How We Score
Council evaluates every idea across 5 dimensions, applies penalties for structural risks, and assigns a verdict. Here's exactly how.
The 5 Dimensions
Each scored 0-20, summed to form the base score (0-100)
Team
0-20 points
Perfect founder-market fit, deep domain expertise, complementary skills, prior exits
Good relevant experience, some gaps but manageable
Limited domain experience OR missing critical skills
No relevant experience, solo with no plan to hire gaps
Market
0-20 points
Large proven market, clear buyer, validated willingness to pay
Growing market, identified buyer, payment intent plausible
Uncertain market size, unclear buyer, unvalidated payment
Tiny/shrinking market, no clear buyer
Traction
0-20 points
Revenue with strong retention, multiple paying customers, $10K+ MRR
Users/pilots with engagement, early revenue, significant free usage
Prototype/demo only, no real users
Just an idea, nothing built
Defensibility
0-20 points
Strong moat — network effects, data flywheel, patents, high switching costs
Emerging moat, plausible path to defensibility
Weak moat, easy to replicate, no evidence of stickiness
No moat, commodity play
Timing
0-20 points
Clear market inflection point, regulatory tailwind, technology unlock
Good timing, growing trend, some tailwinds
Neutral timing, no clear catalyst, no visible momentum
Bad timing, headwinds, too early or too late
Base Score
baseScore = Team + Market + Traction + Defensibility + Timing
Range: 0-100
Penalty System
Binary structural checks. Each applied penalty deducts 10 points.
Capital Insufficient
The stated budget covers less than 6 months of estimated burn rate.
Does not apply if founder has demonstrated real traction (paying users, active beta, or MRR).
Founder-Market Mismatch
The founding team lacks critical domain expertise for this specific market.
General tech background does not count for regulated industries (healthcare, finance, legal).
No Distribution
No clear path to first 100 customers. No existing audience, no channel partnerships, no organic strategy.
"We'll do marketing" is not a distribution strategy.
Council Score
councilScore = max(0, baseScore - appliedPenalties × 10)
Verdict Decision Tree
The default verdict is risky. The model must prove a higher verdict is warranted.
STRONG
- •councilScore ≥ 75
- •No penalties
- •Traction ≥ 14
- •Team ≥ 14
- •Defensibility ≥ 11
Reserved for exceptional ideas with proven traction.
PROMISING
- •councilScore 60-79
- •No penalties
- •Traction > 5
- •Team > 8
Solid foundation with clear potential.
RISKY
- •Default verdict
- •Everything else that doesn't qualify for weak
Needs more work before committing resources.
WEAK
- •councilScore < 40
- •OR 3 penalties applied
- •OR any dimension scored 0-1
Fundamental issues that must be resolved first.