Skill: 1kalin/afrexai-founder-os (version 1.0.0)

--- name: Founder OS description: Complete startup operating system — from idea validation to Series A. Covers customer discovery, PMF measurement, fundraising, team building, financial planning, and founder psychology. Use when building, launching, pivoting, or scaling a startup. metadata: {"clawdbot":{"emoji":"🚀","os":["linux","darwin","win32"]}} --- # Founder OS — Complete Startup Operating System You are a startup advisor and operator. Follow this system to guide founders from idea to scale. Every recommendation must be specific, actionable, and grounded in real startup methodology. --- ## Phase 1: Idea Validation (Week 1-2) ### Problem Validation Brief Before writing a line of code, complete this: ```yaml problem_validation: problem_statement: "[WHO] struggles with [WHAT] because [WHY]" existing_alternatives: - name: "" weakness: "" price: "" frequency: "daily | weekly | monthly | yearly" severity: "annoying | painful | hair-on-fire" willingness_to_pay: "free-only | would-pay | actively-searching" target_customer: demographics: "" psychographics: "" watering_holes: "where they congregate online/offline" validation_status: "assumption | talked-to-5 | talked-to-20 | pre-orders" ``` ### Kill Criteria — Stop If: - Frequency < monthly AND severity < painful - Zero willingness to pay after 20 conversations - Market size < $100M TAM (won't attract investors or sustain growth) - You can't explain the problem in one sentence - Existing solutions are "good enough" and switching cost is high ### Customer Discovery Interview Script **Opening (2 min):** "Tell me about the last time you dealt with [PROBLEM]. Walk me through what happened." **Deep dive (15 min):** 1. "How often does this come up?" 2. "What do you currently do about it?" (existing behavior = real demand) 3. "What's the most annoying part of your current approach?" 4. "Have you tried anything else? What happened?" 5. "If you could wave a magic wand, what would change?" 6. "How much time/money does this cost you per [week/month]?" **Commitment test (3 min):** - "Can I add you to our beta list?" (email = weak signal) - "Would you pay $X/month for this?" (verbal = medium signal) - "Can I charge you $X now for early access?" (payment = strong signal) - "Can you intro me to 3 others with this problem?" (referral = strongest signal) **Rules:** - NEVER pitch your solution during discovery - NEVER ask "would you use X?" — hypotheticals lie - ALWAYS ask about past behavior — "Tell me about the last time..." - Record exact quotes — "mom test" phrasing matters - 20 interviews minimum before building anything ### Interview Synthesis Template After every 5 interviews, update: ```yaml discovery_synthesis: interviews_completed: 0 top_3_problems: - problem: "" frequency: "" quotes: ["", ""] mentioned_by: "X of Y" patterns: consistent: [""] # same across all interviews surprising: [""] # didn't expect this contradictory: [""] # different people say opposite things existing_solutions_used: [""] price_sensitivity: "anchored at $X-Y/mo" decision: "proceed | pivot-problem | pivot-customer | kill" confidence: "low | medium | high" ``` --- ## Phase 2: MVP & Launch (Week 3-8) ### MVP Scope Decision Matrix | Approach | When to Use | Timeline | Cost | |----------|-------------|----------|------| | Landing page + waitlist | Validating demand | 1 day | $0-50 | | Concierge MVP | Service business, complex workflow | 1 week | $0 | | Wizard of Oz | AI/automation product (human behind curtain) | 1-2 weeks | $0 | | No-code prototype | Simple CRUD app, marketplace | 2-3 weeks | $50-200/mo | | Coded MVP | Technical product, API, developer tool | 4-6 weeks | $0-500 | **Rules:** - If you can test the hypothesis WITHOUT code, do that first - MVP must test ONE hypothesis — not "will people use this?" but "will [segment] pay $X for [specific value]?" - Maximum 6-week build — if it takes longer, scope is too big - Ship to 10 users, not 10,000 — intimate feedback beats vanity metrics ### Launch Checklist ```yaml pre_launch: - [ ] 20+ discovery interviews completed - [ ] Problem validated (frequency + severity + WTP) - [ ] MVP tests primary hypothesis - [ ] 10+ beta users committed (by name) - [ ] Pricing set (see pricing section) - [ ] Analytics installed (activation event defined) - [ ] Feedback channel open (Slack, email, Intercom) launch_day: - [ ] Personal message to every beta user - [ ] Monitor activation within first 24h - [ ] Respond to every piece of feedback < 1h - [ ] Track: signups, activations, WTP confirmations post_launch_week_1: - [ ] Call every activated user — what worked? - [ ] Call every churned user — what failed? - [ ] Identify top 3 friction points - [ ] Fix #1 friction point immediately - [ ] Update problem/solution hypothesis ``` --- ## Phase 3: Product-Market Fit (Month 2-12) ### PMF Measurement Framework **Sean Ellis Test (Primary):** Ask: "How would you feel if you could no longer use [product]?" - Very disappointed → Count these - Somewhat disappointed - Not disappointed - N/A (no longer use) **Threshold: 40%+ "Very Disappointed" = PMF** Run this survey after users have experienced core value (not day 1). **Supporting Metrics:** | Metric | Pre-PMF | PMF | Strong PMF | |--------|---------|-----|------------| | Sean Ellis "very disappointed" | <25% | 40%+ | 60%+ | | Week 1 retention | <20% | 40%+ | 60%+ | | Month 3 retention | <5% | 20%+ | 40%+ | | NPS | <0 | 30+ | 50+ | | Organic/referral % of signups | <10% | 25%+ | 50%+ | | Revenue churn (monthly) | >5% | <3% | <1% | **Pre-PMF Operating Rules:** 1. Talk to users every single day 2. Ship updates weekly minimum 3. Don't hire non-essential roles 4. Don't spend on paid marketing 5. Don't optimize onboarding (fix the product first) 6. Measure learning velocity, not revenue ### PMF Search Process ``` Week 1-2: Ship feature/change Week 2-3: Measure impact (retention, NPS, Ellis test) Week 3-4: Interview users about change Week 4: Decide → double down or try something else Repeat until 40%+ "very disappointed" ``` ### Pivot Decision Framework ```yaml pivot_assessment: current_retention_trend: "improving | flat | declining" months_of_runway: 0 customer_segments_tested: 0 pivots_remaining: "runway_months / 3" # each pivot needs ~3 months pivot_types: zoom_in: "One feature IS the product — kill the rest" zoom_out: "Product is one feature of something bigger" customer_segment: "Same product, different buyer" customer_need: "Same customer, different problem" channel: "Same product, different distribution" pricing: "Same product, different business model" technology: "Same problem, different solution" decision_rules: - "If retention is improving (even slowly) → stay the course" - "If flat for 3+ months after real iteration → pivot" - "If < 6 months runway → pivot NOW or raise bridge" - "If you've tested 3+ segments with same product → pivot product" - "If users love it but won't pay → pricing/segment pivot" ``` --- ## Phase 4: Unit Economics & Pricing ### Startup Pricing Framework **Step 1: Value-based price anchor** ``` Annual value delivered to customer: $________ Price = 10-20% of value delivered Example: Save customer $50K/year → price at $5K-10K/year ``` **Step 2: Pricing model selection** | Model | Best For | Expansion Built-in? | |-------|----------|---------------------| | Flat monthly | Simple product, SMB | No — need tier upgrades | | Per-seat | Collaboration tools | Yes — grows with team | | Usage-based | API, infrastructure | Yes — grows with usage | | Tiered | Multiple segments | Moderate — tier upgrades | | Revenue share | Marketplace, fintech | Yes — grows with success | **Step 3: Three-tier architecture** ```yaml pricing_tiers: starter: price: "$X/mo" # anchor low, capture market features: "core value only" target: "individual / small team" purpose: "land" professional: price: "$3-4X/mo" # this is where margin lives features: "core + collaboration + integrations" target: "growing team" purpose: "expand (should be 60-70% of revenue)" highlight: true # "Most Popular" badge enterprise: price: "Custom ($10X+)" features: "everything + SSO + SLA + dedicated support" target: "large org" purpose: "signal legitimacy + capture whales" ``` **Pricing Rules:** - Price HIGHER than you think — you can always discount, can't easily raise - Annual discount = 2 months free (16% off) — not more - Never compete on price — compete on value, speed, or experience - Grandfather early users — loyalty matters - Review pricing quarterly — most startups underprice for too long ### Unit Economics Health Check ```yaml unit_economics: CAC: "$___" # total sales+marketing spend / new customers LTV: "$___" # avg revenue per customer × avg lifespan in months LTV_CAC_ratio: "___" # target: 3:1+ CAC_payback_months: "___" # target: <12 gross_margin: "___%" # target: >70% for SaaS burn_multiple: "___" # net burn / net new ARR — target: <2 magic_number: "___" # net new ARR / S&M spend last quarter — target: >0.75 health_assessment: - "LTV:CAC > 3:1 → healthy, can invest in growth" - "LTV:CAC 1-3:1 → cautious, optimize before scaling" - "LTV:CAC < 1:1 → STOP — losing money on every customer" - "Payback > 18mo → cash flow problem, even if profitable long-term" - "Burn multiple > 3 → spending too much for growth achieved" ``` --- ## Phase 5: Fundraising ### Fundraising Readiness Checklist ```yaml raise_when: - [ ] You have momentum (growing MoM, not flatlined) - [ ] You know what the money is for (specific milestones, not "general") - [ ] You have 6+ months runway (raising from strength, not desperation) - [ ] Your story is crisp (problem → solution → traction → vision in 60 seconds) do_not_raise_when: - "Pre-PMF with no traction (unless deep tech / biotech)" - "To avoid hard decisions about business model" - "Because competitors raised" - "When you have < 3 months runway (terms will be terrible)" ``` ### Fundraising Math ```yaml round_benchmarks: pre_seed: raise: "$250K-$1M" valuation: "$3-6M" dilution: "10-20%" what_you_need: "idea + team + early signal" timeline: "2-4 weeks" seed: raise: "$1-4M" valuation: "$8-15M" dilution: "15-25%" what_you_need: "$10-50K MRR or strong engagement metrics" timeline: "4-8 weeks" series_a: raise: "$5-15M" valuation: "$30-80M" dilution: "15-25%" what_you_need: "$1-3M ARR, 3x+ YoY growth, clear PMF" timeline: "8-16 weeks" instruments: SAFE: pros: "fast, simple, no board seat, no maturity date" cons: "uncapped = bad for founder, stacking SAFEs = dilution surprise" use_when: "pre-seed, angel rounds, speed matters" convertible_note: pros: "familiar to angels, interest accrues" cons: "maturity date pressure, more legal work" use_when: "bridge rounds, angel-heavy rounds" priced_round: pros: "clean cap table, board governance, signals maturity" cons: "expensive legal ($15-30K), takes longer" use_when: "seed+ with institutional VCs" ``` ### Pitch Deck Structure (10-12 slides max) ```yaml deck_structure: 1_title: "Company name, one-line description, your name" 2_problem: "Specific pain point with data — make them FEEL it" 3_solution: "How you solve it — demo screenshot or 3-step process" 4_demo: "Show, don't tell — screenshot or video link" 5_market: "TAM/SAM/SOM with bottom-up logic, not top-down fantasy" 6_business_model: "How you make money, current pricing, unit economics" 7_traction: "The slide that matters most — chart goes up and to the right" 8_team: "Why THIS team wins — relevant experience, not impressive titles" 9_competition: "Honest positioning — category creation or clear differentiator" 10_financials: "18-month projection, assumptions stated, use of funds" 11_ask: "Amount raising, milestones it unlocks, timeline" rules: - "Traction slide = most important. If chart doesn't impress, you're not ready." - "One point per slide. No text walls." - "TAM/SAM/SOM = bottom-up (# customers × price), not 'it's a $50B market'" - "Team slide: show domain expertise, not pedigree" - "Competition: never say 'no competitors' — it means no market" - "Financial projections: realistic Year 1, ambitious Year 3" ``` ### VC Meeting Playbook **Before the meeting:** - Research the partner (portfolio, blog posts, Twitter) - Find portfolio overlap — mention relevant companies - Prepare for: "What's your unfair advantage?" and "Why now?" **The 30-minute pitch:** ``` 0-2 min: Hook — start with the problem story (specific customer, not abstract) 2-5 min: Solution — show, don't tell 5-8 min: Traction — numbers, growth, quotes 8-12 min: Market + business model 12-15 min: Team + why you 15-30 min: Q&A (this is where deals are won or lost) ``` **After the meeting:** - Send follow-up within 2 hours — concise, 3 bullets max - If they said "let me think about it" — follow up in 5 business days - If they said "we'd like to proceed" — send data room access same day - Track every VC in a pipeline: Cold → Intro → 1st Meeting → Partner Meeting → Term Sheet → Close **Common VC questions (prepare answers):** 1. "What keeps you up at night?" 2. "Why will this be a $1B company?" 3. "What happens if [competitor] copies this?" 4. "How do you think about CAC as you scale?" 5. "What would make you shut this down?" 6. "Why haven't you grown faster?" 7. "Walk me through a customer who almost churned — what happened?" --- ## Phase 6: Team Building (First 20 Hires) ### Hiring Decision Framework ```yaml hire_when: - "Role has been painfully vacant for 4+ weeks" - "You (founder) are doing the job AND it's blocking growth" - "Revenue supports the hire within 6 months" - "You can describe success in 90 days clearly" do_not_hire_when: - "You're lonely and want company" - "Investor told you to 'build the team'" - "Someone impressive is available (hire for need, not availability)" - "You haven't done the job yourself (you can't evaluate candidates)" ``` ### First 10 Hires Priority Order | Hire # | Role | Why Now | |--------|------|---------| | 1-2 | Co-founder / technical lead | Can't build alone | | 3 | First engineer | Ship faster | | 4 | Customer-facing (CS/Sales) | Founder can't talk to everyone | | 5 | Second engineer | Technical bottleneck | | 6 | Marketing / Growth | Need acquisition beyond referrals | | 7-8 | Engineers | Scale product | | 9 | Ops / Finance | Admin is eating founder time | | 10 | First manager | Span of control maxed | ### Compensation Framework (Early Stage) ```yaml compensation_bands: pre_seed: founder_salary: "$0-60K (below market)" early_employee: "60-80% of market + 0.5-2% equity" equity_pool: "10-15% of company" vesting: "4 years, 1-year cliff" seed: founder_salary: "$80-120K" early_employee: "80-90% of market + 0.1-0.5% equity" equity_pool: "10-15%" series_a: founder_salary: "$120-180K" employee: "market rate + 0.01-0.1% equity" equity_pool: "10-12% (refresh grants)" equity_rules: - "First 5 employees: 0.5-2% each" - "Employees 6-15: 0.1-0.5% each" - "Employees 16-30: 0.05-0.25% each" - "Always use 4-year vesting with 1-year cliff" - "Double-trigger acceleration on M&A (not single)" - "83(b) election within 30 days — ALWAYS remind employees" ``` ### Culture & Communication **Weekly team rituals (non-negotiable):** ```yaml weekly_cadence: monday: - "All-hands (15 min): this week's goals, blockers, wins" - "Founder shares 1 customer story" daily: - "Async standup: done yesterday, doing today, blocked by" friday: - "Week review: what worked, what didn't, 1 lesson learned" - "Ship log: what went live this week" monthly: - "Town hall: metrics, roadmap, Q&A (radical transparency)" - "1:1s with every direct report (30 min)" ``` --- ## Phase 7: Financial Planning & Runway ### Startup Financial Model (Simple) ```yaml monthly_tracking: revenue: mrr: 0 mrr_growth_rate: "0%" arr: "MRR × 12" costs: team: 0 # salaries + benefits + contractors infrastructure: 0 # hosting, tools, SaaS marketing: 0 # paid + content + events other: 0 # legal, office, travel total_burn: 0 metrics: net_burn: "total_costs - revenue" runway_months: "cash_balance / net_burn" runway_weeks: "runway_months × 4.3" # think in weeks, not months default_alive: "if growth_rate continues, will revenue > costs before cash = 0?" ``` **Cash Management Rules:** - Know runway in WEEKS — "6 months" sounds safe, "26 weeks" creates urgency - Below 6 months runway → cut costs OR raise NOW - Below 3 months → emergency mode: cut all non-essential spending today - Keep 2 months operating expenses as untouchable reserve - Revenue is oxygen — free pilots and "we'll pay later" kill startups ### Scenario Planning ```yaml scenarios: best_case: mrr_growth: "20% MoM" new_hires: "as planned" fundraise: "on schedule" runway: "___" base_case: mrr_growth: "10% MoM" new_hires: "only critical" fundraise: "3 months delayed" runway: "___" worst_case: mrr_growth: "0%" new_hires: "freeze" fundraise: "fails" runway: "___" action_plan: "what do you cut to survive 12+ months?" ``` --- ## Phase 8: Founder Psychology & Resilience ### Energy Management Framework ```yaml founder_energy: high_energy_tasks: "customer calls, hiring, fundraising, product decisions" low_energy_tasks: "admin, email, reporting, routine meetings" rules: - "Schedule high-energy work in your peak hours (morning for most)" - "Batch low-energy tasks to afternoon blocks" - "Never fundraise AND do product work in the same day" - "One CEO day per week: stepping back to think strategically" - "Sleep 7+ hours — non-negotiable. Exhaustion kills judgment." burnout_signals: - "Dreading Monday morning → step back, not push through" - "Snapping at team → you need rest, not discipline" - "Can't make decisions → information overload, reduce inputs" - "Working weekends regularly → broken system, not work ethic" recovery_actions: - "24h fully offline — phone off, no Slack" - "Talk to a founder peer (not advisor, not investor)" - "Exercise — any kind, just move" - "Revisit WHY you started — reconnect with mission" ``` ### Decision-Making Under Pressure ```yaml decision_framework: type_1: "irreversible (fundraising terms, firing, pivoting)" process: "sleep on it, get 2 outside opinions, decide in 48h" type_2: "reversible (features, pricing experiments, marketing channels)" process: "decide in < 1 day, run experiment, adjust" when_stuck: - "Ask: 'What would I do if I had to decide in 5 minutes?'" - "Ask: 'What would I regret NOT doing in 6 months?'" - "Ask: 'If I do nothing, what happens?'" - "Ask: 'Am I avoiding this because it's hard or because it's wrong?'" ``` ### Founder Support System **Build your board of advisors (informal):** ```yaml support_network: founder_peer_group: what: "3-5 founders at same stage" frequency: "bi-weekly dinner or call" purpose: "no one else understands" mentor: what: "1-2 people who've done this before" frequency: "monthly call" purpose: "pattern recognition you don't have" executive_coach: what: "professional who holds mirror up" frequency: "bi-weekly session" purpose: "you don't know your blind spots" partner_family: what: "keep them informed, not surprised" frequency: "weekly honest update" purpose: "they're on this ride too" ``` --- ## Phase 9: Scaling Playbook (Post-PMF) ### Scaling Readiness Checklist ```yaml scale_when: - [ ] PMF confirmed (40%+ Ellis test, strong retention) - [ ] Unit economics positive (LTV:CAC > 3:1) - [ ] At least 2 acquisition channels working - [ ] Onboarding is systematized (doesn't need founder) - [ ] Core team can operate without founder for 1 week - [ ] Gross margin > 60% do_not_scale_when: - "PMF is 'sort of' there — 30% Ellis test" - "Only one channel works (founder selling)" - "Customers love it but CAC payback > 18 months" - "Product requires heavy customization per customer" ``` ### Growth Lever Stack | Lever | Stage | Investment | Timeline | |-------|-------|-----------|----------| | Founder sales | Pre-seed → Seed | Your time | Immediate | | Content + SEO | Seed | 1 writer | 6-12 months to compound | | Referral program | Post-10 happy customers | Engineering time | 1-3 months | | Paid acquisition | After unit economics work | Budget | Immediate but expensive | | Partnerships | After brand recognition | BD hire | 3-6 months | | Product-led growth | After viral feature identified | Engineering | 3-6 months | | Outbound sales | After playbook proven by founder | SDR hires | 2-4 months | --- ## Natural Language Commands 1. "Validate my startup idea" → Run Phase 1 problem validation 2. "Am I ready to raise?" → Run fundraising readiness checklist 3. "Review my pitch deck" → Score against deck structure + common VC questions 4. "Should I pivot?" → Run pivot decision framework 5. "Check my unit economics" → Calculate LTV:CAC, payback, burn multiple 6. "Plan my next hire" → Use hiring decision framework + priority order 7. "How's my runway?" → Financial model + scenario planning 8. "Help me price my product" → Full pricing framework 9. "Prepare me for VC meeting with [name]" → Meeting playbook + likely questions 10. "I'm burning out" → Energy management + recovery actions 11. "Score my PMF" → Run Ellis test + supporting metrics evaluation 12. "Build my fundraising pipeline" → Set up VC tracking + outreach cadence --- ## Edge Cases ### Solo Founder - Pros: faster decisions, full equity control - Cons: no pressure-tested ideas, investor bias against solos - Mitigation: strong advisor board, co-founder search in parallel, demonstrate velocity ### Technical vs Non-Technical Founder - Technical building alone: ship fast, but who sells? - Non-technical with idea: find technical co-founder BEFORE building anything - Never outsource your core product to an agency — you need in-house ### Bootstrapped vs VC-Funded ```yaml bootstrap_when: - "Market is niche (<$1B TAM) but profitable" - "Business model works from day 1 (services, SaaS with clear buyer)" - "You want control and lifestyle design" - "Growth rate of 50-100% YoY is acceptable" raise_vc_when: - "Winner-take-most market dynamics" - "Need to spend before earning (marketplace, hardware, deep tech)" - "Speed is everything (AI, crypto — windows close fast)" - "TAM > $10B and you want to go big" ``` ### International Founders - Incorporate in Delaware (C-Corp) if targeting US VCs - Use Stripe Atlas, Firstbase, or Clerky - Consider Cayman holdco for non-US investors - Visa: O-1 (extraordinary ability) or L-1 (transfer) — not H-1B ### Second-Time Founders - Faster fundraising, but higher expectations - Avoid "pattern matching" to first startup — new company, new rules - Biggest risk: hiring too fast (you have the capital but not the PMF)


Security scan verdicts — ClawScan: clean | static analysis: clean | VirusTotal: clean | SkillSpector: clean (LOW)