Founders on knowing what PMF feels like

This special episode collects the best advice from our conversations with founders, centered on how they define one of the most elusive milestones in building a company: finding product-market fit. From the unmistakable pull of organic demand, to the "holy sh*t" moments that tell you something is really working, founders shared what PMF actually feels like from the inside. In this episode, we revisit: • Why true PMF is "blazingly obvious" • Pulling vs. pushing a rope: The tension that signals real demand • The "holy sh*t" moment that makes you want to tell everybody • Why emotional reaction, positive or negative, is the real signal to watch for • When your competitor's crisis becomes your product's proof point Where to find the founders: • Adam Guild: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamharrisonguild/ • David Cramer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dmcramer/ • Immad Akhund: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iakhund/ • Jake Stauch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakestauch/ • Jyoti Bansal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jyotibansal/ • Kareem Amin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kareemamin/ • Tomer London: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomerlondon/ • Zack Kanter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zkanter Where to find Brett: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-berson-9986094/ • Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/brettberson Where to find First Round Capital: • Website: https://firstround.com/ • First Round Review: https://review.firstround.com/ • Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/firstround • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstRoundCapital • This podcast on all platforms: https://review.firstround.com/podcast Companies: • Clay: https://www.clay.com/ • Gusto: https://gusto.com/ • Harness: https://www.harness.io/ • Mercury: https://mercury.com/ • Owner: https://www.owner.com/ • Sentry: https://sentry.io/ • Serval: https://www.serval.com/ • Stedi: https://www.stedi.com/ Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:39 PMF is "blazingly obvious", but only once you've felt it 03:36 Why the customer’s emotion is the real signal 05:20 Finding positive tension: The rope-pulling analogy 07:34 When your competitor's crisis becomes your proof point 10:44 Understand why it's working, not just that it's working 13:01 Turn customers into experts in your product 14:51 Keep delivering value after the sale 16:00 Going hyperbolic: Hundreds of demo requests a day