Better questions build better companiesUS founders · Pre-seed to Series A
A research desk for consequential founder decisions

Better decisions
begin with a
hard question.

Before you spend the runway.
Before you give up the equity.
Before you commit to the next big thing.

Test one decision ↗Explore the research →

For US founders, pre-seed to Series A. You keep the call.

Founders working through a decision together at a meeting table
THE WORK BEFORE THE COMMITMENTHQ / 01
Put it on the table

What would have to be true
for this to be the right call?

EvidenceAlternativesOne next test ↗
What’s at stake

Runway. Equity. Focus.

Research that makes
the trade-offs visible.
01 / The question on your desk

Big decisions.
Better starting points.

Research, practical frameworks and expert questions for the choices that change a company’s direction.

01

Pivot or persist?

Separate a difficult quarter from a broken thesis.

↗02

Make the senior hire?

Test the bottleneck before you create the role.

↗03

Take the funding offer?

Look beyond the cap. Map rights, dilution and incentives.

↗04

Bring in an adviser?

Choose the output you need before the title you buy.

↗
02 / From the research desk

Read what changes
the decision.

All 121 research pages →
Planning papers and a notebook ready for a decision reviewThe lead question
Runway / Pivot or persist

Six months of runway.
Is a pivot the answer?

Test the demand, cash and execution assumptions before turning uncertainty into an irreversible commitment.

Read the research →
Essential reading
Choose your support

A coach, a mentor or a strategic adviser?

Different work. Different evidence. Different incentives.

Explore the research →Before you sign

The boundary matters as much as the advice.

Funding, confidentiality, employment and the rules around the work.

Explore the research →Read the signal

A big market number is not your probability.

Keep the evidence and its measurement boundary together.

Explore the research →
03 / Put the research to work

A decision deserves
more than a
gut feeling.

Find what’s missing from your next commitment. Twelve questions on evidence, alternatives, cash, conflicts and a clear review point.

Check your decision readiness ↗

An editorial self-assessment. No account required.

Readiness assessment01 / 12

Is the decision written as a question with a date?

0 Vague goal
1 Defined but no deadline
2 Clear choice, accountable owner, deadline ✓
Less reassurance.
More evidence to act on.
04 / The next useful thing

Turn the question
into a working plan.

Keep the choice yours. Make the process clear enough for someone else to challenge.

Build the process

A decision plan
you can run yourself.

From the first safety gate to the evidence test and review checkpoint.

Open the game plan →Choose the adviser

Score the evidence.
Look past the biography.

Compare three proposed engagements, with conflicts and hard stops in view.

Open the scorecard →
Start with the commitment in front of you

What’s your hard question?

Test one decision ↗