(September 2026)
For many UK start-ups, funding becomes the moment when everything starts to feel real. Before that point, an idea may still be fluid, but that’s just the point when research can be most valuable.
At the earliest stage of a start up, user research helps founders make better decisions before assumptions become expensive. It can improve a proposition, sharpen an MVP and reduce the risk of building something that users do not need or do not understand.
I should say that I do not typically work with companies in early start-up mode. Most of my work is with large organisations where research supports product development, but I regularly mentor business founders through the charity Digital Boost and have many conversations with brave souls who need guidance about how to grow.
The key point of this blog piece is that research should not be seen as something that only becomes useful after a business is funded. I think it can add value well before that.
The stages a start-up typically goes through
Most start-ups move through a recognisable set of stages, even if the labels vary slightly. They begin with an idea, move into validation, build an MVP, look for likely adoption and then seek seed funding or become a more established funded business.
That journey is often described in terms such as:
- Ideation
- Validation
- MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
- PMF (Product Market Fit)
- Seed funding
- Funded business or scale-up
Each stage brings different questions, and that is why the role of user research changes over time. It could be to explore existing behaviour, understand pain points, evaluate a proposition, test an MVP, measure the opportunity or evaluate the first release.
Where research adds the most value
My view is that user research can add value at every stage, but its highest leverage often comes earlier than founders expect.
At the idea stage, research can reveal whether the problem is real and worth solving. Founders are often deeply committed to their idea, which is understandable, but that closeness can make assumptions harder to spot. Talking to potential users early helps distinguish between a founder insight and a genuine market need.
At the proposition validation stage, research becomes even more useful. This is where a start-up needs to test whether people understand the proposition, whether they see value in it and whether they would choose it over existing alternatives. Those alternatives may be competitors, but they may just as easily be spreadsheets, emails, workarounds or inertia.
By the MVP stage, research can help improve the product experience. A rough product is enough to learn a great deal from users. Can they complete core tasks? Do they understand what the product does? Do they trust it enough to continue?
Once reaching the Product Market Fit stage, after MVP Alpha release with e.g. 50 users, there should be strong confidence in the proposition and the product doing what it is meant to do. But does the product display high retention? Do users share the product organically? Would a high number (40%) indicate they would be ‘very disappointed’ if they could no longer use it? These are vital questions, especially if the MVP is also being used to support fundraising conversations.
Once a business reaches the funding potential stage, research still matters, but the focus shifts. It becomes less about desirability and more about product potential, prioritisation and growth. Which features create value? Where is friction slowing adoption? What future features could increase the user base?
Research by start-up stage
Why start-ups often wait too long
Many start-ups understandably delay research. Budgets are tight, timelines are short and research can seem like something to do later, once there is more certainty or more money.
But that logic can be misleading. If a start-up waits until after launch, or even after funding, it may already have invested heavily in the wrong proposition or the wrong experience. The earlier the learning, the cheaper the correction.
That does not mean early-stage businesses need large, formal research programmes. In fact, they usually do not. What they need is focused learning around the biggest uncertainty facing the business at that moment.
So when should a start-up bring in user research?
If I had to take a position, I would say the best time is usually between idea and validation, then again around MVP and product market fit. Those are the moments when research can most directly shape what gets built and why, and add real credibility that the product will be adopted by its target market at scale.
At the earliest stage, research helps answer whether the opportunity is real. At MVP and PMF stages, it helps ensure the product communicates value clearly enough to support significant adoption and, potentially, funding.
After that, research continues to be useful but its role changes. It becomes part of refining and scaling rather than deciding whether the original premise holds up.
A practical note
As I mentioned, I do not typically work with companies in pure start-up mode. My experience is more often with established teams that need robust research to inform product and service decisions.
However, I am open to working with start-ups where research can answer an important question at the right moment. For the right product, even a small piece of focused research can have an outsized impact. It can clarify direction and help founders move forward with more confidence.
For UK start-ups, that can be especially valuable. In a competitive market, learning the right thing is early on is important.
Need to discuss how your start-up could benefit from research? Reach out to me here.