SWOT & Frameworks
This quadrant of SWOT covers vulnerabilities and resource gaps.
This is the largest possible market for your product.
What is TAM?
Surveys and data fall under this type of research.
What is Quantitative?
A startup valued at over $1 billion while still private.
What is a Unicorn?
The tendency to believe you'll act differently in the future.
What is Present Bias?
The VRIO framework is used to analyze these two SWOT quadrants.
What are Strengths and Weaknesses?
The slice of the SAM you can realistically reach and sell to.
What is SOM?
This interview method/format gains in-depth knowledge from a single source.
What is a one-on-one interview?
The first funding stage, often self-funded or from angel investors.
What is Seed/Idea Stage?
An optimistic overestimation of one's own knowledge or control.
What is Overconfidence Bias?
The "P" and "E" in PEST stand for these two words.
What are Politics and Economics?
The portion of TAM that actually fits your specific product and customer profile.
What is SAM?
This research method is good at identifying trends within a group.
What is a Focus Group?
VCs receive this in exchange for their early-stage investment.
What is Equity?
Twitter was originally called this before its pivot.
What is Odeo?
The PEST factor that asks whether your product aligns with customer culture.
What is Socio-cultural?
This framework's four letter stand for Value, Rarity, Imitability, and Organization.
What is VRIO?
When interviewing customers about price, you should do this instead of suggesting a number yourself.
What is letting them name a price / avoiding bias?
Uber raised $258M in this round after proving its concept in San Francisco and New York.
What is Series C?
These two programs support startups. One offers funding and mentorship without taking equity; the other takes equity for top-tier resources.
What are Incubator and Accelerator?
A SWOT diagram should have this many detailed, action-oriented items per quadrant.
What is 3-5?
This pillar of a business answers the question: "What protects the company from competitors?"
What is Competitive Advantage?
These three biases can distort customer research if an entrepreneur isn't careful.
What are Present Bias, Overconfidence Bias, and Self-Interest?
At this stage, investors must have seen "proof of concept" before committing, and the startup raises Series C and beyond.
What is the Mature Startup stage?
These three features distinguish a startup from a traditional small business.
What are a scalable business model, a focus on innovation, and operating under certainty?