/ Score Engine v0.1
SKIN Score™
CALIBRATING
50
Score Engine / Dimension 01
Team

Rate each signal based on the evidence you have from the founder's responses and submitted materials.

Weight: 20% of SKIN Score
Core signals — score 0 to 100
Founder–market fitLived the problem personally or professionally
50
Execution track recordHas shipped something at scale before
50
Team structure & role clarityClear ownership, no decision overlap
50
Talent magnet signalEarly hires notably stronger than stage-typical
50
Unfair access / networkAsymmetric channels competitors can't replicate
50
Conviction under pressureNarrative holds under adversarial questioning
50
Risk flags — if present, drag score down
Opportunity founder (not problem founder)Entered market from outside, not lived experience
50
Undeclared CEO / decision paralysisOverlapping authority between co-founders
50
Step 1 of 6
Score Engine / Dimension 02
Product

Evidence of real value delivery. What users do, not what founders claim.

Weight: 18% of SKIN Score
Core signals
Problem–solution fit clarityOne sentence, one person, undeniable value
50
PMF signal strength40%+ "very disappointed" or equivalent retention signal
50
Technical defensibilityReal IP or data moat, not just a wrapper
50
User retention qualityOrganic expansion, not prompted by sales
50
Roadmap convictionBuilt from founder insight, not request lists
50
Risk flags
Narrative drift under questioningProduct description changes with the audience
50
Willingness-to-pay gapUsers engage but don't pay full price unprompted
50
Step 2 of 6
Score Engine / Dimension 03
Brand

Narrative clarity and positioning sharpness. Whether the market knows what to think about this company.

Weight: 10% of SKIN Score
Core signals
Narrative clarityCustomer-language description, not founder-speak
50
Positioning sharpnessClear "not for" — brand knows who it rejects
50
Founder authority signalCredible voice, network, or track record in the space
50
Cross-channel coherenceDeck, website, and sales calls tell the same story
50
Customer language alignmentCustomers describe the company the way it describes itself
50
Step 3 of 6
Score Engine / Dimension 04
Market

Structural pull, timing precision, and whether the competitive landscape is genuinely navigable.

Weight: 18% of SKIN Score
Core signals
Structural tailwind clarityRegulatory, tech, or cost force pulling toward solution now
50
Timing precisionCan name events in the last 18 months that changed the window
50
Competitive white spaceIncumbents misaligned, slow, or structurally blocked
50
Market size validityBottom-up from real buyers, not analyst TAM
50
Beachhead definitionNarrow enough to dominate, adjacent to scale
50
Budget existence signalBuyers already spending on this problem in some form
50
Step 4 of 6
Score Engine / Dimension 05
Go-To-Market

Channel clarity, ICP precision, and whether the sales motion runs without the founder in the room.

Weight: 18% of SKIN Score
Core signals
ICP definition qualityDefined by situation and behavior, includes "not for"
50
Channel validationReal conversion data from at least one channel
50
Sales motion repeatabilityNon-founder has closed at least one deal
50
Sales cycle predictabilityFounder can state avg days from first contact to close
50
CAC awarenessKnown or reliably estimated from real data
50
Risk flags
Spray-and-pray channel strategyNo channel prioritized, no conversion data
50
All customers from founder's networkWarm network is not a repeatable GTM motion
50
Step 5 of 6
Score Engine / Dimension 06
Financials

The founding team's relationship with capital. Burn awareness, unit economics, revenue clarity, and discipline around how every dollar is deployed.

Weight: 16% of SKIN Score
Core signals
Burn & runway disciplineKnows burn by line item, runway from realistic assumptions, spend matched to evidence
50
Unit economics clarityKnows which customer segments are profitable, with cohort-level visibility
50
Revenue model & path to sustainabilityPricing accepted by real customers; knows the operational path to breakeven
50
Milestone & capital allocation disciplineEvery dollar tied to a proof point or outcome, not "team and growth"
50
Equity & ownership disciplineClean cap table, documented founder splits, no undocumented promises
50
Financial transparencyHonest accounting, knows the numbers cold, no hidden surprises
50
Step 6 of 6