Founder Skill

Founder Skill

Router skill for startup workflows. Detects task type and routes to appropriate workflow that produces usable artifacts.

When This Skill Activates

You're working on:

• Validating a product idea or value proposition
• Calculating market size (TAM/​SAM/​SOM)
• Analyzing competitive landscape or threats
• Building or evaluating a pitch deck
• Preparing for investor meetings
• Modeling unit economics, projections, or cash flow
• Planning a product launch
• Creating board reports or updates

Workflow Selection

Announce which workflow you're using before starting:

Related Thinking Tools

From hope/​skills/​soul/​references/​tools/:

From this skill's references/:

Dimensions

This skill has multiple configuration dimensions. See compatibility-matrix.md for:

• Workflow x Stage (Pre-Seed to Growth)
• Validation Verdict x Next Workflow
• Pitch Deck x Audience
• Financial Model Depth x Funding Stage
• Board Report x Company Health
• Market Size Approach x Market Type
• Launch Phase x Traction Level

Use ✓✓ combinations when possible; avoid ✗ combinations.

Usage

1. Detect which workflow applies based on user's task
2. Check compatibility matrix for dimension compatibility
3. Announce: "I'm using the founder skill for [workflow]"
4. Load the appropriate reference file
5. Execute the workflow with confirmation gates (see below)
6. Produce the specified artifact

Confirmation Gates

Multi-step workflows pause at checkpoints to prevent wasted work when intent drifts.

Gate Points:

Skip gates: Say "proceed without confirmation" to run uninterrupted.

In workflows: Each reference file should pause at these points:

### Phase 2: Analysis

[... phase content ...]

⚠️ **CHECKPOINT**: Present findings summary. Ask: "Does this capture the key insights? Any adjustments before I continue?"

Artifact Tooling

After generating markdown artifacts, users can convert them:

Rules

• Always ask clarifying questions before generating artifacts
• Produce complete, usable outputs (not partial drafts)
• Use Marp format for all slide decks
• Use markdown tables for spreadsheet data (easy paste)
• Be brutally honest in evaluations (2% YC acceptance rate mindset)
• Include confidence levels and key assumptions

Quality Footer (Required for High-Stakes Outputs)

All validation, pitch, and financial outputs MUST end with:

---
| Confidence | X-Y% |
| Key Assumption | [What would change this verdict] |
| Reversibility | Type 2A/​2B/​1 |

Verdict rules:

• GO verdict requires ≥70% confidence
• ITERATE requires identifying specific unknowns to resolve
• KILL must cite specific evidence, not intuition

Common Rationalizations (All Wrong)