If you are in the product startup journey, you might find the framework relevant and useful; especially from a broader perspective as there are multiple considerations/priorities to balance as you build up your v1 product and then grow the business. As you develop focus and prioritization, the framework lists the key gating factors between stages in the growth of the business – and pointers to key strategic and operational areas of focus. Raising capital is one consideration that is most likely to come up across both Early-Growth and Growth stages and is likely to depend on a few other operational factors in the business, including time to market, cash situation etc. – hence it is not explicitly stated here. There are also elements around team building (e.g., key hires/team building etc.) that are not explicitly covered here (but the thought is that it follows based on the pointers listed out).

1. Srihari Palangala
December 2013
Views and thoughts expressed here are entirely mine and strictly personal.

2. Stage
Early
Early-Growth
Growth
Entry
Criteria
v1.0 of product built
Established ‘Proof of Concept’ of
the product & business
Stable product/services
and clear target
segments
Strategic
Areas to
•
•
Marketing – customer
references, Co-marketing –
building strategic partner
connects, active demand
gen, industry awards, continue
positioning
Build momentum and customer
acquisition velocity in target
segments
Bundling &OEM opportunities
Spawn product flavors/variants;
Product roadmap
•
Talent – grow the team
Marketing-Sales closed loop
Sales to ~100 customers
Tie loose ends, and close gaps
from engineering to support
Capital and OpEx efficiency
•
Focus on for
Cos. in this
stage
•
•
•
Marketing –
position value prop
among Target
segments
Pricing
GTM & Licensing
model
Patents & Entry
barriers
•
•
•
Operational •
Elements to
Execute for
Cos. in this
stage
•
Marketing –
reaching the right
segments (reach
Top ~100-150
accounts)
Sales & convert
first ~12 paying
customers
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Build the business
with End game exit in
mind
Establish brand
recall among internal
and external target
stakeholders
Establish as top
independent player
in the segment
Cash flow and
managing cash
position
Achieving quarterly
targets
2

3. • spalangala@gmail.com
• My other decks on Slideshare:
• Necessary Elements of Digital Marketing for Startups;
• B2B Startup Marketing - Positioning
The content in the deck is what I am sharing based on my experience and learning over the years; I hope it
helps you in your startup journey as you distil some of the information and apply some of the points in your
own context(s).
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