Internal Tools Make Lousy Startups
6 Stancil argues that internal tools often look like startup gold because they solve a real problem inside a company, but that success is a mirage driven by a captive customer, edge-case needs, and effortless internal distribution. Once outside the company, those tools face messy, varied workflows, politics, and integration realities that make them poor fits for broader markets. He suggests investors should be more skeptical and look to consultancies for better-validated product ideas, noting his own experience at Mode as a cautionary example.
Startups & VCTools & Products