Most founders spend months - or years - developing ideas that no one actually wants. Marshall Hargrave outlines a rigorous, 24-hour validation framework inspired by the way venture capitalists vet billion-dollar opportunities .

Hour 1–3: The Impossibility Test

Try to disprove your idea before you build. Analyze assumptions, edge cases, or reasons why it could fail. If it survives, it's worth exploring further.

Next Steps: Structured Testing

• Conduct secondary and primary market research, including surveys, competitor mapping, and interviews, to confirm real demand.

• Build a simple minimum viable product (MVP) or pre-launch landing page to gauge interest and collect pre-sign-ups or pre-orders .

• Validate your core hypotheses - pain points, willingness‑to‑pay, growth potential—via direct customer feedback .

This rapid methodology reflects the Lean Startup ethos: test assumptions fast, iterate using feedback, and avoid premature investment . Much like VCs, who spend ~118 hours reviewing investments through rigorous memos and risk analysis—but often ask tough questions early - founders should aim to disprove ideas quickly instead of prove them.

This fast-track approach saves time, capital, and emotional investment. Instead of building first, founders learn early - reducing risk and enabling smarter decisions before full launch. If you can’t eliminate reasons your idea won’t work within 24 hours, it probably doesn’t need another hour of work.