You have built your Minimum Viable Product (MVP). It’s lean. It’s mean. It’s… unseen?
Welcome to the startup circus, where MVPs are worshipped like sacred cows, but no one asks if the cow gives milk.
You’ve got a product. Great. But unless it moves the needle, it’s just a glorified prototype sitting pretty in a Figma graveyard.
Let’s talk Minimum Viable Traction – MVT.
Because vibes don’t raise funds. Revenue does.
MVP is your hypothesis.
MVT is your proof.
Every investor nods at the MVP, but leans forward at traction. You show up with a pitch deck and a prayer? Nice try. Show up with paying users, and suddenly you’re the next big thing. Traction is the startup equivalent of six-pack abs — hard to get, but everyone wants to see it.
And what exactly is MVT? It’s not about going viral. It’s about getting real.
– Your first 100 customers.
– Your first ?1 Cr in revenue.
– Your first signs of stickiness, repeatability, and referrals.
That’s your startup coming alive. Before that? It’s just founder fiction and caffeinated optimism.
GTM is your gym.
MVT is your six-pack.
No GTM? No MVT.
You need to engineer growth, not just hope for it.
Obsess over one segment. Nail that hook.
Beg, borrow, and steal attention. (Okay, maybe don’t steal. But you get the drift.)
Create irresistible offers. Use community hacks. Piggyback on borrowed trust.
Because marketing budgets don’t matter when you can hustle with sharp targeting and shameless storytelling.
Remember: The first ?1 Cr is harder than the next ?10 Cr. Because the first is earned. The rest is scaled.
Too many founders chase funding before traction – pitching castles in the cloud without a single loyal customer on ground. That’s like ordering dessert before proving you can boil water.
Investors don’t fund dreams.
They fund demand.
So before you chase VCs, chase validation.
Before you count valuation, count paying users.
Don’t just build it and pray they’ll come.
Lure them. Hook them. Delight them.
Final Takeaway?
Your startup doesn’t need a fancy launch.
It needs proof that someone, somewhere, is willing to pay for what you’re selling.
Because in this game of unicorns and upheaval…
Traction is the only fiction-proof truth.
MVPs get applause.
MVTs get deposits.
Now go get yours.
P.S.:
Today afternoon I conducted a session on “The GTM Playbook – How to get Minimum Viable Traction” for TiE Surat at its 1st “TiE Surat Associate Member Retreat” at Silvassa.