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PT

Peter Thiel

03/23/17

@ Y Combinator

Many successful tech companies, like Amazon and eBay, began by dominating a small niche before expanding into larger markets.

Video

YC

Competition is for Losers with Peter Thiel (How to Start a Startup 2014: 5)

@ Y Combinator

Competition is for Losers with Peter Thiel (How to Start a Startup 2014: 5)

03/23/17

Related Takeaways

AW

Alexandr Wang

11/14/23

@ Accel

Most successful companies start in an area long before it becomes popular, allowing them to gain a head start when the trend takes off.

PT

Peter Thiel

03/23/17

@ Y Combinator

Successful companies often start with small markets and expand over time; going after a large market from the beginning usually indicates a lack of proper market definition.

YC

Y Combinator Cast

06/07/24

@ Y Combinator

Companies like Instacart and DoorDash found success in markets that larger tech firms like Google were not interested in pursuing.

MS

Michael Seibel

08/27/22

@ Y Combinator

Many successful Y Combinator companies, like Stripe and PagerDuty, started by selling to other startups, demonstrating that this can be a successful strategy.

ND

Nicolas Dessaigne

11/27/24

@ Y Combinator

Once you have a product that users appreciate, expanding your market becomes easier; starting with a niche can lead to broader adoption later.

RS

Raj Shamani

10/07/23

@ Nikhil Kamath

Building a brand in a niche market is essential; you need to become the big fish in a small pond before expanding.

AW

Alexandr Wang

06/18/25

@ Y Combinator

Startups should initially focus on narrow markets to gain momentum, but eventually need to identify and build towards infinite markets to achieve significant growth.

GA

Gustaf Alströmer

12/30/22

@ Y Combinator

Successful startups often start with non-scalable methods to acquire their first customers before moving to scalable growth channels.

RH

Reid Hoffman

07/08/22

@ Greylock

Many successful companies, like Apple and Amazon, have undergone significant pivots, demonstrating that adaptation is key to long-term success.