[dubeye]

It depends on how you define competition. If you define it as something other than actual customer demand, then Of course, this isn't validating.

Lots of companies successfully raising funds isn't market validation, but who ever said it was?

[FranklinJabar]

> something other than actual customer demand, then Of course, this isn't validating

This is tautological as there is no other way of reading customer demand than the market. Otherwise, I suspect, the vast majority of customer demand would not be available to purchase at all.