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Startup Investability Score
Evaluate your startup from a VC's perspective. Identify strengths and weaknesses in your team, market, traction, and defensibility.
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Rate each area from 1 (weak) to 10 (world class), then calculate. You get a weighted score out of 10 and where it comes from.
Methodology and scoring
How VCs Score Startups
This calculator uses a weighted average of the four most critical factors venture capitalists evaluate. The weights reflect the relative importance of each factor for early-stage companies (Seed to Series A).
1. Team (30%)
For early-stage startups, the team is the biggest risk and biggest asset. Investors look for founder-market fit, technical capability, sales ability, and resilience.
2. Market (25%)
VCs need massive outcomes to return their funds. They look for large ($1B+) and growing markets. A great team in a small market is capped; an average team in a booming market can sometimes succeed.
3. Product-Market Fit (25%)
Evidence that customers love your product. Measured by growth, retention, engagement, and revenue. This validates that you are solving a real problem.
4. Moat / Defensibility (20%)
What stops Google or a funded competitor from cloning you? Network effects, proprietary data, complex tech, or brand affinity create long-term value.
Overall Score = (Team × 0.30) + (Market × 0.25) + (PMF × 0.25) + (Moat × 0.20)
Questions
- What makes a startup investable?
- Investable startups minimize risk while maximizing potential return. They have a credible team (execution risk addressed), a huge market (market risk addressed), and early signs of traction (product risk addressed). The "story" connects these dots convincingly.
- How do VCs evaluate early-stage companies?
- At Pre-Seed and Seed, evaluation is almost entirely qualitative: "Do we believe these founders can build this future?" As you move to Series A and B, evaluation becomes quantitative: "Do the metrics prove the business model works at scale?"
- Can a low score still raise funding?
- Yes, especially if one area is an outlier "10/10". For example, a repeat founder with a billion-dollar exit (Team: 10) can often raise money with just an idea (PMF: 1). However, weakness in all areas usually prevents funding.
- How should founders use investability scores?
- Use the score to identify your weakest link. If your Market score is low, consider pivoting to a bigger problem. If PMF is low, focus on customer discovery before pitching investors. Fix the holes in your boat before trying to sail across the ocean.
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