The SaaS Strategy Validation Sprint
A 10-day audit to stress-test your ICP, value prop, and unit economics before you burn your next capital raise.
For Pre-Seed to Series B CEOs • “The 5-Part Test”
Is Your Product “Mission Critical” or Just “Nice to Have”?
Most early-stage SaaS companies fail not because their technology is bad, but because they are “mispositioned”—technically superior but lacking a bleeding-neck go-to-market fit
The Challenge: You need to know—with mathematical certainty—whether you are building the “AWS of your industry” or just a cheaper alternative to a legacy incumbent.
The 5-Part Validation Framework
We run your strategy through a non-negotiable 5-part test to return hard conclusions.
1. The Market Reality Test
Goal: Identify where you actually compete and win, versus where you are just noise.
- We distinguish your “Bleeding Neck” segment from the “Status Quo” market.
- We explicitly identify which segments you must disqualify to stop wasting CAC.
- Output: A one-sentence ICP definition so narrow it excludes 80% of the generic market.
2. The Replacement Test (The “Delete” Key)
Goal: Determine what actually disappears when your product is adopted.
- We analyze what human effort, tool, or process your product replaces.
- Are you replacing a “Big Box” incumbent, “Homegrown Spaghetti” code, or a “Consultant Army”?
- Output: A validation of your true ROI. If nothing gets “deleted,” you are just an extra cost.
3. The High-Stakes Pain Audit
Goal: Validate that you solve existential business risk, not just “cheaper software”.
- We score your value prop on “Financial Downside,” “Growth Friction,” and “Operational Risk”
- If your primary pitch is only “Cost Savings,” we flag this as a strategic “Commodity Trap” risk.
- Output: Identification of the top 3 pains your buyer considers “unacceptable to live with”.
4. The Leverage & Moat Test
Goal: Assess the strategic leverage of your approach.
- Does your “Developer-Friendly” or “API-First” nature create true lock-in, or is it easily copied?.
- Can you command a premium for control and visibility, or are you forced to win on price?.
- Output: A critique of your value proposition—is it a feature or a business model?.
5. The “Kill” Test (Indispensability)
Goal: We try to “kill” the deal to see if the value holds up.
- The “Good Enough” Test: If the incumbent solution works, why would they risk migrating?.
- The “Implementation” Barrier: Does the fear of a broken migration stop the deal?.
- Output: The “One Thing” you must prove in the sales process to overcome the inertia of “Better the Devil You Know”.
What You Get
Stop guessing. Get a board-ready assessment of your market fit.
Board-Ready Market Map
A clear visualization of your “Blue Ocean” vs. the “Red Ocean” incumbent traps you must avoid.
The “Compelling Event” Script
A defined sales trigger: What specific event forces the customer to switch now rather than later?.
Risk Mitigation Playbook
A plan to prove “Zero-Risk Migration” to your buyers, ensuring implementation fear doesn’t kill your deals.
Don’t Scale a Flawed Strategy.
Validate your positioning with an independent “Kill Test” before the market does it for you.