Startup Investment Scorecard
Introduction
Team
Market
Product & Tech
Financials & Model
Exit & Risk
Summary & Score
Welcome to the Startup Investment Scorecard
This tool helps you evaluate startup investment opportunities by scoring them across key categories. Provide your assessment for each criterion, and the tool will generate an overall score and a detailed report.
Use this scorecard to systematically analyze potential investments and identify their strengths and weaknesses.
Click "Next" to begin your evaluation.
Team Assessment
Evaluate the founding team's experience, skills, and overall capability.
Founding Team Experience:
Limited (No relevant prior experience)
Moderate (Some relevant experience)
Strong (Relevant industry experience, prior startup roles)
Exceptional (Serial entrepreneurs with successful exits)
Team Completeness & Balance:
Significant gaps (Missing key functional roles)
Some gaps (Needs crucial hires)
Well-rounded (Covers main functional areas)
Exceptional (Covers all bases, strong advisory board)
Team Adaptability & Coachability:
Resistant to feedback, rigid approach
Sometimes open, but can be rigid
Open to feedback, adaptable
Highly adaptable, actively seeks mentorship
Market Assessment
Assess the market opportunity, its size, growth, and competitive landscape.
Total Addressable Market (TAM) Size:
Small (< $100M)
Medium ($100M - $1B)
Large ($1B - $10B)
Very Large (>$10B)
Market Growth Potential:
Stagnant or declining
Low growth (0-5% annually)
Moderate growth (5-15% annually)
High growth (>15% annually)
Competitive Landscape:
Highly saturated, fierce competition
Established players, niche available
Moderate competition, clear differentiation
Emerging market, few direct competitors, strong barriers
Product & Technology
Evaluate the product-market fit, innovation, and technological defensibility.
Problem & Solution Clarity:
Unclear problem, generic solution
Problem identified, solution needs refinement
Clear problem, effective solution offered
Critical problem, highly innovative and unique solution
Product Traction & Validation:
Concept only, no validation
Prototype, minimal user feedback
MVP with early users/customers, some data
Strong early traction, significant user/customer growth, positive reviews
Technological Defensibility / IP:
Easily replicable, no IP
Some proprietary tech, weak IP protection
Defensible technology, pending patents/strong trade secrets
Strong patents, unique algorithms, network effects, significant IP
Financials & Business Model
Assess the business model viability, financial health, and projections.
Business Model Viability & Scalability:
Unclear path to revenue, limited scalability
Some revenue streams, scaling challenges
Clear revenue model, good scalability potential
Highly scalable, diverse revenue streams, clear path to profitability
Financial Projections & Use of Funds:
Unrealistic, poorly justified assumptions
Optimistic, some assumptions vague
Realistic, well-justified assumptions, clear milestones
Conservative, detailed, transparent use of funds, strong financial discipline
Current Financial Health (if applicable):
Negative cash flow, high burn, no clear path
Managing burn, some early revenue
Stable burn, growing revenue, sufficient runway
Cash flow positive or clear path within 12-18 months, healthy balance sheet
Exit Strategy & Risk
Evaluate potential exit pathways and overall risks associated with the investment.
Exit Strategy Potential:
No clear exit path, limited M&A activity in sector
Possible distant acquisition, small market
Clear potential for strategic acquisition in 5-7 years
Multiple viable exit paths (e.g., IPO, strong strategic acquisition candidates)
Overall Risk Assessment:
Extremely High Risk (significant red flags)
High Risk (multiple major challenges)
Moderate Risk (typical startup risks, manageable)
Lower Risk (strong fundamentals, mitigated major risks)
Summary & Score
Review your assessment and see the calculated overall investment score for this startup.
Startup Investment Scorecard Report
Report Date:
Calculate Score
Download PDF Report
Previous
Next
