---
id: "prereq-lean-startup-methodology"
type: "prereq"
source_timestamps: ["§ Set the direction and pace of AI adoption."]
tags: ["business-strategy", "product-development"]
related: ["concept-minimum-viable-ai"]
reason: "Required to understand the analogy and strategic value of 'minimum viable AI use cases.'"
sources: ["spine"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-spine"
originDay: 1
articleStem: "hbr-ext-20-entrepreneurs-scale-with-ai"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2025/08/how-ambitious-entrepreneurs-can-use-ai-to-scale-their-startups"
sourceTitle: "How Ambitious Entrepreneurs Can Use AI to Scale Their Startups"
---
# Lean Startup Methodology

**Assumed knowledge.** The authors assume the reader is familiar with the concept of a **Minimum Viable Product (MVP)** from lean startup methodology (Eric Ries), because they directly analogize it to creating [[concept-minimum-viable-ai]]. Understanding MVP principles — small experiments, validated learning, then scale — is necessary to grasp why incremental, learning-focused adoption is superior to top-down rollouts.

**Why it matters.** Required to understand the analogy and strategic value of "minimum viable AI use cases."

**Enrichment note:** Adjacent supporting bodies of work include effectuation and experimentation in entrepreneurship, which likewise argue for testing inexpensive, low-risk approaches before committing major resources.


## Related across articles
- [[concept-build-to-learn]]
- [[concept-minimum-viable-ai]]