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Why Entrepreneurs Should Think Like Anthropologists

25madison.com · 2,122 words · saved by 1 readers

At 25madison, we invest in startups and build new companies from the ground up. We primarily do this by identifying pain points in industries we're excited about, and occasionally through team brainstorms. We then build the ideas that we’ve gained conviction on through our proven incubation playbook, which starts with a systematic research process. My personal favorite research tool is customer interviews. Having conducted a couple hundred customer interviews, here’s my advice to entrepreneurs looking to see if their business idea has legs: Think like an anthropologist. Why? Well, I’m a little biased- I was trained as one. ‍ Anthropology is the study of humans- their behavior, culture and society. As an anthropologist, I spent a lot of time observing and interviewing people about their lives to understand how their society works. For my undergraduate thesis, I interviewed Mangyan people living in the Philippines about their educational practices. Following graduation, I worked as a res

Why Entrepreneurs Should Think Like Anthropologists October 2, 2025 Why Entrepreneurs Should Think Like Anthropologists INSIGHTS Customer Research at 25madison Written by: Written by: 25madison At 25madison, we invest in startups and build new companies from the ground up. We primarily do this by identifying pain points in industries we're excited about, and occasionally through team brainstorms. We then build the ideas that we’ve gained conviction on through our proven incubation playbook, which starts with a systematic research process. My personal favorite research tool is customer intervie

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