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Thought Leadership

Your Market Research Is Killing Your Startup

26.01.2026By Marijan Mumdziev
Your Market Research Is Killing Your Startup
Stop letting flawed market research drain your runway—70% of startups never recover from ad-hoc GTM planning. Founders, leverage Strives.ai’s data-driven ICP insights to slash sales cycles, boost ARR by 30%, and secure Series B funding faster.
Most B2B SaaS startups waste 30-50% of their early go-to-market budget because they haven't clearly defined their ideal customers or aligned their sales and marketing efforts. As a founder, this should concern you. ## Why Founders Overlook GTM You've built something innovative and you're eager to share it with the world. In your rush to launch, you push thorough market research and GTM planning aside while focusing on your product and features. You assume that if you build something great, customers will naturally come. This product-first, market-second thinking creates a dangerous blind spot. According to CB Insights, over 70% of failed tech startups entered the market too soon, built something nobody needed, or didn't understand their customers—all clear signs of poor GTM planning. ## What It Costs You Skipping proper GTM planning is expensive: * **Wasted runway**: Early-stage teams waste 20-30 hours weekly on manual GTM research * **Missed milestones**: Startups without clear customer validation are twice as likely to miss growth targets * **Investor skepticism**: Investors now expect data-backed GTM strategies even at the Seed stage OpenView's 2023 SaaS Product Benchmark shows that companies investing at least 10% of resources in ongoing market research grow annual revenue 30% faster than those that don't. ## Why Strategic GTM Is Essential The data is clear: startups with defined GTM strategies grow revenue 31% faster and are 2.7 times more likely to reach Series B funding than those without clear plans. This advantage comes from knowing exactly who your customers are, shortening sales cycles, and entering the market efficiently—all results of thoughtful GTM planning rather than rushed execution. ## Founders Who Nailed GTM Early Teams with a clear ideal customer profile and GTM plan close deals twice as fast and win 35% more often than those relying on gut feeling or randomly assembled target lists. Ready to stop hurting your startup with inadequate market research? The first step is accepting that GTM planning isn't optional—it's the foundation of sustainable growth. Find out how Strives.ai can help you build that foundation faster and more accurately than traditional methods. 👉 Join Our Waiting List: https://www.strives.ai/waiting-list

References

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  15. Reasons SaaS Companies Miss Revenue Targets
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  18. Why Traditional GTM Strategies Fail in Modern B2B SaaS
  19. Why 90% of Startups Fail: The Anatomy of Entrepreneurial Failure
  20. The most common mistakes in B2B Go to Market strategies
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