When founders evaluate their own ideas, confirmation bias runs rampant. Every feature sounds revolutionary, every market sounds massive, and every competitor sounds sluggish. The only antidote to founder delusion is a standardized, numerical scoring framework.
The 100-Point Scoring Rubric
| Pillar | Max Points | Key Evaluation Question |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Problem Urgency | 25 pts | Does it prevent revenue loss, solve direct regulatory compliance, or generate new income? |
| 2. Pricing & Margins | 20 pts | Can you charge $79–$299/mo while keeping cloud/LLM unit costs under 15%? |
| 3. Distribution Scalability | 20 pts | Is there a clear organic search engine, directory, or cold outbound angle with sub-60-day payback? |
| 4. Switching Cost Moat | 20 pts | Does your product store mission-critical data or integrate into daily employee workflows? |
| 5. Feasibility & Speed | 15 pts | Can a solo founder or small team build and launch a working v1 in under 3 weeks? |
How to Interpret Your Total Score
- 85–100 Points (Category Winner): High-urgency pain, high willingness to pay, defensible workflow. Build immediately.
- 70–84 Points (Solid Bootstrapped SaaS): Viable business with healthy economics. Focus on strengthening your primary distribution channel.
- 50–69 Points (Vulnerable / High Churn): Usually suffers from low switching costs or reliance on third-party APIs. Rework before coding.
- Below 50 Points (Do Not Build): Weak pain, low willingness to pay, or fatal platform risk. Save your capital.