SaaS Applications
What software do you need, should you build or buy it, and how far along are we?
One table. Five answers per row. Stop here before going deeper.
Capability Router
Essential = needed before day one. Primary = needed within first quarter. Secondary = test when ready. Defer = skip until demand pulls.
Verdict logic: Build what touches your data model. Buy commodity. Bridge everything else. ROI methodology: Priority = (Current + Fit + Value + Edge) / 4 × Edge.
Essential
| Category | Verdict | Coverage | Top Build Features | Buy Options | Spec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identity + Access | Hybrid | 38% | AUTH-001 L3, AUTHZ-001 L2 | Clerk, Auth0, Privy | Spec |
| AI + Intelligence | Build (core) | 25% | AI-001 L3, AI-008 L2 | Claude, OpenRouter, VAPI | Spec |
Primary
| Category | Verdict | Coverage | Top Build Features | Buy Options | Spec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting | Buy | 7% | BILL-002 L1 | Xero, QuickBooks | Spec |
| CRM | Build (core) | 75% | CRM-001 L3, CRM-002 L3 | HubSpot, Pipedrive | Spec |
| Workflows + Automation | Buy + Bridge | 60% | WORK-001 L3, WORK-002 L2 | n8n, Zapier, Gumloop | Spec |
| Analytics + Data | Hybrid | 36% | ANAL-001 L3, DATA-007 L2 | PostHog, Julius.ai | Spec |
| Email Marketing | Buy | 0% | — | Klaviyo, Resend | Spec |
| Landing Pages | Build | 17% | MKTG-004 L2 | Webflow, Bolt, Lovable | Spec |
| Project Management | Buy | 0% | — | Linear, ClickUp | Spec |
Secondary
| Category | Verdict | Coverage | Top Build Features | Buy Options | Spec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blockchain | Build (core) | 0% | — | Sui SDK, Solana Web3.js | Smart Contracts |
| Design | Buy | 0% | — | Midjourney, Canva, Ideogram | Spec |
| Video Production | Buy | — | — | Arcads, Reel Farm, Synthesia | Spec |
| Community | Buy | 0% | — | Circle, Discourse | Spec |
| SEO | Buy | — | — | Ahrefs, Surfer SEO | Spec |
| SMS + Social | Buy | 0% | — | Twilio, Manychat | Spec |
| Search | Buy | 0% | — | Algolia, Typesense | Spec |
| Real-Time | Hybrid | 0% | — | Convex, Pusher | Stack |
| File Management | Buy | 20% | FILE-001 L2 | Supabase Storage, R2 | Spec |
| Security | Buy | 0% | — | Dynatrace, OneTrust | Spec |
Defer
| Category | Verdict | Why Defer |
|---|---|---|
| IoT + Sensor | Defer | No venture activated yet |
| Geospatial | Defer | No venture activated yet |
| Booking + Scheduling | Buy when needed | Cal.com, Calendly |
| Field Operations | Defer | No demand signal |
| Mobile | Defer | PWA first, native later |
| Loyalty | Skip | Premature until scale |
| Direct Mail | Skip | Low digital leverage |
ROI Leaders
The top 10 features by ROI score — what to build when you build:
| Rank | Capability | ROI Score | Category Above | PRD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Multi-Agent Orchestration | 94.5 | AI + Intelligence | Agent Platform |
| 2 | Smart Contracts | 76 | Blockchain | Sui Wallet |
| 3 | Tokenomics | 76 | Blockchain | Sui Wallet |
| 4 | Knowledge Mgmt | 76 | AI + Intelligence | Agent Platform |
| 5 | Process Automation | 67.5 | Workflows | Intel Functions |
9 of top 10 already have a PRD. Full rankings →
Dig Deeper
- Buy or Build — Data sovereignty vs. strategic value: the decision matrix that sets your vendor strategy
- Tech Review — Five-gate process to anchor any tool decision to a feature gap before scoring begins
- Horizontal SaaS — 40+ JTBD specs with top products and build/buy verdicts per capability
- Vertical SaaS — Industry-specific software patterns for healthcare, real estate, supply chain, and more
- All RaaS Functions — 177 features scored by ROI, the full catalog backing the router above
Context
- Tech Review — Five-gate process: anchor to gap → score → verdict → update matrix
- Horizontal SaaS — 40+ JTBD specs with top products and venture toolkit
- Vertical SaaS — Industry-specific patterns
- Buy or Build — Sovereignty decision framework and applied verdicts
- All RaaS Functions — 177 features scored by ROI
- Commissioning Dashboard — L0-L4 build progress by feature ID
- Tech Stack — Which tool fills which position
Questions
Which software categories generate data that becomes your competitive advantage — and which are commodity pipes?
- If CRM is 75% built but Blockchain is 0%, yet Blockchain scores higher on ROI — what does that tell you about sequencing vs scoring?
- What happens to your business if any "Reserve" vendor shuts down tomorrow — and does the verdict column reflect that risk?
- When a category says "Buy + Bridge", what's the trigger that converts bridge to build?
- Which "Defer" category would jump to "Primary" fastest if a venture activates its vertical?