leanstartup

The Lean Startup is a methodology for developing businesses and products that emphasizes rapid iteration, customer feedback, and measurable learning. Originating in the late 2000s from entrepreneur Eric Ries and influenced by lean manufacturing and agile software development, the approach aims to reduce the risks and costs associated with new ventures by testing assumptions early and often.

Core practices include the build–measure–learn feedback loop, the use of a minimum viable product (MVP) to gather real user data, validated learning through experiments, and the decision framework of pivot or persevere. Innovation accounting and actionable metrics are used to assess progress and guide investment of time and resources. Techniques such as split testing, continuous deployment, and customer development are frequently associated with the methodology.

The Lean Startup has been adopted by technology startups, corporate innovation teams, and some nonprofit and government initiatives seeking to accelerate learning and improve product–market fit. Proponents argue it increases efficiency and responsiveness to customer needs. Critics contend it can oversimplify complex markets, be less applicable to hardware, regulated industries, or projects with long development cycles, and that anecdotal success stories do not always translate into universal best practices.

The concept has been popularized through books, conferences, and online communities and continues to evolve as practitioners adapt its principles to diverse organizational contexts.