Valid Startup gives you the best of both worlds: the freedom to go at your own pace and the community, structure, and support you’d expect from an incubator — without giving up equity.
You get a proven testing system, entrepreneurial community, and real guidance, while still keeping 100% ownership of your company.

No. Many people start with zero idea. The program helps you generate ideas, test them, and choose the one with the highest chance of success. If you do have an idea, it helps you validate it before you spend money building anything.

It depends on how much time you put into it.
Most people who dedicate 10–15 hours per week complete it in 12–16 weeks.
If you’re working on your business full time, you should be up and running (or know for sure whether that the idea won't be profitable) in 4–8 weeks.

Yes. You’ll have access to the community and resources.
If you want higher-touch guidance, you can always upgrade to a Members Plan for personalized help — but it’s not required.

Usually not. It depends on your industry and the type of testing required.
The good news is that if your idea does require funding for Market Validation Testing, Valid Startup can help you connect with funding providers. For example, we have close ties to ATO Ventures, the VC firm out of which Valid Startup was created.

Both! Valid Startup was designed for people who want to start a business but don’t know where to begin — and for experienced founders who want to avoid wasting time and money on unproven ideas.

Yes! Most businesses are not a fit for venture capital, and they don’t need outside funding to succeed. Valid Startup is designed to help you reach profitability, and for most businesses, that’s all you need to keep growing and achieve your goals.

Then the program has done its job: it saved you time, money, and stress. You can simply repeat the process with a better idea — most successful founders test multiple ideas before landing on the right one.  Valid Startup helps you find your successful business faster!