In the world of business and startups, traction is king. In this chapter, we’ll offer tips on generating startup traction and social proof. Traction is a startup’s claim to validity, or as Union Square Ventures managing partner Fred Wilson puts it:
Traction shows the world (and investors) that your startup is viable. It’s really common sense: if your startup provides value, then people will use it. If it does not provide value, then people will not use it.
However, traction is not simply constrained to user base or even revenue – there are many different facets of a business, and showing traction in any and all of these facets is beneficial. Brendan Baker, a VC at Greylock uses this chart to demonstrate what investors care about.
Types of Traction Chart
