startup-analysis

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name: startup-analysis description: > Analyze a startup from three perspectives: VC investor, job applicant, and CEO/founder. Use this skill whenever the user wants to evaluate a startup, assess whether to invest in or join a startup, do due diligence, evaluate a job offer from a startup, understand a startup's competitive position, or assess company health and trajectory. Triggers: "analyze this startup", "should I join [company]", "is [company] a good investment", "evaluate [company]", "due diligence on [company]", "what do you think of [startup]", "should I take this startup job offer", "how healthy is [company]", "startup assessment", "company analysis", "is [company] worth joining", "what's the outlook for [company]", "research [company] for me", any mention of evaluating or assessing a startup or tech company from investment, career, or strategic perspectives — provide all three perspectives by default.

Startup Analysis

Produces a multi-perspective analysis of a startup, examining it through three lenses that each reveal different aspects of company health and potential:

1. VC Investor Lens — Is this a good investment? Market size, unit economics, growth trajectory, team quality, defensibility
2. Job Applicant Lens — Should I work here? Equity value, runway risk, culture signals, career growth, compensation fairness
3. CEO/Founder Lens — How healthy is this company? Product-market fit, burn efficiency, competitive moat, organizational health

Each perspective surfaces insights the others miss. A company can be a great investment but a terrible place to work (or vice versa). The goal is to give the user a 360-degree view so they can make informed decisions.

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Step 1: Gather Information

Before analyzing, collect as much public information as possible about the startup. Use web search, the company's website, Crunchbase data, press coverage, and any other available sources.

Key data to gather:

Category	What to find
Basics	Founded year, HQ location, employee count, what the product does
Funding	Total raised, last round (size, date, valuation if known), key investors
Product	What they sell, who buys it, pricing model, key competitors
Traction	Users, revenue (if public), growth signals, notable customers
Team	Founders' backgrounds, key hires, LinkedIn headcount trends
Market	Industry, market size estimates, tailwinds/headwinds
News	Recent press, product launches, partnerships, layoffs, pivots

If certain data isn't publicly available (e.g., revenue for private companies), note the gap and infer what you can from indirect signals (hiring pace, customer logos, web traffic proxies, job postings).

When information is insufficient

Many startups — especially early-stage or niche ones — have limited public presence. If web search does not return enough information to produce a meaningful analysis (e.g., you can't determine what the company does, who founded it, or how it's funded), ask the user to provide the company's website URL before proceeding. The company website is often the single most information-dense source, and reading it directly (about page, pricing page, team page, blog) can fill most gaps.

You can also ask the user for:

• The company's website or landing page URL
• A Crunchbase, LinkedIn, or PitchBook link
• Any pitch deck, job listing, or press article they have
• Specific context they already know (e.g., "they just raised a Series A from Sequoia")

It is better to ask for a URL and produce an accurate analysis than to guess and produce a misleading one.

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Step 2: Determine Which Perspectives to Cover

By default, produce all three perspectives. If the user specifies a particular angle (e.g., "I'm considering joining them" or "should I invest"), emphasize that perspective but still include the others as context — they often reveal relevant information.

User's situation	Primary perspective	Still include
Considering investing	VC Investor	Job Applicant (talent signal), CEO (operational health)
Considering a job offer	Job Applicant	VC Investor (funding runway), CEO (strategic direction)
Running the company / advisory	CEO/Founder	VC Investor (how investors see you), Job Applicant (talent attractiveness)
General curiosity / research	All equally	—

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Step 3: Analyze from Each Perspective

Read the relevant reference files for the detailed framework for each perspective. These contain the specific criteria, metrics, and red/green flags to evaluate.

VC Investor Analysis

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

Core areas to assess:

• Market opportunity — TAM/SAM/SOM, market timing, secular trends
• Product & traction — Product-market fit signals, growth metrics, retention
• **Unit econom