Adoption of clinical solutions used in the care environment, as well as research solutions used in research, development, or production of therapeutics, involves complex decision-making, including multiple stakeholders and buy-in across multiple organizations. The distinction between customers, partners, and other influencers is often nuanced and highly fluid. In addition, the capital investment needs often require larger, earlier-stage investments–both non-dilutive (e.g., NSF or NIH SBIR) and venture capital. The primary purpose of the customer discovery process will be to uncover these complexities and provide a roadmap for validation of the business model approach.

We can all agree that better treatments should lead to better patient outcomes. It's critical to first uncover, however, whether care providers will prioritize improvements to their care plan over their current treatment approaches. Key questions to uncover during customer discovery include: how much better would new approaches need to be–and in what specific, measurable ways–prior to being purchased and implemented at scale? How can you assess likely adoption PRIOR to acquiring clinical data? How and when do you engage with potential development partners? And, finally, what other ecosystem obstacles might derail your business even if you have a better approach?