| Name | Tags |
|---|---|
What led to the formation of this company? | Team |
Does the team have operating experience to measure? | Team |
What is the quality of the previous operating experience? | Team |
Do they have prior experience managing teams? | Team |
What are the founders’ unique skillsets to tackle this problem? | Team |
Do the founders have complimentary skill sets? | Team |
Can the founders work together? | Team |
How did the founders meet? | Team |
What is the expected window of opportunity for each founder (how long can they go with suppressed income)? | Team |
Is this an authentic idea that is true to the founders’ passion or a hollow attempt to make money? | Team |
Have the founders hired somebody before? | Team |
Do the founders have a network that allows them access to talent? | Team |
Are the founders charismatic enough to attract talent? | Team |
Are the founders based in a market that allows them access to talent? | Team |
Is the business model clear? | Business |
Who within the organization are you selling to? | Business |
Why do users care about the product / service you are offering? | Business |
Does the targeted person / role have authority to make purchasing decisions? | Business |
What is the value proposition? | Business |
Is the value created easy to measure or will it take time to market the ROI? | Business |
What organizations / people are you selling to? | Business |
What is the customer profile (role within the organization; demographics)? | Business |
What steps need to happen in order for a buying decision to be made? | Business |
Will target customers be able and willing to pay a fair price for your product? | Business |
Who is the largest customer today? | Business |
Who are the competitors? | Business |
Are you a first mover? | Business |
Is the product better, cheaper, or faster than existing solutions? | Business |
Is the product incrementally better or 10x better than alternatives? | Business |
What features do you offer that your competitors do not? | Business |
Why do your users care about these features? | Business |
What is your competitive advantage? | Business |
How defensible is this advantage? | Business |
How easy is it to replicate your competitive advantage? | Business |
Why would a buyer leave a competitor for you? | Business |
Is the company building on top of other platforms? | Business |
What is their relationship with the platform they are building on top of? | Business |
Are you selling into an existing market, or are you creating a market? | Market |
Is the market large enough to for the company to capture a significant chunk of it? | Market |
What are the megatrends over the past 24 months that lead you to believe this is an expanding market? | Market |
Is there a shift in consumer behavior that strengthens this market? | Market |
What are the barriers to entry? | Market |
How strong are the barriers to entry? | Market |
Are there regulatory challenges within the sector? | Market |
Has investor interest increased or cooled off over the past few quarters? | Market |
Have investors already invested in a competitor? | Market |
Is the timing right and why? | Market |
Have other similar companies been formed before? | Market |
Why have other similar companies failed? | Market |
How much progress has been made towards product development? | Tech |
Does the company have to create new tech, or are they building off of existing infrastructure? | Tech |
Has the product been built in house, or is it outsourced? | Tech |
Who is in charge of development? | Tech |
Are there any patents pending or issued? | Tech |
What is the product roadmap, and what new features are users asking for? | Tech |
Is the product roadmap realistic and can it be executed in the proposed timeframe? | Tech |
Can the largest customer influence pricing, product roadmap, etc.? | Tech |
How much money does the company have in the bank? | Financials |
What is the current monthly burn? | Financials |
What is the burn rate going towards? | Financials |
Does the company have enough time to meet its proposed goals? | Financials |
How much runway does the company have before requiring additional money? | Financials |
Is revenue assumed, or is there evidence that people / customers will buy your product / service? | Financials |
Are customer contracts prepaid or not? | Financials |
Are there different pricing tiers? | Financials |
If there are different pricing tiers, which tier is most popular? | Financials |
What metrics are you tracking? | Financials |
How have these metrics changed over the past year? | Financials |
Why are you focusing on these metrics? | Financials |
What is the trailing top line growth over the past year? | Financials |
What are the projected growth rates? | Financials |
What assumptions are driving growth rates? | Financials |
What percentage of revenue does the largest customer contribute? | Financials |
How were existing customers / clients sourced? | Financials |
What are the churn / retention numbers? | Financials |
Have much of the company is still controlled by the founders? | Financials |
How large is the ESOP (employee stock option plan)? | Financials |
How are you planning to market to the specific users you are targeting? | Strategy |
What is your customer acquisition strategy cost today, and how do you see this strategy evolving? | Strategy |
How are you recuperating the acquisition costs? | Strategy |
Is there an opportunity to up-sell or cross-sell, or will LTV of the customer be derived from recurring revenue streams? | Strategy |
What steps are being taken to ensure you are solvent enough to reach your next milestones? | Strategy |
What are the biggest holes in your business today, and what steps are you taking to fill them? | Strategy |
Are product plans in the direct path of the platform, or is it complementary? | Tech |
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