Anyone can build
Why product first changes everything
In Ratatouille, Remy initially interprets Gusteau's phrase "anyone can cook" literally, believing it means everyone has the ability to become a skilled chef. As the story progresses, he discovers a deeper meaning: talent and creativity can emerge from unexpected places, regardless of background or status. Remy learns that the potential for greatness is in anyone who has dedication and heart. It's about opportunity and the universal capacity for passion-driven achievement, not a guarantee of universal skill.
This distinction captures something profound about building products today. Anyone can build. The tools are abundant, the cloud infrastructure is accessible, and AI has democratized development in ways we couldn't imagine just a few years ago. But truly exceptional products? Those reflect something deeper: a builder's understanding of real problems, their willingness to sweat every detail, their craftsmanship honed through countless iterations, and their bold conviction to keep building when others would quit.
At N47, we call this Product First, and it fundamentally captures how we think about investing.
The product tells the real story
While the venture world has long been divided between Market First investors (who chase massive Total Addressable Markets [TAMs]) and People First investors (who bet on pedigree and charisma), we've learned to listen to a different signal entirely: the product itself.
Your early product is where your vision becomes tangible. It's where abstract ideas transform into something users can touch, use, and love. In every interaction, every design choice, every line of code, we see the essence of who you are as a builder. We see your craftsmanship in the details others might call obsessive, but you call necessary. We see your learning velocity in how quickly you adapt based on user feedback. We see genuine user love in the organic advocacy that can't be bought, only earned.
A great early product reveals deep insight into a meaningful problem and the relentless pursuit to solve it well. It shows us how you think, prioritize, and execute under pressure. The product is your resume, built in pixels and atoms, measured in proof rather than promises.
Why traditional approaches fall short
The Market First approach assumes that big TAMs guarantee big outcomes. But most transformative companies began in the cracks, solving acute pain points for small segments of customers willing to adopt early and pay urgently. Instagram started as a photo-sharing app for a niche community. Slack emerged from an internal tool for a gaming company. The opportunity wasn't in the projected market size but in how these products evolved and expanded from their initial wedge.
The People First approach bets heavily on credentials and pedigree. While exceptional backgrounds can indicate potential, they're insufficient predictors of resilience. Founding a company is a contact sport. It's not the resume that weathers sleepless nights, harsh user feedback, or moments when everything seems impossible. It's the builder's mindset and deep-seated belief that you can create something better.
Both approaches miss the most important signal: the moment when users genuinely want what you've built. When someone sees your product and immediately understands its value.
The new reality of building
Today's landscape makes traditional investment frameworks even more outdated. Capital is abundant for chasing big markets, but that abundance creates noise, not signal. Technology building blocks are commoditized while deep insight remains scarce. Credentials alone don't guarantee the innate willingness to learn fast, move quickly, execute relentlessly, and win on the ground.
What's rare is the judgment, insight, and obsession required to build something that truly matters. Something that solves real problems in ways that feel both obvious and brilliant. In an era where anyone can ship code, the differentiator isn't access to tools but the builder's ability to see what others miss and execute with precision.
Product is the only foundation that compounds
We think of creating a profound company as a three-layer structure.
- Product is the essential base layer. Without a compelling product, there's no momentum to build upon.
- Go-to-market becomes tractable when you have something extraordinary to offer.
- Company building thrives when built on the foundation of a product that genuinely works and solves meaningful problems.
Only the product compels users to adopt, talent to join, and markets to respond. Everything else can be developed, learned, or hired. Your product vision and execution are irreplaceable.
The inception of greatness
At N47, we invest at the inception of greatness. When there are no charts, no cohorts, and no vanity metrics. Only the product and what it reveals about you, your vision, and your potential to change how people work, live, or think.
We're not romantic about markets that may never materialize. We're not seduced by resumes that predict past performance rather than future potential. We're compelled by what you've built, how you've built it, and what it reveals about what you're capable of building next.
To the builders who've chosen to express their vision in product form, not pitch decks, we see you. We see the late nights, the breakthrough moments, the quiet satisfaction when something finally works the way you envisioned it. You're not just building a product; you're joining a movement of builders who understand that the future isn't something that happens to us. It's something we create, one exceptional product at a time.
Anyone can build. But not everyone will build something that matters. Product First is our recognition of those who do.
