AI may upend old startup habits, but investors argue there are reliable signals that a product truly resonates. Speaking onstage at Disrupt, Ann Bordetsky (NEA) called today’s AI landscape “a completely different ball game,” noting that rapid tech shifts invalidate many standard playbooks for finding fit. Even so, she and Murali Joshi (Iconiq) offered a clear rubric founders can use. TechCrunch
Follow the money’s staying power. Joshi urged teams to look beyond pilot enthusiasm and ask whether customer spend is moving from sandbox budgets into core, executive-owned budgets. That migration, he said, indicates customers intend to keep paying because the product sits in — and improves — critical workflows. TechCrunch
Measure real usage, not just interest. Traditional activity metrics still matter: daily, weekly and monthly active users reveal whether people repeatedly return to what they’ve bought. Retention and frequency are the tell, especially as many enterprises are still early and experimenting with AI tools. TechCrunch
Add qualitative depth. Numbers can hint at fit, but founder teams should interview users early and often to understand why a tool sticks (or doesn’t). Those conversations surface nuances usage graphs can’t capture and help pinpoint where a product must become more “sticky” in the stack. TechCrunch
Know your place in the stack. Executives should be asked directly: where does this product live, who owns it, and what would break if it disappeared? Positioning the product as essential infrastructure inside a workflow boosts resilience when procurement cycles tighten. TechCrunch
Think continuum, not finish line. Bordetsky cautioned that PMF isn’t a one-time unlock. Teams often start with “a little bit of PMF” in a niche and then strengthen it—broadening use cases and deepening integration as the technology and customer needs evolve. TechCrunch
Bottom line: despite AI’s speed and volatility, durable budget ownership, repeated engagement, qualitative signal, and clear stack placement are the compass. Treat PMF as a living state you reinforce quarter after quarter, not a banner you plant once. TechCrunch
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