IN-DEPTH GUIDEPUBLISHED
A practical framework for validating an AI venture opportunity
Move from an interesting technology to a testable market need, a focused AI hypothesis and a decision grounded in customer evidence.
SILICON FOUNDERS KNOWLEDGE HUB
Evidence for the
next venture decision.
A practical library for founders, venture builders and capital participants. Start with published guidance, follow the sources and use the questions to decide what to test next.
Read the featured guideONE LIBRARY, CLEAR PATHS
Find the format
that moves you forward.
Browse 13 published guide, glossary and Q&A items, plus 24 public Silicon Founders books, an assumption-based scenario tool and source-led research perspectives. Editorial formats in development remain clearly marked.
GLOSSARY · VENTURE VALIDATIONPUBLISHED
Customer discovery
A disciplined way to learn how a real user experiences a problem, what they do today and what may change their behavior.
GLOSSARY · PRODUCT & LEARNINGPUBLISHED
Minimum viable product (MVP)
The smallest credible product or experiment that lets a team learn whether a key customer and business assumption holds.
GLOSSARY · VENTURE VALIDATIONPUBLISHED
Product–market fit
A condition in which a defined group repeatedly chooses a product because it solves an important problem better than available alternatives.
GLOSSARY · MARKET & ECONOMICSPUBLISHED
Total addressable market (TAM)
An estimate of the full revenue opportunity for a defined product in a clearly specified market under stated assumptions.
GLOSSARY · CAPITAL & INSTRUMENTSPUBLISHED
SAFE (simple agreement for future equity)
A contractual instrument whose terms may provide for a future ownership interest if specified events occur; the document and local law matter.
GLOSSARY · AI SYSTEMS & GOVERNANCEPUBLISHED
NIST AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF)
A voluntary NIST framework that organizes AI risk-management work through Govern, Map, Measure and Manage functions.
REVIEWED Q&A · FOUNDER DECISIONSPUBLISHED
What is customer discovery, and how should an early team begin?
Use conversations and workflow observation to test assumptions about a defined user, problem, buyer and alternative.
REVIEWED Q&A · FOUNDER DECISIONSPUBLISHED
What should a founder validate before building a product?
Test the user, recurring problem, current workaround, buyer path and value hypothesis before committing to a larger build.
REVIEWED Q&A · FOUNDER DECISIONSPUBLISHED
How do you define an MVP for an early venture?
Define the learning question first, then select a minimal experiment that makes a meaningful user outcome observable.
REVIEWED Q&A · VENTURE ECONOMICSPUBLISHED
How can a startup estimate an early market without relying on a giant headline number?
Define a buyer and use case, estimate identifiable purchasing units, and show the assumptions and reachable segment separately.
REVIEWED Q&A · FOUNDER DECISIONSPUBLISHED
What counts as evidence of product–market fit?
Look for repeated behavior from a defined segment and understand why people continue, expand, refer or stop.
REVIEWED Q&A · AI OPERATIONSPUBLISHED
What should a founder review before testing an AI product with users?
Map use context, affected people, data, failure modes, evaluation criteria, human oversight and fallbacks before a pilot.
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EDITORIAL FORMATS
Built for useful
learning, not volume.
Every published item should answer a real question, explain its evidence and make the next step easier. We will add formats as material is reviewed.
In-depth Guides
Structured explanations with sources, decision prompts and practical next steps.
Read the published guideVenture Playbooks
Repeatable worksheets for discovery, product choices and distribution experiments.
Editorial work in progressSector Intelligence
Evidence-led sector notes with scope, dates and source limitations made clear.
Editorial work in progressGlossary
Search six reviewed definitions connected to sources, guides and venture pathways.
Browse the A–Z glossaryQuestions & Answers
Practical, source-reviewed responses with steps, context and limits.
Browse reviewed answersTools & Calculators
Try an assumption-based market-sizing scenario. Inputs stay in your browser; results are not forecasts.
Open the scenario toolResearch & Insights
Browse source-led guides, sector perspectives, hypotheses and editorial methods; formal research briefs remain in development.
Explore Research & InsightsOriginal Visual Explainers
Diagrams and visual models that make a complex process easier to inspect.
Editorial work in progressSF Publications
Explore 24 published Silicon Founders books, available as public PDF downloads. These educational publications do not represent investment offers or guarantee outcomes.
Browse the publication libraryHOW CONTENT EARNS A PLACE HERE
Research first.
Publish with context.
- Choose a real reader question.Start with a practical decision, not a keyword quota.
- Review primary sources.Date factual claims and state where evidence is limited.
- Make it actionable.Use original explanations, examples and internal links.
- Approve before publishing.Consequential financial or regulatory topics need suitable specialist review.