How to Validate a Startup Idea & Raise Capital FAST | Kira Shishkin
Release Date: 12/03/2025
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Free 3 day 1-on-1 Breakthrough Consultation for Entrepreneurs stuck at the same revenue ceiling 10 spots per month | Real Transformation | Apply 👇 In this episode, we talk about how to test a startup idea fast, build an MVP, talk to customers, find your first users, and grow a business step by step. Kira Shishkin has built 4 companies, helped create a 9-figure business inside Intuit, and raised $30M. He explains simple methods that any new founder can use to grow faster, make better decisions, and avoid common mistakes. This episode is a full guide for anyone starting a...
info_outlineFree 3 day 1-on-1 Breakthrough Consultation for Entrepreneurs stuck at the same revenue ceiling
10 spots per month | Real Transformation | Apply 👇
In this episode, we talk about how to test a startup idea fast, build an MVP, talk to customers, find your first users, and grow a business step by step.
Kira Shishkin has built 4 companies, helped create a 9-figure business inside Intuit, and raised $30M.
He explains simple methods that any new founder can use to grow faster, make better decisions, and avoid common mistakes.
This episode is a full guide for anyone starting a business and wants clear answers that actually work.
What We Cover
* How to test any startup idea
* The “talk to 30 people per week” rule
* How to build and ship an MVP fast
* What customer obsession really means
* How to get first users with no audience
* How to hire and delegate the right way
* How to make systems so your team works well
* Investor red flags and fundraising lessons
* Why “we have no competition” is a bad answer
* How to scale from zero to big numbers
* How to build a product people love
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Chapter Stamps:
00:00 – Intro 00:27 – Why he left finance (your “00:52” was a bit late)
01:18 – The moment he realized he needed a new path
03:10 – His early businesses: Book publishing to tech
04:09 – Childhood accident & long struggle with focus
05:05 – Why news today uses fear and anger (your “05:20” was close)
06:41 – How fear spreads faster than positive emotions
07:54 – Why he built INFORM and what “simple news” means
09:16 – What real news should be: facts, not influence
10:21 – Why most news is commentary, not real reporting
11:53 – Why normal people can’t access true factual reporting
12:44 – Customer obsession: The link across his 4 companies
14:17 – How to understand a customer’s real problem
15:42 – Why you MUST talk to customers (and why people avoid it)
17:06 – The biggest reasons founders skip research
18:16 – His first 90 days at Intuit & 9-figure growth lessons
19:53 – Why you must ship products before they’re ready
21:30 – How to identify your real users early
22:50 – Building systems so the company works without you
24:43 – Why you should hire for things you already know
25:51 – Delegation mistakes & making your team independent
26:57 – What first-time founders get wrong with investors
28:12 – Why “We have no competition” is a huge red flag
29:18 – What investors really look for before funding
31:08 – The mindset needed to scale fast
32:08 – Why customer feedback must never stop
33:32 – Final lessons & closing
Pullout Quotes:
- “I better get off the train if I don't like the next stop.”
- “For me, I've always had a pooling towards entrepreneurialism, like being entrepreneurial, which is just the instinct of observing problems and then trying to articulate solutions to solve them.”
- “When you read news, you know, you come to be informed not influenced and all the news we read… are full of this intent to influence.”
- “While the idea is in your head, it's fake. It doesn't exist. It's completely a fantasy. You need to publish it to the market, to the user.”
- “You need to keep this like direct, you know, pulse check on the customer at every single point. And when you start losing that, that's when you start losing the grip on the business.”
Social:
Website: https://informed.now/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirashishkin/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/informed.now/
Disclaimer:
Please be aware that the opinions and perspectives conveyed in this podcast are solely those of our guests and do not necessarily represent the views, ideologies, or principles of Super Entrepreneurs Podcast, its associated entities, or any organizations they represent or are affiliated with. We provide a platform for discussion and exploration, and the content of each episode is understood to be independent expressions from our guests, rather than a reflection of the beliefs held by the podcast or its hosts.
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