Business Ideas
An idea without a plan is just a wish. A plan without clarity is just noise.
Use this as a fill-in template. Aim to keep the whole page to 1 side of A4.
Need help finding an idea first? Start with Idea Discovery — forces, patterns, and opportunity recognition.
Preparation
- Questions — What is the most important question?
- Inspiration — Forces, patterns, and how to find opportunities
- Infrastructure - Stuff you need to run a business.
- Artifacts — All the documents you need
1. Title & One-Line Description
- Business name:
- One-liner (who, what, differentiation): Example: "Token-incentivised solar routing network for hospitality venues."
2. Problem & Why Now
- What system is broken / value is leaking?
- Who feels the pain most (segment, region, stakeholder)?
- Why this is urgent now (regulation, climate, AI/compute, market timing)?
- Why your approach is necessary (misaligned incentives, coordination failure, financing gap)?
3. System Map & Opportunity
- "Universe → where we sit" (brief description of the full system and your slot in it):
- Market size and value at stake (rough, directional):
- Physical or digital network (what nodes/assets do you leverage):
- Assets (hardware, software, data, infrastructure)
- Who owns/hosts them (households, SMEs, enterprises, governments)
4. Solution & Product Snapshot
- Plain-language product description (no jargon):
- Primary users and their core "job to be done":
- Key differentiator that puts you "top right" on the market map:
- Tech stack split:
- What's proprietary?
- What leverages existing platforms?
- What (if anything) is tokenised or novel in your business model?
5. Market & Competition Mini-Map
- Incumbents / reference competitors (3-7 investors will recognise):
- Adjacent players / global analogues:
- Why will your win:
- Data / local alignment advantages:
- Better economics or UX for operators / users:
- Platform + AI/analytics advantages:
6. Execution & Unit Economics
- Current stage (idea / prototype / pilot / revenue) and traction:
- Footprint so far (devices, users, sites, volume, etc.):
- Unit economics (for one "node" or customer):
- Cost to acquire and deploy/serve:
- Expected revenue and margin:
- 12-24 month execution plan and success criteria (what you will prove before next raise):
7. Business Model Economics
- Who pays into the system (and in what form)?
- Who earns, and for doing what work (providing capital, hardware, data, attention, service)?
- How value is captured and distributed (fees, yield, equity, revenue share):
- Mechanisms that drive behaviour (incentives, pricing, network effects):
- Infrastructure and platform dependencies:
8. Team & Credibility
- Founders and key team (2-4 bullets):
- Relevant domain experience:
- Technical / platform experience:
- Prior exits or scaled products:
- Advisors / backers / key relationships:
9. Governance, Regulatory & Risk
- Entity and governance structure:
- Regulatory considerations for your jurisdiction(s):
- Data sovereignty and control (where data lives, who controls infra):
- Key risks and mitigations:
10. The Ask
- Amount you're raising and instrument (equity, SAFE, convertible, revenue share, blend):
- Use of funds (approx % split):
- Product & technology:
- Operations / infrastructure:
- Go-to-market & partnerships:
- Regulatory/legal/compliance:
- What you want from lead investors:
- Cheque size / role (lead, anchor, follower):
- Strategic intros:
- Operational help:
Validation
Before pitching, validate your idea by building conviction in your rhetoric
| Element | Purpose | Application |
|---|---|---|
| Ethos | Establishes Trust | Open with character |
| Logos | Builds Understanding | Develop core argument |
| Pathos | Creates Movement | Amplify emotional resonance |
| Kairos | Ensures Relevance | Choose optimal moment |
| Topos | Bridges Gaps | Frame within shared context |