☕ How to Tell If You’re Building a SISP

 

I was having coffee one morning when one of my early-stage VC friends called me. He was on a site-visit of a deep-tech startup in his pipeline — the kind of place where oscilloscopes blink, prototypes hum, and founders proudly demo their breakthroughs.

But something was missing.

“The tech is incredible,” he sighed, “but they have no idea whom to sell it.”

That’s when he dropped a term I instantly loved — SISP: Solution In Search of a Problem.

And I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Because I’ve seen this pattern too — brilliant founders pouring years into refining their technology, yet struggling to define who actually needs it.

What Exactly Is a SISP?

A SISP startup is one that begins with a technology and only later starts searching for a problem to solve. The founders have a “solution” in hand — often a powerful one — but no clear user, pain point, or customer in sight.

It’s common in university ecosystems, especially in deep-tech and hardware-AI. Researchers spend years developing something extraordinary, and when it’s time to spin out a company, they start with the tech rather than the why.

There’s nothing wrong with that origin — in fact, many innovations start this way. But staying in SISP mode for too long can make it hard to build traction, attract investors, or find market pull.

As one VC friend put it: “We see it all the time — amazing technology, wrong direction.”

From Stanford Biodesign to Need-Driven Innovation

One of my favorite models for escaping the SISP trap is the Stanford Biodesign Process, which starts not with invention but with need finding. Instead of asking “what can we build?”, Biodesign innovators ask “what’s truly worth solving?”

They spend time with real users — clinicians, patients, or operators — observing challenges and mapping unmet needs before even thinking about solutions.

That mindset flips the entire equation. It transforms innovation from tech-driven to need-driven — from building in isolation to building with empathy.

A SISP, in contrast, skips that first step and tries to retrofit its technology into a market that might not exist.

Why SISPs Happen (and Why VCs Notice)

SISPs usually come from a good place — intellectual curiosity and technical mastery. But in venture capital, we tend to notice when the excitement around the technology overshadows the clarity of the market.

We see it in pitches that lead with:

• “We’ve developed a novel algorithm that can…” instead of

• “We’ve discovered a recurring pain point that costs companies millions every year.”

The first excites the engineer.The second excites the customer — and the investor.

So when VCs come across a SISP, it’s not criticism — it’s a gentle nudge. The technology might be brilliant, but the path to impact starts with listening, not inventing.

🧭 Escaping the SISP Trap

If you’re building something now, here’s a quick self-check:

1. If your tech disappeared tomorrow, who would miss it?Can you name one specific user or organization?

2. Do you lead your story with the problem or the product?Real traction begins when your “why” is clearer than your “how.”

3. Have you validated the need outside your lab or office?Conversations with 20 users teach more than 200 hours of modeling.

You don’t need to abandon your innovation — you just need to anchor it to a real need.

💡 Remember: Great startups are built around problems, not technologies.

Start with a Need-Inspired Solution, not a Solution In Search of a Problem.

The Takeaway

VCs have started loving deep-tech, but what they love even more is clarity of purpose. A great startup isn’t just defined by its technology; it’s defined by who it helps and why it matters.

So if you ever catch yourself building a solution in search of a problem — pause. Step outside the lab. Talk to the people you’re ultimately building for.

Because in the end, the real innovation isn’t the invention itself — it’s finding the problem that gives it meaning.

- Sarvesh Karkhanis

🌱 About Pupa Ventures

Pupa Ventures is an early-stage VC firm investing in deep-tech, healthcare, and hardware-AI startups emerging from top university ecosystems. We believe in metamorphosis — turning raw invention into scalable impact.