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Section 11 of 12 / Read the signals

Market data and deal flow

Understand the market signal without mistaking it for your own odds.

11Research pages
9Sources cited
28 Oct 2026Last updated
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Know what the number measures.

These figures describe different markets, units and periods. They cannot be combined into a founder-advisory market estimate.

US venture capital deal value

$515.8bn invested through Q3 2026 PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor, Q3 2026
Measurement boundary

Broader US venture market capital deployment

Does not establish: Spending on founder advisers

Q3 US VC activity

$98.4bn in Q3 across estimated 5,012 deals, PitchBook-NVCA Q3 2026 PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor, Q3 2026
Measurement boundary

All relevant reported VC deals in that quarter

Does not establish: Number of founders buying advisory reviews

AI's VC deal-value share

82.7% of US VC deal value through Sep 2026, NVCA PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor, Q3 2026
Measurement boundary

Capital concentration in AI

Does not establish: Probability of ordinary seed financing

VC fund capital raised

$108.5bn in US VC fund commitments through Q3 2026 PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor, Q3 2026
Measurement boundary

Supply-side venture fundraising

Does not establish: Funds immediately available to any one startup

Large-fund fundraising share

Funds $500m+ captured 78.1% of capital yet were 6.0% of funds closed through Q3 2026 PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor, Q3 2026
Measurement boundary

Fundraising concentration

Does not establish: Pricing trend for independent strategists

Global coaching workforce

122,974 practitioner estimate in 2025 ICF study, up 15% since 2023 2025 ICF Global Coaching Study
Measurement boundary

Global adjacent profession, survey-based

Does not establish: US founder decision adviser headcount

Global coaching revenue

$5.34bn estimated annual revenue, 2025 study 2025 ICF Global Coaching Study
Measurement boundary

Worldwide coaching activity

Does not establish: US founder decision advisory spend

2025 coach study responses

10,035 valid responses from 127 countries, Feb–Apr 2025 fieldwork 2025 ICF Global Coaching Study
Measurement boundary

Study survey context

Does not establish: Representative buyer-side founder interviews

US business formation update

Census released Sept 2026 monthly data on 14 Oct 2026 US Census: September 2026 Business Formation Statistics release
Measurement boundary

Broad new business applications and formation series

Does not establish: Count of venture-backed 2–50-person companies

Management analyst pay

$101,860 US median annual wage in May 2025, BLS Management Analysts — Bureau of Labor Statistics
Measurement boundary

Broad occupation employment compensation

Does not establish: Consulting fee or adviser package rate

Separate evidence rows preserve the different units and populations. No shared numeric scale is implied.

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9/10Buyer fit
9/10Depth
8/10Question coverage
9/10Source support