VC Deal Screener v1

Transform inbound deal flow into structured investment evaluations — from a quick-pass screen to a comprehensive deal assessment.

Two Output Tiers

The Card is always generated first. The Full Assessment builds on it.

Workflow Overview

Steps 1-6: Quick Screen Card (always executed)

1. Gather inputs — Collect pitch deck, email, URL, or description
2. Classify deal archetype — Identify business model type + stage signals
3. Confirm approach — Present plan, ask Card or Full Assessment, get approval
4. Screen with framework — Apply archetype-specific screening criteria
5. Generate Card — Output structured screen with recommendation
6. Validate Card — Confirm accuracy with user

Steps 7-9: Full Deal Assessment (only if selected)

7. Deep research — Web research on company, founders, market, competitors
8. Generate Assessment — Produce 8-10 sections as a document
9. Validate Assessment — Present for section-level refinement

Step 1: Gather Deal Inputs

Request one or more input types:

Pitch Deck (most common, most informative)

• PDF or slides with company overview, team, market, traction, financials, ask
• Extract: problem, solution, market size, business model, traction metrics, team bios, raise amount

Cold Email / Intro Blurb

• Forwarded email from founder or referral source
• Extract: company name, one-liner, stage, raise, referral context, any metrics mentioned

Company URL

• Use web_fetch to retrieve content from provided URLs
• Focus on homepage, about page, product pages, pricing, team page, blog

Verbal Description

• GP or associate describing a deal from a meeting or call
• Extract: key facts, initial impressions, concerns, excitement signals

Prompt template:

To screen this deal, please provide at least one of:

• Pitch deck: PDF or slides (most useful for thorough screening)
• Email/blurb: The inbound message or intro you received
• Company URL: Website to research
• Description: What you know about the company so far

Optionally, share your investment thesis or screening criteria if you have specific parameters (stage, sector, geography, check size, traction thresholds).

Step 2: Classify Deal Archetype

Analyze inputs to identify the primary deal archetype. Look for signals:

Also classify the Stage Signal:

• Pre-seed: Idea/prototype, no revenue, founding team forming
• Seed: MVP live, early customers, <$1M ARR, proving PMF
• Post-seed / Pre-A: Growing but below Series A benchmarks, $500K-$2M ARR
• Series A: Clear PMF signals, $1M-$5M ARR, scaling go-to-market

If signals are ambiguous, ask the user:

Based on the inputs, I see elements of [Archetype A] and [Archetype B]. Which best describes this company?

• [Archetype A]: [brief description]
• [Archetype B]: [brief description]
• Hybrid: Combine both frameworks

Step 3: Confirm Approach (REQUIRED)

ALWAYS present the screening plan and wait for user confirmation before proceeding.

## Deal Screening Plan

**Company:** [Name]
**One-liner:** [What the company does in 1 sentence]

**Detected Archetype:** [Primary Archetype] (+ [Secondary] if hybrid)
[1-2 sentence explanation of why this archetype fits]

**Stage Signal:** [Pre-seed / Seed / Post-seed / Series A]
[1 sentence justification based on traction/team/raise signals]

**Screening Framework:** I'll evaluate this deal using the [Archetype] framework, focusing on:
- [Key screening dimension 1]
- [Key screening dimension 2]
- [Key screening dimension 3]

**Inputs I'll Analyze:**
- [List of deck/email/URL/description provided]

**Investment Thesis Applied:**
- [If user provided thesis criteria, list them here]
- [If no thesis provided: "General early-stage screening criteria — provide your thesis for customized evaluation"]

**Output Tier:**
Would you like:
- **Quick Screen Card** — 1-page pass/consider/deep-dive with rationale (good for triage and quick decisions)
- **Full Deal Assessment** — 8-15 page investment evaluation (includes market deep-dive, team assessment, comparable analysis, risk matrix, and key questions for founder meeting)

[If Full Assessment: I'll research the company, founders, market, and competitors via web search to produce a comprehensive evaluation.]

**Reply with your preferred output tier to proceed.**

Wait for explicit confirmation before proceeding to Step 4.

Step 4: Screen with Archetype Framework

Load the appropriate framework from references/frameworks/:

For hybrid archetypes, load both frameworks and blend screening criteria.

Apply the framework's screening dimensions to all inputs, evaluating:

• Archetype-specific traction benchmarks for the detected stage
• Team-market fit signals specific to the archetype
• Business model viability indicators
• Competitive moat assessment
• Red flags and yellow flags specific to the deal type
• Thesis alignment score (if thesis criteria provided)

Step 5: Generate Card

Use the output template from references/output-template.md.

Standard sections (all archetypes):

• Company name + One-liner + Archetype classification with rationale
• Stage Signal with justification
• Verdict (PASS / CONSIDER / DEEP DIVE) with confidence level
• Verdict Rationale (3-5 bullet synthesis)
• Thesis Fit Score (if thesis provided)
• Traction Snapshot (key metrics extracted, benchmarked against stage)
• Team Assessment (founders, experience, team gaps)
• Market Quick-Take (size, timing, tailwinds/headwinds)
• Red Flags (dealbreakers or serious concerns)
• Yellow Flags (concerns worth probing)
• Green Flags (signals of strength)
• Key Questions (3-5 questions to ask if taking a meeting)
• Archetype-specific additions

Step 6: Validate Card

After presenting the Card, ask:

Does this screening capture your read on the deal? I can:

• Adjust the verdict based on additional context
• Re-screen with different thesis criteria
• Dive deeper on a specific dimension (team, market, traction, competition)
• Generate a founder response (pass or meeting request)

[If Full Assessment was selected]: Once you approve the Card, I'll proceed to deep research and full assessment generation.

If Card-only was selected, stop here.

Step 7: Deep Research (Full Assessment Only)

Goal: Gather comprehensive information on company, founders, market, and competitors.

If user provided URL: Use web_fetch and web_search to research:

• Company website (product, pricing, team, customers, blog)
• Founder LinkedIn profiles and prior ventures
• Competitor landscape (direct and adjacent)
• Market sizing reports and industry analysis
• Recent press coverage or funding announcements
• Product reviews or user feedback (G2, Product Hunt, app stores)

If user provided deck only: Use web_search to research:

• Company name + key founder names
• Market and competitive landscape mentioned in deck
• Validate any claims made in the deck (customer logos, metrics, partnerships)

If insufficient material: Ask:

To build a comprehensive assessment, I need more signal. Could you provide:

• Company website URL — I'll research product, team, and positioning
• Founder names — I'll research backgrounds and track records
• Both — URL for research + any insider context from your interactions

Extract and catalog:

• Founder track records and domain expertise
• Competitive landscape with 5-10 comparable companies
• Market sizing (TAM/SAM/SOM with methodology)
• Customer evidence and product-market fit signals
• Recent funding activity in the space
• Regulatory or macro factors affecting the market

Step 8: Generate Full Assessment

Generate the Assessment as a .docx document using the docx skill. Read references/assessment-output-template.md for the master document structure.

The Assessment contains 8-10 sections organized in three groups. Read the section template for each before generating:

Group A — Deal Overview

Group B — Market & Competition

Group C — Investment Decision

For each section:

1. Read the section template file
2. Apply the archetype's Assessment Dimensions (found in each framework file)
3. Ground analysis in real data from Step 7
4. Generate section content
5. Check against quality criteria in the template

Use the archetype framework's "Assessment Dimensions" section for archetype-specific guidance on each assessment section.

Step 9: Validate Assessment

Present the completed Assessment document and offer:

Your Deal Assessment is ready. You can:

• Request changes to any specific section
• Add founder meeting notes for a revised assessment
• Run comparable analysis against specific portfolio companies
• Generate a founder response based on the assessment
• Export key questions as a meeting prep doc
• Flag this deal for partner meeting discussion

Thesis Customization

If the user provides investment thesis criteria, apply them as weighted filters throughout the screening. Common thesis parameters:

Stage & Check Size:

• Stage focus (pre-seed, seed, series A, flexible)
• Check size range ($100K-$10M+)
• Follow-on strategy and reserve ratio

Sector Focus:

• Vertical preferences or exclusions
• Technology preferences (AI-first, blockchain, etc.)

Traction Thresholds:

• Minimum ARR or MRR for the target stage
• Growth rate expectations (MoM, YoY)
• User/customer count minimums

Team Criteria:

• Technical co-founder required?
• Domain expertise preferences
• Prior founding experience preference
• Diversity considerations

Geographic Focus:

• HQ location preferences
• Market focus (US, global, emerging markets)

Deal Structure:

• Preferred instruments (SAFE, priced round, convertible)
• Ownership targets
• Co-investor preferences (lead, follow, solo)

If no thesis is provided, use the general early-stage benchmarks in references/general-benchmarks.md.

Reference Files

Core

• references/output-template.md — Quick Screen Card output format
• references/assessment-output-template.md — Full Assessment document structure
• references/general-benchmarks.md — Stage-specific traction benchmarks (Seed through Series A)
• references/example-outputs.md — Complete Card examples across archetypes
• references/red-flags-catalog.md — Universal and archetype-specific dealbreakers and warning signs

Archetype Frameworks (each includes Assessment Dimensions)

• references/frameworks/saas.md
• references/frameworks/marketplace.md
• references/frameworks/deep-tech.md
• references/frameworks/consumer-dtc.md
• references/frameworks/fintech.md
• references/frameworks/healthtech.md
• references/frameworks/climate.md
• references/frameworks/devtools.md
• references/frameworks/hardware.md
• references/frameworks/services.md

Assessment Section Templates

• references/assessment-sections/executive-summary.md
• references/assessment-sections/company-product.md
• references/assessment-sections/traction-metrics.md
• references/assessment-sections/market-analysis.md
• references/assessment-sections/competitive-landscape.md
• references/assessment-sections/team-evaluation.md
• references/assessment-sections/business-model.md
• references/assessment-sections/risk-matrix.md
• references/assessment-sections/deal-terms.md
• references/assessment-sections/meeting-prep.md