Market Research
Produce research that supports decisions, not research theater.
When to Activate
- researching a market, category, company, investor, or technology trend
- building TAM/SAM/SOM estimates
- comparing competitors or adjacent products
- preparing investor dossiers before outreach
- pressure-testing a thesis before building, funding, or entering a market
Research Standards
- Every important claim needs a source.
- Prefer recent data and call out stale data.
- Include contrarian evidence and downside cases.
- Translate findings into a decision, not just a summary.
- Separate fact, inference, and recommendation clearly.
Common Research Modes
Investor / Fund Diligence
Collect:
- fund size, stage, and typical check size
- relevant portfolio companies
- public thesis and recent activity
- reasons the fund is or is not a fit
- any obvious red flags or mismatches
Competitive Analysis
Collect:
- product reality, not marketing copy
- funding and investor history if public
- traction metrics if public
- distribution and pricing clues
- strengths, weaknesses, and positioning gaps
Market Sizing
Use:
- top-down estimates from reports or public da…
