Y Combinator Startup Podcast How To Get Your First Customers
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Jan 14, 2026 Discover how to create a minimum evolvable product that adapts to early customers. Learn to find your first adopters by targeting enthusiasts with urgent needs. Charging early can lead to better feedback, while broad launches and personal outreach can boost visibility. Embrace experimentation and don't fear losing users; it's about learning fast. Hear how Tesla's early customers influenced its evolution, showing that initial users can define the future of your startup.
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Build To Evolve
- Early products must survive contact with a small group of real users to prove they can evolve.
- Build a minimum evolvable product, not just a minimum viable product.
Paying For A Quick Fix
- Ankit Gupta's team needed an inference API quickly and paid a small startup to solve billing and endpoint issues.
- He became that startup's first customer because their product solved his urgent problem.
Find And Charge Early Adopters
- Search for early adopters with targeted outreach rather than mass marketing.
- Charge real money early because paying customers give sharper, actionable feedback.