"So, the pivot is to change your mind, okay? And startup founders change their minds all the time. They hear information, and they change their mind. They hear this new piece of technology, and they change their mind. They hear a new tool, an AI tool—so people are pivoting all the time. But you also need to discuss and decide when you need to persevere—what things do you want to continue doing? Some of you may choose uncommon, and you may say, "You know what? Everyone else is wrong. They don't see the value of what we're doing. We're going to persevere on this company selection." So be it. Some of you pivot, and that's good. You say, "Hey, I'm uncommon. I'm going to pivot to another company that I want to work on." Not a problem either. But the moment where you decide between perseverance and pivoting is important.” - Jeremy Au, Host of BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast" - Jeremy Au
"There are often companies that choose to keep the customer but change the product. This means they like the customer, understand the customer—maybe they even are the customer—but they realize the product needs to evolve into a better version. Take Instagram, for example. It was originally called Bourbon, a type of Foursquare, where users could check in at locations, take photos, and leave reviews. However, the team realized that people, particularly millennials at the time, loved the photo-sharing feature the most. So, they decided to kill all the other features and focus entirely on the photo-sharing aspect.” - Jeremy Au, Host of BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast" - Jeremy Au
"Most people think that pivoting means admitting you were wrong, but it’s not. Things change all the time. For example, a few years ago, many companies were building therapy solutions, like human-to-human fractional services or platforms like BetterHelp, while others relied on nonprofits to provide therapy for youth and those who couldn’t afford to pay. Then GPT emerged, and many therapy startups adapted quickly—some pivoted within 30 days, deciding to use AI instead of volunteers or traditional methods. Of course, this raised concerns about whether AI therapists were safe or ethical, sparking criticism and debate. However, for companies that were slower to react, many have since closed down, as AI proved it could deliver these services effectively, immediately, and often for free.” - Jeremy Au, Host of BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast" - Jeremy Au
In this episode, Jeremy Au speaks on product-market fit, persevere vs. pivot, and lean build, measure and learn.
Keywords: Product-Market Fit, Persevere vs Pivot, Lean Build Measure and Learn, Startup Strategy, Singapore, Southeast Asia, Startup, Thought Leadership
