A visual comparison of Lean Startup, Why Startups Fail, and Blitzscaling. Understand when to iterate, when to be cautious, and when to scale at lightning speed.
The Three Core Philosophies
The Lean Startup
By Eric Ries
Core Idea: Achieve validated learning. Systematically de-risk your venture by treating it as a science experiment, focusing on the Build-Measure-Learn feedback loop to find a sustainable business.
Why Startups Fail
By Tom Eisenmann
Core Idea: Identify and avoid common failure patterns. Act as a diagnostic tool, providing a reality check against premature scaling, poor team dynamics, and launching without true customer discovery.
Blitzscaling
By Reid Hoffman & Chris Yeh
Core Idea: Prioritize speed over efficiency to achieve market dominance. A high-risk, high-reward strategy for ventures that have already found product-market fit in a large, winner-take-all market.
The MVP: A Tale of Three Perspectives
The Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is a core concept, but its purpose and execution are viewed very differently across the methodologies.
Lean Startup: The Learning Engine
The MVP is an experiment to achieve validated learning with minimum effort.
Why Startups Fail: The Reality Check
Eisenmann warns that founders often “don’t get the viability right,” leading to false starts.
A poorly executed MVP provides flawed data, leading to a false sense of security and premature scaling.
Blitzscaling: The Prerequisite
Blitzscaling doesn’t have an MVP. It assumes you’ve graduated from that phase and have achieved full product-market fit.
- ✔️ Mature, Working Product
- ✔️ Massive Addressable Market
- ✔️ Strong Network Effects
The Scaling Dilemma: Growth vs. Sustainability
How a startup approaches growth is a defining choice. The right pace depends entirely on its stage of validation and market conditions.
A poorly executed MVP provides flawed data, leading to a false sense of security and premature scaling.
A Unified Framework: The Startup Lifecycle
These methodologies aren’t mutually exclusive. They form a sequential path from idea to market leadership. Founders should master each stage before proceeding to the next.
Stage 1
Discovery
Apply Lean Startup principles. Use the BML loop and MVPs to find a problem worth solving.
Stage 2
Validation
Heed Eisenmann’s warnings. Avoid “False Starts” and ensure true product-market fit. Build a strong foundation.
Stage 3
Scaling
Choose your path: continue with validated growth or, if conditions are right, prepare for Blitzscaling.
Stage 4
Dominance
Only now, apply Blitzscaling. Prioritize speed to capture the market and build a lasting competitive advantage.