My suggestion would be to run sprints (Check out the book "Sprints"). The process of validating a market via leads and/or customer feedback shifts your team fro

My suggestion would be to run sprints (Check out the book "Sprints"). The process of validating a market via leads and/or customer feedback shifts your team from theorizing to exploring. One founder mentor of mine said it well, "all startups are inevitable narratives in reverse, with a confusing reality of constant reinventions on the way there." That's what your team needs practice in - being a team in the midst of uncertainty. As a captain of several startups I can tell you the art is in navigating with a team, not possessing the conviction yourself. You guys have the financial background so do what you do best: pull data from mattermark, angellist, and accelerator acceptance announcements. Make a list of concepts you like and run sprints. Pit your ideas against the ones you test. You'd be surprised how much faster you'll get on your third sprint vs your first. At your stage of learning competitors are irrelevant. Building something people want is all that matters.