What's the biggest barrier preventing you from properly validating your startup idea?

Hey StartupScout community! 👋 I've been talking to dozens of entrepreneurs over the past few months, and I keep hearing the same frustrations about startup validation:

"I can't afford $5,000+ for proper market research"

"I don't have months to do comprehensive validation"

"I'm not sure what I should even be validating"

"The DIY approach feels overwhelming and incomplete"

This got me thinking - what's YOUR biggest barrier when it comes to validating startup ideas?

Is it:

🚧 Cost? Traditional consulting is expensive

⏰ Time? Proper validation takes forever

🤔 Knowledge? Not knowing what to validate or how

📊 Data access? Can't get the insights you need

🔧 Tools? Existing tools are too basic or complicated

I'm asking because I’m launching StartupScout on Product Hunt in a few hours - an AI-powered validation platform that generates comprehensive business reports for $5 instead of $5,000. We're trying to solve exactly these problems for bootstrapped entrepreneurs and consultants.

But I want to hear from you first - what would make startup validation actually accessible for you?

What's missing in the current landscape?

Link to our PH launch: https://www.producthunt.com/products/startupscout-co

Would love your honest thoughts and experiences! 🙏