Lessons on Product-Market-Fit with Kirk Simpson

Описание: "There has never been a better time to build."

We sat down with Kirk Simpson — co-founder of Wave and now Executive Chair at Courtyard — during our last Horizon Sprint Week to talk about the grit required to find Product-Market Fit in a crowded landscape.

Kirk’s journey with Wave is a masterclass in differentiation. They entered a market dominated by giants like QuickBooks by doing two things differently: they flipped the pricing model on its head by giving the software away for free, and they built for the business owner, not the accountant. That intuition allowed them to sign up thousands of users every single day.

For founders looking to scale in the North American market, Kirk shares three essential truths:
Customer Feedback is the Only Playbook: Whether you are launching a new startup or entering a new territory, the key is to speak to as many potential customers as possible. Don't just guess their pain points—hear them, test your solutions, and adapt your product at high speed.
The Talent Trade-off: While the Valley is hyper-competitive and expensive, Canada offers an incredible base of resilient, intellectually curious engineering talent. The trade-off is often finding senior talent who has "done it before," meaning teams here often have to learn the playbook together.
Mistakes are the Journey: Every founding team makes a ton of mistakes. Success isn't about avoiding them; it’s about how you react, how quickly you learn, and who you surround yourself with to help navigate the recovery.

Ultimately, Kirk believes that if you are gritty and willing to experiment with new tools, there has never been more leverage available to help you find scale.

Learn from mentors who have built the playbooks for Canadian success: https://tbdc.com/horizon/

Watch the full interview with Kirk for his take on the "adrenaline of the ride" and finding fulfilment in the challenge.