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What is Product-Market Fit?
Quick answer
The point at which a product satisfies a strong market demand, so customers actively want, use, and recommend it.
Product-Market Fit, explained
The phrase was popularized by investor Marc Andreessen, who described it as being in a good market with a product that can satisfy that market. Before product-market fit, startups struggle to attract and keep users no matter how hard they push. After it, demand starts pulling the product forward.
Signs of product-market fit include strong retention, users returning without reminders, organic word-of-mouth growth, and customers who would be very disappointed if the product disappeared, a question used in a well-known survey method. There is no single precise threshold, and fit can be lost as markets change. Founders are often advised to focus on finding product-market fit before scaling marketing or hiring rapidly.
Related terms
Churn Rate
The percentage of customers or subscribers who stop using a product or cancel a subscription during a given period.
Lean StartupA methodology for building businesses by testing assumptions quickly with real customers and iterating based on evidence.
Minimum Viable ProductThe simplest version of a product that delivers enough value to early users to test a business idea and gather feedback.
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