It is not enough that innovative firms are proactive in their product development. In order to develop commercially successful products, proactiveness related to the market is required as well. This seems to be a challenge, especially for firms that are developing disruptive innovations, ie innovations that create their own market. This paper examines market proactiveness at the launching of disruptive innovations. The study begins with an introduction to the concept of proactiveness, which gives the context in which the more limited concept of market proactiveness is defined. This is followed by a brief description of the characteristics of disruptive innovations, considered in the light of market proactiveness. Market proactiveness at the launching of a disruptive innovation is then analysed in more detail, with specific emphasis on targeting. Finally, a case study describes how the market was created for a pharmaceutical disruptive innovation, and assesses the role of market proactiveness in this effort.