I think a lot of it depends on the problem space. Are you solving a problem that uses a B2B or B2C solution (or a hybrid)? B2C problems are likely easier to f

I think a lot of it depends on the problem space. Are you solving a problem that uses a B2B or B2C solution (or a hybrid)? B2C problems are likely easier to find early adopters, if the problem is of any significance. You likely already have friends who face that problem and would be happy to be an early adopter. For those situations, you just reach out to your social circle and can work from there. I think more work is required for B2B solutions. Linkedin and Facebook probably already have several groups dedicated to the general topic your solution falls under. It's not too difficult to identify people there who are pushing the boundaries of your problem area. These are the low-hanging fruit for finding early adopters. I think networking events, especially if there's a meetup.com group in your area, that are specific to your problem area can be a great place to get some face time with people who might be early adopters. From there, it's a matter of setting up some coffee meetings and talking to those potential early adopters in more depth. Some people like to throw up a landing page with a form to collect email addresses, then throw money at some ads to drive traffic and see if anyone is willing to send their contact info. I think that strategy has it's merits, but I think you lose something by automating the process at that time. I think there's a lot of benefit from the early face time with potential early adopters. I think you can find out a lot more about who might fit the profile of an early adopter, by actually finding out what an early adopter looks like.