Think fast growing platforms instead of markets.

Most founders either focus on growing markets or build a solution for a market that isn’t even growing (the classic 'I'll get 10% of the TAM' pitch).

But if your market is already growing, you're too late. Too much competition will eat you alive unless you’re ready with something significantly better, like Zoom, which had a great product when the market exploded during COVID—but it also involved a lot of luck with timing.

It’s not about chasing markets—it’s about finding fast-growing platforms.

When PayPal launched, eBay was their platform, and it was growing like crazy—they tapped into that growth.

When Airbnb started, they initially tapped into Craigslist, which was growing as more people listed rooms and shared spaces during the 2008 recession. Airbnb provided a better experience for both hosts and guests, solving Craigslist’s inefficiencies.

Plaid stepped onto fast-growing fintech platforms like Venmo, Robinhood, and Coinbase, solving the inefficiency of connecting banks with modern apps.

Mailchimp took advantage of the rise of Twitter and blogging, riding the wave of these platforms’ growth.

Ethereum is another example: it grew rapidly as a platform, and startups emerged to solve its scalability issues.

So, instead of thinking, 'Here’s a fast-growing market, what can I build?' shift your mindset to 'What fast-growing platform can I tap into and solve its inefficiencies?