Starting Smart In the fiercely competitive world of start ups, identifying the right problem to solve can be as challenging as building the solution itself.

Dr. Krishna Dubba, co-founder and CTO of CoVent, an AI-powered market place for event sponsorships, knows this intimately. His journey offers invaluable insight into overcoming early hurdles and carving out a place in the notoriously cautious UK market.

"One of the biggest challenges when starting a business is identifying the problem and understanding what customers want," Dubba explains. But instead of rushing to develop a product, CoVent took a deliberate, three-step approach that proved crucial.

First, "have a co-founder with domain expertise." Dubba stresses that every field has unique complexities that outsiders may struggle to navigate. Having a partner deeply familiar with the problem space helps startups avoid costly missteps. This was critical for CoVent, where understanding the marketing and events sector nuances shaped their product development and customer engagement.

Next, "ask open-ended questions during market research." Dubba warns that users often tell entrepreneurs what they think they want to hear, making it vital to dig deeper. "Instead of focusing on our solution, we prioritised understanding the core problem."

Finally, CoVent's approach embraced rapid iteration. "Release products quickly to test hypotheses and measure user behaviour. Don't always believe what the user says; instead, watch what the user does." This hands-on validation helped CoVent fine-tune its offering in a practical, user-driven way.

When it came to seizing early opportunities, domain knowledge again played a pivotal role. "We benefited immensely from having a co-founder who had spent several years in our problem domain and could have been a customer had they not been involved in the startup," Dubba says. This insider perspective not only pointed them toward initial customers but made early conversations resonate. Being part of the Founders Factory accelerator also lent the credibility needed to close early deals.

Yet, navigating the UK startup ecosystem wasn't without its surprises. Dubba notes a key cultural difference: "The UK market is more conservative than the US market and prefers incumbents." Startups, he cautions, must therefore demonstrate clear differentiation from day one. "This differentiation can't be the same solution in the market at a lower price; it must be a feature or a novel business process that isn't available within the existing market."

Reflecting on his own experience, Dubba offers advice for founders just stepping into the fray: "Always start with a problem, not an idea. Ideas are generally interesting features, but that doesn't mean they actually solve a problem." He urges entrepreneurs not to become fixated on their initial solution, as it may not be the right fit.

Moreover, Dubba encourages pragmatism over perfectionism: "Don't be afraid to solve the problem with rudimentary technology. You don't always need to develop an app. You can use existing solutions such as Typeform, Google Sheets, Slack, WhatsApp or even manual work." Once traction is proven, then startups can invest in automation and scale.

Perhaps most importantly, Dubba underscores the value of focus: "Startups need a laser focus on the beachhead market. Of course, you can change the segment based on the response to your approach, but founders should always focus on one segment at a time in the initial stages." Spreading efforts too thin too early, he warns, can jeopardize success.

Dr. Krishna Dubba's reflections offer a measured, experience-grounded roadmap for UK entrepreneurs. In a landscape that prizes differentiation and resilience, his words remind founders that success begins not with flashy ideas, but with listening, testing, and focusing relentlessly on the real problems worth solving.