Startup Analysis

Job Applicant Analysis

Read references/job-applicant-framework.md for the full evaluation framework.

Core areas to assess:

• Financial stability — Runway, burn rate, funding trajectory, revenue health
• Equity value — Option/equity package analysis, dilution risk, liquidation preferences, realistic exit scenarios
• Career growth — Role scope, learning opportunity, resume value, mentorship
• Culture & work-life — Glassdoor signals, employee tenure data, leadership style
• Product & market risk — Is PMF real? What happens if the startup fails?
• Red flags — High turnover, constant pivots, vague metrics, founders cashing out

Produce a clear Why Join (pros) and Watch Out For (risks). End with a verdict: Strong Pass / Lean Pass / Lean Join / Strong Join, with reasoning.

CEO/Founder Analysis

Read references/ceo-framework.md for the full evaluation framework.

Core areas to assess:

• Product-market fit — Retention curves, organic growth, Sean Ellis test proxy
• Growth efficiency — Burn multiple, CAC payback, magic number
• Competitive position — Moat strength, competitive dynamics, market share trajectory
• Organizational health — Hiring pipeline, attrition, team capability gaps
• Fundraising readiness — Metrics vs. benchmarks for next round, investor narrative
• Strategic risks — Platform dependency, customer concentration, regulatory exposure

Produce a clear Strengths to Double Down On and Urgent Areas to Address. End with a health grade: Critical / Struggling / Stable / Strong / Exceptional, with reasoning.

Step 4: Synthesize Cross-Perspective Insights

After the three analyses, add a synthesis section that highlights:

1. Where perspectives agree — If all three lenses flag the same strength or weakness, it's probably real
2. Where perspectives diverge — A company can be VC-attractive (huge market) but employee-risky (high burn, low runway). Call these out.
3. The bottom line — One paragraph summary: what kind of company is this, what's its most likely trajectory, and what should the user do based on their stated (or implied) situation

Step 5: Present the Report

Write it as a scannable report titled [Company Name] — Startup Analysis:

• Summary — a short overview that states the three verdicts up front.
• One section per perspective, in the order that fits the user's situation from Step 2. Each covers the core areas from Step 3 with the evidence behind every judgment, and ends with its verdict on the scale defined there — Investment Verdict (Strong Pass / Lean Pass / Lean Invest / Strong Invest), Employment Verdict (Strong Pass / Lean Pass / Lean Join / Strong Join), or Health Grade (Critical / Struggling / Stable / Strong / Exceptional) — followed by the reasoning.
• Cross-perspective synthesis — where the lenses agree, where they diverge, and the bottom line.

Scale each section to the evidence: where financials or other areas are opaque, say so in a line and spend the space on what's observable, rather than filling a heading for its own sake. Don't fabricate metrics; make informed inferences and state your confidence level.

Reference Files

• references/vc-framework.md — VC due diligence checklist with metrics, benchmarks, and red/green flags
• references/job-applicant-framework.md — Job seeker evaluation framework with equity analysis and culture assessment
• references/ceo-framework.md — CEO self-assessment framework with operational metrics and strategic analysis

Read these when you need the detailed criteria and benchmarks for each perspective.