Startup Readiness Score is an AI-powered assessment that evaluates early-stage startups across six foundational pillars — Founder, Problem, Market, Business Model, Go-to-Market, and Financial — and produces a structured readiness score (0–150) with pillar-by-pillar diagnostics and three linked worksheets, all in about 20 minutes.
What is Startup Readiness Score?
Startup Readiness Score is an AI‑powered diagnostic tool that scores a startup’s foundation across six pillars by analyzing 36 input questions. It outputs an overall readiness score (0–150), six pillar scores (0–25 each), a plain‑language diagnosis, and the top three recommended actions — each linked to a specific structured worksheet. The platform is built by Dr. Shaun P. Digan, PhD in Entrepreneurship and author of Persuade (Wiley, 2021), based on 15+ years working with 500+ early‑stage founders.
Key Features
- Six-pillar diagnostic — Scores each of Founder, Problem, Market, Business Model, Go‑to‑Market, and Financial clarity with individual readability and a written gap summary.
- Action‑linked worksheets — Your top three recommended actions each route to a specific worksheet from a library of 81 (as of May 2026); each worksheet is a 3‑5 page structured tool that produces a named artifact.
- Free two‑time use — Complete the assessment up to twice with no payment; results include the full score, six diagnostics, top three worksheets, and a written diagnosis.
- Founder Dashboard — Retake the assessment and track score movement, completed worksheets, and remaining risks over time.
- Plain‑language output — No jargon or abstract metrics; the diagnosis is written in action‑oriented language.
- Designed for pre‑traction teams — Evaluates assumption clarity rather than execution activity, ideal for early‑stage validation.
Who is it for?
- Early‑stage founders (pre‑traction to early traction) — They use the assessment to get an honest read on where their startup actually stands before building further, raising funding, or applying to accelerators.
- Founders preparing for accelerator or investor conversations — They identify structural gaps before reviewers do, making conversations more specific and evidence‑based.
- Mentors, advisors, and coaches — They use the shared diagnostic to replace hunches with a structured, evidence‑based framework for guiding early teams.
What can you do with Startup Readiness Score?
- Validate an idea before building: Founders answer 36 questions across six pillars and receive a readiness score and gap analysis, helping them decide whether to proceed or pivot before committing resources.
- Prepare for accelerator applications: The system surfaces the top three clarity gaps and provides a worksheet for each; founders complete the worksheets to produce artifacts (e.g., a validated problem description) that strengthen their application narrative.
- Track progress over time: After completing recommended worksheets, founders retake the assessment (free up to twice) and see which scores moved and which risks remain unresolved in the Founder Dashboard.
How does it work?
- Answer the assessment — Founders complete 36 questions across six pillars in about 20 minutes.
- Receive structured insight — They get an overall readiness score (0–150), six pillar scores, and a written diagnosis of strengths, gaps, and risks.
- Uncover the invisible work — The system recommends three highest‑priority actions, each linked to a specific worksheet that closes that clarity gap.
- Track progress — After completing the worksheets, founders retake the assessment to see score movement and remaining risks in their dashboard.
