Finding product-market fit is the #1, #2, and #3 job of any founder. You don't need to be told how hard it is or how important it is. This session dives into the common reasons for failing to find fit:

- Lack of customer understanding

- Mistiming key hires

- Scattered focus

The session then lays out a clear path for success, showing you how to:

- Identify customers' biggest needs

- Identify your start-up's biggest risks

- Use north star metrics (key performance indicators that best capture the core value your product delivers) to set focus

- Build a product-market fit dashboard

- Hire the right people at the right time

By the end of this session, you'll have a clear understanding of the steps needed to find product-market fit and the tools to implement them in your own startup.

Recommended Reading: Before embarking on a start-up journey, founders are strongly recommended to read the following books, which provide invaluable insights and practical advice on finding product-market fit and building successful start-ups:

- The Lean Start-up by Eric Ries

- The Start-up Owner's Manual by Steve Blank and Bob Dorf

- The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick

These books offer tried-and-tested methodologies and real-world examples that will help you navigate the challenging path to product-market fit.

Nick Black is a passionate advocate for helping start-ups find product-market fit. He founded the deep-tech start-up CloudMade in 2007. As chief product officer from 2012 to 2020, Nick led the development and commercialization of an industry-leading machine learning platform that transformed the in-car user experience, making it deeply personalized. CloudMade was recently acquired by Stellantis, one of the world's largest car makers, where Nick's product and team are now the cornerstone of Stellantis' AI Cockpit initiative.

Since 2020, Nick has been advising investors and start-up founders, helping them develop product strategies that delight customers and build hard-to-copy advantages. His expertise and passion for guiding start-ups to success make him a sought-after advisor in the start-up community. Find him at nickblack.us and on LinkedIn.