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I analyzed 1600 startups. "No market need" isn't the #1 killer anymore

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Re: I analyzed 1600 startups. "No market need" isn't the #1 killer anymore

#2
Hey everyone,

I have a weird hobby of collecting data on startup failures (autopsies). I just finished analyzing 1,600+ failures (burning $500B+ in capital) and put it all on a site I built just to share the findings.

The biggest surprise? We're often told startups die because of "No Market Need." But in this dataset, that was only the #9 cause (36%).

The real killers were Product Problems (85%) and Competition (82%)—which totally contradicts the old "startups commit suicide, they don't get murdered" saying.

I built this with no ads, no sign-ups, and no paywall. Just raw data for anyone who wants to avoid these potholes.

Hope it helps you build something that lasts.

Re: I analyzed 1600 startups. "No market need" isn't the #1 killer anymore

#4

Hey everyone, I have a weird hobby of collecting data on startup failures (autopsies). I just finished analyzing 1,600+ failures (burning $500B+ in capital) and put it all on a site I built just to share the findings. The biggest surprise? We're often told startups die because of "No Market Need." But in this dataset, that was only the #9 cause (36%). The real killers were Product Problems (85%) and Competition (82%)…

Do you know any links about whether successful founders learn about failures or not?

From my limited experience, founders concentrate on their current risks.

I also think founders are good at filtering out the deluge of failure porn that is mostly irrelevant to their business: there's millions of ways to fail. Yes, it helps to learn the patterns. But I'm unsure learning even famous examples like "The Osbourne effect" helps a founder. (reëdited)

What was your emotional drive for creating this?