Gartner Research

Startup Lift — Phase 2: Product-Market Fit Imperatives

Discover the key imperatives of the product-market fit phase to accelerate customer acquisition.

Experts: Ayelet Heyman, Jeff Chamberlain, Ron Burns

Product-market fit is a business milestone achieved when customer acquisition has become repeatable and predictable for a new product or service. This milestone defines when a startup company is ready to scale. 

There are three key phases in the startup journey: 1) problem-solution fit; 2) product-market fit (PMF); and 3) scale and optimize. Each distinct phase has unique cross-functional imperatives and target milestones that are required for success.

Download the key imperatives in the PMF phase, including processes for product strategy, sales, marketing and operations, and how these processes work together at key points in the startup life cycle.

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Achieving product-market fit requires iterative refinement of go-to-market activities.

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