Successful companies often look like previously unsuccessful ones, but with a few differences that are only obvious in retrospect.

Choose whichever cliche you like best - past is prologue? back to the future? - but it’s undeniable that the future often starts off looking pretty similar to the past. In fact, because consumers favour things they know, this can be a feature, not a bug.

(1) has this been tried unsuccessfully before?

(2) why did that company fail?

(3) am I really different?

Best thing you can do is find nodes - investors, advisors, recruiters - that see a lot of things and might remember. Extra points for finding people who have been around a long time or from different cohorts.

Ask everyone you meet: “have you seen anything like this before?” The trick is to ask it honestly. It’s discovery not promotion.

ask them to connect the dots between the proximate and the cause in fact of their company not working. Keep asking why. Keep going down the ladder of inference. The more specific the answer, the more likely you’re at something real.

A small product change can open up a set of users that never existed before. A unique go-to-market can make all the difference. Even a new competitor can help users and investors understand your category.

You can be different in a way that doesn’t actually change the outcome.

Find the evidence that means your unique twist will help you succeed where others have failed. Give yourself a time limit to find that evidence. If you can't find them, then make them your initial OKRs. Work to prove that in the initial phase of your company.