BEFORE & AFTER.
These are real founders I've coached. Anonymised, but the scores are real. Every one of them went from the red to the green, and every one of them closed their round.
Was getting vague rejections like "too early" even though the business was ready. The business didn't change, the narrative, network, and process did. Mapped 150+ investors, activated 100+ warm intros, and manufactured real competition.
First-time founder raising for two companies simultaneously. Story was scattered, network was nonexistent. Built a disciplined pipeline that created enough momentum for a $3M preemptive offer he never asked for.
Had raised before, and still called this a game changer. Experience doesn't equal good process. Previous rounds dragged for months. This time: week-by-week plan, compressed timeline, clear deadline.
Pitched like a researcher, not a founder. First raise was chaotic and felt like luck. Second raise: 70+ investors mapped by thesis fit, structured process with clear stages. Night and day.
Every VC automatically said no to hardware. Reframed the stigma as a competitive moat, "hardware complexity is what keeps competitors out." Expanded network to hardware-friendly funds. Closed despite the bias.
AVG AFTER: 84
4 out of 5 started below 35. All 5 finished above 82. All 5 closed their rounds. The weakest pillar was always Network or Process, never Narrative. Founders overinvest in their pitch and underinvest in the two things that actually close rounds.
| Founder | Sector | Round | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founder A | Health Tech | $3.15M | 29 | 86 | +57 |
| Founder B | Enterprise SaaS | $4M | 26 | 83 | +57 |
| Founder C | Consumer Tech | £4M | 46 | 85 | +39 |
| Founder D | AI / Health | £1.7M | 33 | 82 | +49 |
| Founder E | Hardware | €4.5M | 31 | 82 | +51 |
YOURSELF
I turned everything I've learned from 120+ raises into a single Claude prompt. It asks you 15 questions, the same ones I ask in my first session with every founder, and tells you exactly where an investor would say no.
The prompt scores you across Narrative (35%), Network (35%), and Process (30%). Most founders score 35-65 on their first try. You need to be in the 80s to have a real shot at closing. Here's how to use it:
- 1Copy the prompt below (or download the file)
- 2Paste it into Claude (claude.ai, free to use)
- 3Answer the 15 questions as honestly as possible. Vague answers = vague scores.
- 4Get your score report, overall score, per-pillar breakdown, your biggest bottleneck, and exactly what to fix.