You’ve got an idea for a startup. The temptation is strong to dive straight into building mockups, features, maybe even a half-working app. But here’s the reality: writing code before validating your idea is one of the fastest ways to burn time and money.
The best founders don’t start with code. They start with proof. Proof that people want what they’re about to build. Proof that there’s a problem worth solving. Proof that investors will care.
So, how do you get from idea to investor deck without touching a single line of code?
Step 1: Talk to Real People
Validation starts with conversations. Forget pitch decks and prototypes for a moment - go talk to potential users.
Ask them about their problems, frustrations, and what they’re already doing to solve them. The goal isn’t to sell your idea, it’s to understand if the pain you’re solving is real and urgent. If you hear consistent patterns from multiple people, you’re on to something.
Dropbox’s founder Drew Houston famously did this by asking people how they managed files before he built a single feature.
Step 2: Build a Landing Page
A simple landing page can tell you more than weeks of development.
Set up a page that explains your idea, highlights the problem, and teases your solution. Add a clear call to action: Join the waitlist, Sign up for updates, or Get early access.
If people give you their email address, that’s a strong signal they’re interested. If nobody clicks, you’ve just saved yourself months of wasted effort.
Joel Gascoigne validated Buffer this way - his landing page collected hundreds of emails before the product existed.
Step 3: Run Small Experiments
Validation doesn’t need to be complicated. You can:
- Run ads targeting your ideal audience and see if they click.
- Share mockups on LinkedIn and measure engagement.
- Offer a simple manual service (before automating it) to see if people pay.
Zappos began this way, with Nick Swinmurn taking photos of shoes in stores and listing them online to test demand before building logistics.
Step 4: Measure Willingness to Pay
Interest is great. But will people actually open their wallets?
Before building, test payment intent. You don’t need to charge yet, but you can ask:
- Would you pay for this?
- At what price would this be a no-brainer?
- What would make it worth it for you?
Some founders even set up pre-orders or refundable deposits. If people put money down, that’s the strongest validation you’ll ever get.
Tesla did this with early Roadster deposits - customers paid $5,000 long before the cars existed.
Step 5: Package Your Insights for Investors
By now, you should have:
- Problem validation (through user interviews).
- Demand validation (through landing pages and signups).
- Pricing validation (through surveys or pre-orders).
This is the kind of data investors love. Instead of “I think people want this,” you can say: We spoke to 50 potential customers, 200 signed up on our waitlist, and 30 said they’d pay $20 a month.
Airbnb used this approach in their first deck, showing proof that people had already stayed in strangers’ homes.
The Takeaway: Validate Before You Build
The code will come later. Right now, your job is to make sure you’re solving a real problem for real people.
When you validate first, you save resources, you de-risk your startup, and you walk into investor meetings with more than a dream - you walk in with proof.