In a previous post (Getting to Product/Market Fit - how can startups get there faster) and in the book The Business Battlecard (www.selectstrategies.com) I wrote, about the science of product/market fit and  different approaches to get their faster. The scientific and tools based approach to product/market fit is promoted so widely now by people like Steve Blank, Eric Ries, Sean Ellis, Tristan Kromer, Morgan Brown and others that sometimes we forget the human element. I got a sharp reminder recently.

Every startup founder knows that the greatest challenge they face is to deliver products that customers want and are prepared to pay for. Discovering that group of customers is a risky business of trial and error. The timeline to find these customers is tight and runway limited.

Enterprise Ireland in partnership with Select Strategies is delighted to announce the launch of a new initiative, SPRINT, to help founders address this challenge.

The phrase 'the elephant in the room' is often used yet it's impact is less frequently talked about. Sure we can all play along acknowledging the 'elephant' but not discussing it. However I wonder what impact this elephant ignoring has on growing companies?

Someone asked me an interesting question recently - what is the right number of founders in a startup? Most of us only have the agony or ecstasy of a few startups so this an important question to consider early on. Like all seemingly straightforward questions, the answer is complex.

As programme managers, on behalf of Enterprise Ireland, for their internet and games startup programme iGAP, we are always delighted to hear stories from past participants about how iGAP changed their business. This blog post comes courtesy of iGAP past participant, Rory O'Connor www.scurri.com, who shares how the iGAP experience impacted his business:

I met a London based software company founder this week, who wanted to chat about the ‘growth rut’ they were in. Let's call him Jack.

Jack’s software company has a good product, he has 19 happy customers, all who bought directly from Jack, who is a classic international road warrior CEO. His company has a good growth opportunity but their positioning and marketing stink.