Early Signals
When early results are mixed, should you pivot or persevere? Here is how first-time founders read the signals and decide without guessing.
Rishabh Dagli
February 21, 2026
6 min read
Vitamin or Painkiller? Why It Decides If People Buy
Painkiller products get bought, vitamins get ignored. Here is how to tell if your startup idea is a painkiller people actually need or a nice-to-have.
Rishabh Dagli
February 19, 2026
6 min read
Why 'My Friends Love It' Is Not Validation
Everyone you know said your idea is great, so why is that not validation? Here is why friends and family feedback misleads first-time founders.
Rishabh Dagli
February 17, 2026
6 min read
Do Waitlist Signups Mean Your Idea Is Validated?
A hundred email signups feels like proof, but is it? Here is what waitlist signups really tell you about demand and what they do not.
Rishabh Dagli
February 15, 2026
6 min read
7 Early Signs Your Startup Idea Won't Work
Most bad ideas send warning signs long before you build. Here are seven early red flags that your startup idea probably will not work.
Rishabh Dagli
February 13, 2026
7 min read
The Mom Test: How to Ask Questions That Get Honest Answers
People lie to be nice, which ruins your customer interviews. The Mom Test shows teen founders how to ask questions that get real, honest answers.
Rishabh Dagli
February 13, 2026
6 min read
The Concierge MVP: Validate by Doing It Manually First
Before you automate anything, do it by hand for real customers. Here is how a concierge MVP validates demand without building a product.
Rishabh Dagli
February 11, 2026
6 min read
How to Run a Survey That Actually Tells You Something
Most startup surveys produce garbage data. Here is how to run a survey that gives real signal instead of the answers people think you want.
Rishabh Dagli
February 9, 2026
7 min read
How to Tell If Your Startup Idea Is Too Small
Some ideas work but stay tiny. Here is how to tell if your startup idea is too small to be a real business before you commit months to it.
Rishabh Dagli
February 7, 2026
6 min read
Where to Find People to Interview for Your Startup Idea
No network, no company email, just a high schooler with an idea. Here is where to find people to interview for customer discovery from scratch.
Rishabh Dagli
February 7, 2026
7 min read
Validating an Idea When You Can't Talk to Strangers Yet
If you are under 18 and cannot freely contact strangers, here is how to validate a startup idea safely within the limits you and your parents have.
Rishabh Dagli
February 5, 2026
7 min read
How to Validate an App Idea Before You Write Code
Coding an app first is the classic mistake. Here is how to validate an app idea before you write code so you do not waste months building it.
Rishabh Dagli
February 3, 2026
6 min read
How to Get People to Pay Before You Build Anything
The strongest validation is a paying customer. Here is how to presell your product and collect money before you build it, even as a teenager.
Rishabh Dagli
February 1, 2026
6 min read
How to Talk to Customers When You're Shy or Nervous
Customer discovery is scary when you are shy. Here are practical scripts and steps to talk to customers even if talking to strangers terrifies you.
Rishabh Dagli
February 1, 2026
6 min read
How Many Customer Interviews Do You Actually Need?
How many customer interviews are enough to validate a startup idea? Here is how to know when you have heard enough and can stop interviewing.
Rishabh Dagli
Reading about it is the easy part.
batch0 is a live, online accelerator for high schoolers. You'll build a real company across four sprints and pitch it at demo day. Free to apply, $130 only if accepted, no equity taken.