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Tool 03 — GTM Toolkit

Market Problem Validator

Score your market problem across six dimensions. Find out if the problem you're solving is worth building a company around.

What we evaluate

Problem Acuity
Market Evidence
Urgency
Addressability
Competitive Gap
Monetisation Signal

What the highest standard looks like

Problem Acuity: The problem is named precisely — who has it, how often, what it costs — with no room for interpretation.
Market Evidence: Multiple verified data points: customer interviews, deal loss patterns, industry research, analyst reports.
Urgency: There is a documented reason why this problem needs solving now, not in 18 months.
Addressability: The problem has a defined solution space — it's not a symptom of something deeper that can't be fixed.
Competitive Gap: Existing solutions are specifically named and their failure modes are evidenced, not just implied.
Monetisation Signal: Someone has already paid money (or equivalent) to solve this — proof that budget exists for a solution.

Describe the problem your target customer faces below. Be specific — who has it, how often, what the cost is.

0 / 4,000
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Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a market problem worth building against?

A buildable market problem is specific (affects a defined group), acute (causes real pain when unsolved), frequent (occurs regularly, not once), and currently solved poorly or expensively by existing options. The best problems are ones where the buyer is already spending money on a workaround.

What is the difference between a real problem and a perceived problem?

A real problem has observable symptoms — buyers can describe it, are already trying to solve it, and will pay to solve it better. A perceived problem is one the founder believes exists but which buyers don't actively feel pain from. The Market Problem Validator tests for evidence of real pain, not just logical reasoning.

How do I know if my problem is urgent enough?

Urgency is evidenced by buyers prioritising the problem unprompted, allocating existing budget to solve it, or experiencing measurable consequences when it goes unsolved. If buyers say 'yes, that's a problem' but don't act on it, the urgency isn't sufficient to support a product business.

Can the tool be used for early-stage startup validation?

Yes — the Market Problem Validator is designed for exactly this use case. It is most useful before building, helping founders stress-test their problem hypothesis before investing in product development.

Part of the Summit GTM Toolkit — five free tools for teams selling into finite markets. Built by Summit Strategy Advisory.