For Polly's horizontal product, the founder learned the most critical mistake was assuming every user should be a paying user. The key to success was distinguishing the vast user base from the specific buyer persona, a trivial-sounding but fundamental insight that guided their entire strategy.

Doppel's founders didn't start with a specific user problem. Instead, they analyzed macro trends (AI, Crypto) and identified a high-level threat: the erosion of "digital authenticity." This broad vision allowed them to explore initial markets like NFTs before pivoting to cybersecurity.

After realizing most users creating casual polls for lunch spots would never pay, Polly found its premium market. They targeted users responsible for expensive, high-stakes events like company all-hands and sales kickoffs, where the value of instant feedback was undeniable and justified the cost.

Faced with resource-heavy US competitors in the direct market, uSecure identified the Managed Service Provider (MSP) channel as an underserved green space. They executed a hard pivot, rebuilding their product and licensing specifically for MSPs, which created a key differentiator that fueled their growth.

StackBlitz assumed their AI coding tool was for developers. By personally contacting their highest-spending early customers, they discovered their real users were non-technical professionals like PMs and founders. This single action redefined their target market from 25 million developers to a billion knowledge workers.

StatusGator initially targeted developers but found success only after realizing IT directors were the true buyers. The mistake was focusing on users who loved the tool but lacked the authority and budget to purchase it for their company.

Despite reaching seven figures in revenue, Doppel's founders pivoted from serving NFT marketplaces. They recognized the market's trajectory was poor and their ambition to "serve the whole world" required a shift to a larger, more sustainable market like cybersecurity.

In the early days, Canary's pitch received mixed reactions. However, the strong, visceral "I need this now" response from a few customers was a more valuable signal of product-market fit than getting a polite "that's cool" from everyone. This validates the "10 true fans" principle in B2B.

Snyk achieved developer adoption but failed to monetize until they addressed the needs of the actual buyer—the security team. They had to add governance and reporting features, realizing that user love doesn't automatically translate to sales when the user and buyer are different people.