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Product–Market Fit
When the right group of people genuinely want what you have built and tell each other about it without prompting.
Example
A group of students starts using a homework-swap app you built for one school. Within a month, students at three other schools are messaging you to ask how to join. You did not advertise. They are pulling the product out of you.
How it fits in
Product-market fit is more felt than measured. Customers come back, refer friends, and complain when the product breaks because they rely on it. Before fit, almost every metric is noisy and almost every plan is a guess. After fit, the question shifts from 'does anyone want this?' to 'how big can this get?' That shift is usually the most exciting moment in a startup's life.
Where this is taught
Related terms
Someone who builds a product or service to solve a real problem and tries to make it pay for itself and grow.
A short, honest sentence that names who you help, what problem you solve, and why your way is better.
The smallest version of an idea that is real enough for someone to actually use it and tell you the truth about it.