Founders Advised to Prioritize Cold Outreach for True Validation

Y Combinator Partner Michael Seibel advises that a startup's first users should come from their personal network; founders should be solving a problem they or someone they know personally experiences. The goal isn't to find just anyone, but "qualified customers" who feel the problem intensely and are willing to engage with an early, imperfect product. Finding early users is more of a search problem than a persuasion problem, according to YC General Partner Ankit Gupta. The focus should be on identifying people with a burning need for a solution. These individuals are often found in niche online communities like specific subreddits, Discord servers, or professional Slack groups where they already discuss their challenges. Before ever mentioning your product in these communities, spend time adding value by participating in discussions and sharing insights. This builds credibility, so when you do introduce your solution, you're seen as a helpful member, not a spammer. Many communities have specific channels or days for self-promotion that you should respect. When initiating cold outreach, the goal is to provide value before you ask for it. Generic, automated emails are often ignored; instead, reference a specific pain point the person has, share a relevant resource, or even send a personalized video message to stand out. The initial ask should be small and focused on learning, not selling. Structure these interactions as a continuous discovery process, with a goal of having weekly touchpoints with customers. This creates a tight feedback loop where insights from real users constantly inform product development, reduce wasted effort, and ensure you're building something people actually want. YC Partner Gustaf Alströmer stresses that founders must learn to do sales themselves initially, not to hit revenue targets, but to intimately understand customer problems and objections. This hands-on approach is critical for refining the product and messaging in the earliest stages. Don't be afraid to charge money from the very beginning. YC partners consistently advise this because paying customers provide much sharper and more honest feedback than free users. A willingness to pay is the strongest signal that you are solving a real and valuable problem.