Strategy 2013

Investment Readiness Level

A nine-rung ladder of evidence a venture climbs before it's ready to raise.

What it is

Nine levels run from completing a business model canvas and clarifying assumptions (Level 1) through validating problem-solution fit, prototyping an MVP, validating product-market fit and the revenue model, scaled MVP testing, validating operational scalability, and finally scaling on key metrics (Level 9). Each level is a rung earned with actual evidence, not a demo.

Reach for it when

• A founder pitching investors on enthusiasm with no evidence of which milestone was actually hit
• A team that keeps saying 'we've validated it' without agreeing what that means
• An investor conversation that needs a common language instead of a slide of adjectives

Running it

1. Arrange a relaxed environment with materials for a 15 to 30 minute session.
2. Assess the venture's current level critically, against the evidence actually in hand, not the story being told.
3. Identify the specific prerequisites still missing for the next level up.
4. Plan the fastest credible path from the current level to the next one, and use that as this cycle's target.