Earlyvangelist

Earlyvangelist is a term that is become more and more popular among the start-up community and was first used in a book written by Steve Blank called The Four Steps to the Epiphany. The term refers to the customers who commit to buying a company's product before there is a full product available and spread the news of the product to friends, family, or coworkers.

Characteristics

Earlyvangelists can be identified by these characteristics:

• Has a problem
• Is aware of having a problem
• Has been actively looking for a solution
• Has put together their own solution to the problem
• Has or can acquire a budget

Significance

Earlyvangelists are significant because they allow start-up companies to get their first customer base and are how young companies test their business hypothesis, its buying and selling processes, and its pricing structure. They are also often the first testers of the Minimum viable product and will help a company iterate through versions of their product as they improve it because they want a solution to the problem.