Build an Intelligence Foundation Your Investors Will Actually Trust
Your first 12–24 months in enterprise SaaS shouldn’t rely on guesswork. Stage 1 gives you a clear view of your competitors, customers, and category so you can build a GTM plan that wins early deals — instead of burning runway on assumptions.
Why Early-Stage SaaS Teams Get Stuck
- You’re not sure who your real ICP is — or which segment is winnable.
- Competitors feel like a black box.
- Buyers don’t respond consistently, and you don’t know why.
- Your value proposition feels “close” but not quite right.
- Investors ask hard questions you can’t back with data.
- You’re running experiments, but none point to clear traction.
Every early-stage enterprise SaaS founder faces the same wall: you can’t scale what you can’t clearly define. GTM, positioning, pricing, and product direction all hinge on understanding your customers and market.
Most founders push forward with assumptions — Stage 1 replaces those assumptions with clarity.
What You’ll Have at the End of Stage 1
Clarity
A crisp view of your competitive landscape, buyer segments, and category dynamics so you know exactly where your product fits — and where it doesn’t.
Confidence
A data-backed ICP and early buyer persona framework you can plug into your sales outreach, pitch deck, and product roadmap immediately.
Control
A prioritized 90–180 day execution plan so you stop trying everything and start doing only the high-leverage moves that build real traction.
Tangible Deliverables You Take Away
- 10–20 Competitor Benchmark Matrix (features, pricing, positioning)
- Market Map (visual)
- ICP & Early Buyer Persona Framework
- Feature + Value Proposition Grid
- Pricing & Packaging Signals
- Category Narrative Summary (Investor-Ready)
- Early Demand & Trend Signals Report
- 90-Day Execution Roadmap
- Optional: Data-room-ready intelligence slides (2–3 deck inserts)
How Stage 1 Works (Fast, Deep, Zero Fluff)
Step 1 — Intake & Alignment (Week 1)
We review your deck, product, CRM (if any), competitors you know, and assumptions driving your strategy.
Step 2 — Intelligence Sweep (Weeks 1–2)
Manual + AI-accelerated research across your category, competitor set, ICP segments, pricing models, and demand signals.
Step 3 — Synthesis & Working Session (Week 3)
We meet live to walk through findings, refine your ICP, and debate GTM angles like we’re on your founding team.
Step 4 — Final Pack + 30-Day Follow-Up (Week 4)
You receive every deliverable in founder-friendly formats — plus a follow-up session to refine decisions and next steps.
Investment
Most Stage 1 engagements fall between $500 and $2,500, depending on:
- Competitor volume
- Category complexity
- Depth of ICP segmentation required
For pre-revenue founders, payment can be staged over the engagement to protect your runway.
Who This Is (and Isn’t) For
Perfect for you if:
- You’re pre-revenue, pre-seed, or seed stage.
- You need to stop guessing and start executing.
- You want a clear, realistic view of your competitive battlefield.
- You want GTM direction grounded in real data, not opinions.
- You plan to raise soon and need a defensible narrative.
Not a fit if:
- You just want a one-off research report with no strategic discussion.
- You’re a B2C app or hobby project.
- You want “everything at once” instead of a clear prioritized plan.
What Founders Say
John helped us see our category clearly for the first time. Within 60 days, we stopped chasing the wrong segment and started booking conversations with the right buyers.
Seed-Stage CEO, Vertical SaaS (Anonymized)
We walked into investor meetings with a narrative grounded in data, not wishful thinking. It completely changed the tone of the conversation.
Founder, Pre-Seed AI SaaS (Anonymized)
Ready to Replace Guesswork with Clarity?
Tell me about your product and traction, and I’ll give you an honest assessment of whether Stage 1 is the right next step.