When should founders follow the market, and when should they lead it?
Simplicity is winning.
But how do you know whether to build what customers are asking for… or build what they don’t even realize they need yet?
In this episode of VHTV, Seyka Mejeur from AdAstra Talent Advisors is joined by Justus Kilian from Space Capital and Matt Gjertsen from Better Every Day Studios to dig into one of the hardest questions in hard tech: do you build the breakthrough technology first and trust the market will come, or do you start with demand and work backward?
Seyka shares the story of losing her Apple Watch, realizing she wasn’t actually using most of the features, and deciding to let it go. What seems small at first opens up a bigger question about simplicity, mental load, and how technology can quietly add more noise than value.
Justus brings in the example of Planet Labs, an early pioneer in small satellite imaging that built something technically impressive but initially struggled to find real customer demand. Breakthrough technology doesn’t automatically create a market.
At the same time, companies like Apple show the other side of the equation. Some founders build products customers don’t yet know they need. Timing, conviction, and product intuition matter, but even visionary companies don’t get it right every time.
There’s also a practical look at validation in hard tech. With hardware, you can’t just ship something and iterate next week. Creative approaches matter. The example of Reflect Orbital shows how storytelling and scrappy MVP thinking can make a bold concept tangible before the full system exists.
At the core is a tension every founder faces: are you obsessed with the product, or anchored to the problem? That choice shapes how you build, how you validate, and how you bring customers and investors along before the full vision is built.
If you’re building in space, energy, autonomy, or any high-stakes sector, this episode will likely make you rethink how you approach timing, vision, and market pull.
Episode Highlights
[00:00] The Apple Watch story and why simplicity is winning
[03:31] Build it and they will come vs. validate demand first
[05:03] When great technology fails to find a market
[07:58] Why Visionary Products Are So Hard to Pull Off
[10:45] Hardware vs. software: why validation is harder in hard tech
[13:46] Creative MVPs and storytelling with Reflect Orbital
[14:17] Product obsessed vs. problem obsessed
Key Takeaways
- Great technology does not guarantee market demand.
- Being problem obsessed often leads to better product decisions.
- Hardware startups must find creative ways to validate before full build.
- Visionary products require timing, storytelling, and deep conviction.
- Simplicity and reduced cognitive load are becoming competitive advantages
Subscribe to VHTB for more insights on the talent, culture, and finance sides of space startups.
Resources & Links:
