Startup Traction and Defensibility

May 9, 2012 • Paul Singh

In the past, it was often the case that the skills required to build online startups were hard to find. If you could find the people with those skills and subsequently build something, you’d tell potential investors that you had some sort of secret sauce (read: intellectual property) that sets you apart. Today, it’s not hard to build, test and launch a startup within a weekend. More importantly, it’s become easier than ever to obtain paying customers in that same timeframe.That’s not to say that technology or the skills required are a commodity. In fact, it’s harder than ever to hire for the technical roles that today’s startups need. The point is that founders shouldn’t be patting themselves on the back for being able to build and launch something. After all, even the most fantastic product is relatively worthless if no one’s actually using it.