Seedz: validation, direction, and early go-to-market
Seedz is an early-stage digital product, born within 20tab, designed to support teams and professionals in managing complex processes. As often happens in the early phases of product development, the team needed to quickly assess market interest, understand real user needs, and gather evidence to support more informed product decisions.
20tab guided a Digital Product Marketing journey focused on validation and go-to-market preparation: pretotyping, qualitative research, beta tester onboarding, and the first activation steps. This approach reduced uncertainty, generated real insights, and established the foundation for a credible and tested market positioning.
Product
Seedz
Industry
Productivity / SaaS
Year
2024
The initial situation
Seedz faced a common early-stage scenario: a clear vision, but many assumptions still untested. There was no solid evidence regarding the real needs of the target audience, the desirability of the offering, or the priority of the proposed features. Additionally, no go-to-market strategy existed yet: key segments, initial channels, and the product’s messaging were all undefined.
The team’s core questions included:
- Which user segments perceive the highest value?
- Which problems are genuinely relevant in their daily workflows?
- Which features are essential, and which risk being irrelevant?
- Is the value proposition clear, differentiated, and credible?
- Which channels can attract early users without disproportionate investment?
- How can an initial, sustainable go-to-market be structured for a product at this stage?
A structured approach was needed - one combining marketing, research, product, and early GTM activities - to reduce risk, accelerate learning, and build the foundation for an informed and measurable market entry.
Offering
Digital Product Marketing
Digital Product Strategy
Digital Product Development
Implementation activities
The project began with alignment and the definition of key hypotheses to validate: value proposition, target segments, core problems, likely channels, and expected behaviors. This allowed us to define a clear experimental perimeter spanning both product development and go-to-market.
Pretotyping
We designed a pretotype to rapidly test interest, comprehension, and perceived value. It served as the first real “market touchpoint,” enabling early validation of messaging, objections, and engagement triggers.
Qualitative research
We conducted exploratory interviews with target users to map:
- current workflows
- explicit and latent needs
- recurring frustrations
- barriers to the proposed solution
- natural language used to describe problems and alternatives
Insight collection was continuous, with fast cycles of analysis and synthesis.
Beta tester onboarding
To activate the first real users, we implemented several low-friction, high-learning GTM initiatives:
- presence at professional events and communities
- qualified word-of-mouth within relevant networks
- free workshops to introduce the methodology and gather early interest signals
In parallel, we designed an onboarding flow and a structured feedback system. This made it possible to observe real interactions with the product, identify friction points, and understand which features delivered immediate value.
Early go-to-market activities
Throughout the project, we tested:
- early messages and micro-narratives
- preliminary positioning
- activation formats with the highest potential
- organic and community-based channels
- conversion obstacles and opportunities for segment engagement
These findings allowed us to outline a first sustainable GTM strategy aligned with the product’s maturity.
Analysis and product direction
Each learning cycle was translated into strategic recommendations:
- refinement of the value proposition
- suggestions on core features
- identification of the most promising segments
- positioning principles and key messages
- guidance for the next development and go-to-market steps
The project relied on continuous collaboration among the different souls of the Seedz team - Product Marketing Specialist, Product Manager, Designer, Developer - with frequent syncs, ongoing prototype sharing, and transparent reflection on collected insights.
Tools and Practices
Lean Canvas
Goal Tree
Jobs To Be Done
User Research
The Right It Canvas
User Flows
Experiment Canvas
Pretotype Design
Early GTM Testing
Final result
The Digital Product Marketing journey enabled Seedz to achieve in weeks what often requires months: clear market insights, a stronger positioning, and a concrete foundation for planning its go-to-market.
Key results include:
- Clear and actionable insights: identification of the most relevant user needs, distinguishing between high-value and low-impact aspects.
- Defined priority segment: recognition of the most responsive users and the contexts with the highest adoption potential.
- Stronger value proposition: messaging refined based on real user language, more credible, clearer, and easier to understand.
- Validated early go-to-market levers: the project clarified which channels activate segments most effectively, which formats generate interest, which messages drive real engagement, which frictions slow down adoption.
- Realistic product feedback: testing with real users highlighted crucial features, friction points, and priorities for the next iterations.
- Reduced risk and clearer next steps, including early GTM steps and stronger alignment between product vision, development direction, and market entry.
The journey is not over: Seedz continues to evolve through iterative cycles and constant observation of real user behavior.
Lessons learned
This project demonstrated that involving product marketing before the product even exists turns it from a support function into a true strategic accelerator.
Working on the market early enables you to:
- define the problem before defining the solution
- avoid unnecessary investment in low-value features
- design products already aligned with real user needs
- build a strong value proposition before development begins
- prepare a more solid go-to-market grounded in insight, not assumptions
Involving product marketing from the very beginning transforms uncertainty into knowledge and creates a stronger foundation for both product and organizational growth.
The work on Seedz proves that combining research, pretotyping, and early GTM testing saves time, reduces risk, and accelerates the entire development cycle, laying the groundwork for a more informed and sustainable product evolution.