Seeking Advice: Should We Validate the Market or Focus on Building Our Sports Science App? (I will not promote)

Hey everyone, My co-founder and I are sports scientists working on an app that bridges the gap between strength and tactical periodization, with a focus on applied strength capacity. We are targeting the high-level amateur market, primarily in football (soccer) but also in other sports like triathlon. We have a strong background in sports science—one of us holds a Master’s degree, while I have a Bachelor’s degree and a high-level football coaching license. Our expertise lies in theoretical strength training models and applied methods for complex sports, such as football and running data. Right now, we are deep into development, but we are unsure if we should continue building the software or focus on validating the market first. We don’t know if it makes more sense to conduct market research, speak to potential users, and gauge interest before committing too much time and resources into building a full product. We would love to hear from others who have been in a similar situation—how did you decide on your next steps? Some specific questions: 1.Should we prioritize market validation before investing heavily in development? 2.What’s the best way to assess interest from potential customers like amateur football coaches or triathletes? 3.If we focus on building first, what should be the minimum viable features to start with? 4.Any general advice for a two-person team working on a sports science startup? TL;DR: We are two sports scientists developing an app that connects strength and tactical periodization for high-level amateur sports. We are unsure whether to build an MVP first or validate the market before committing to full development. Looking for advice on the best next steps - I will not promote