They were solving the wrong problem

A technology company preparing to raise had built its roadmap on internal assumptions. Proven's research revealed a major misalignment and redirected $500K in development spend.

Industry

B2B SaaS/AI

company size

Mid sized

Major outcome

$500K in product development

The challenge

A technology company preparing to raise had built its product on the founding team's deep industry expertise. They were confident they understood their buyers. They'd just never asked them.

Our approach

Conducted 10 in-depth interviews with senior leaders (CTOs, VPs of Product, operational heads) across target companies of varying sizes.

Used a 12-dimension scorecard: urgency to change, satisfaction with current tools, feature priorities, competitive alternatives, internal buying dynamics.

Surfaced gaps between the company's assumptions and what buyers actually needed.

Delivered prioritized recommendations for product and go-to-market.

Key insights

Overall demand scored 8.1/10, but satisfaction with current tools scored only 5.6/10.

Customization and integration with existing systems scored 9.8/10. That was the highest priority for buyers.

Buyers weren’t looking for advanced AI features — they needed practical integration with their CRM, compliance, and data systems.

Buyers weren't looking for advanced AI features. They needed practical integration with their CRM, compliance, and data systems.

Results of working with Proven

Redirected $500K in planned product development from advanced features to integration infrastructure.

Shifted the fundraising narrative from “we built better technology” to “we solve the real integration problem buyers care about.”

Redesigned the sales process to engage multiple stakeholders from the first meeting instead of relying on a single champion.

Closed the funding round at a higher valuation than originally targeted.

“We were leading with what we thought was most impressive. The research showed us what buyers actually prioritize and it changed our entire fundraising narrative.”

CEO

B2B SaaS/AI