iasv/deal-preliminary-screening
Rapid batch triage of 10-50+ startups into investment tiers using IASV criteria — screens for thesis fit, red flags, and prioritizes deep-dive candidates
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Does it follow best practices?
Impact
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No eval scenarios have been run
Advisory
Suggest reviewing before use
SKILL.md
- name:
- deal-preliminary-screening
- description:
- Rapidly screens batches of 10-50+ startups from pitch events, demo days, or accelerator showcases into investment tiers. Scores startups on traction, team, market size, and differentiation; classifies into 4 priority tiers; validates top candidates via web research; generates tier rankings and shortlist comparison tables. Use for batch deal screening, startup triage, demo day prep, cohort evaluation, or dealflow prioritization.
Deal Preliminary Screening
Screen batches of startups (10-50+) from pitch events, demo days, or accelerator showcases. Identify the 5-10 candidates worth presenting to the investment group. This is triage — speed and accuracy in filtering, not comprehensive analysis.
Tier Classification
| Tier | Label | Action | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HIGH PRIORITY | Present to group | Strong signals across multiple dimensions |
| 2 | INTERESTING | Needs more info | Promising but missing key data points |
| 3 | WATCHLIST | Monitor | Interesting thesis but too early/wrong timing |
| 4 | PASS | Do not proceed | Clear disqualifying factors |
Screening Criteria (Inline Summary)
Score each company across five weighted dimensions. Hard-pass on stage/sector/geography mismatches first.
| Dimension | Weight | Strong Signal Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Traction | 30% | Revenue >$500K ARR, 100+ paying customers, >20% MoM growth |
| Team | 25% | Prior exits, 5+ yrs domain expertise, technical co-founder |
| Market | 20% | TAM >$1B, clear macro tailwind, regulatory advantage |
| Differentiation | 15% | Proprietary IP, network effects, data moat |
| Stage Fit | 10% | Matches fund thesis, check size appropriate |
Tier thresholds: Score ≥5 strong signals = Tier 1. Score 3-4 = Tier 2. Below 3 = Tier 3/4 (deeper review needed).
Full signal definitions and filter code: See SCREENING-CRITERIA.md
Workflow
Phase 1: Data Collection (5-10 min)
Extract for each company: name, one-line description, sector, stage, amount raised/seeking, key metrics (revenue, customers, growth), contact info, and any call notes. Sources: pitch decks, brochures, meeting notes, company websites.
Phase 2: Initial Classification (2-3 min per company)
Apply hard filters (stage, sector, geography), then score remaining companies using weighted criteria table above.
Example — scoring "Acme AI":
Revenue $200K ARR (+1 traction), 30 customers (+1 traction), founder has prior exit (+2 team), TAM $2B (+1 market), proprietary model (+1 differentiation) = 6 points → Tier 1. Missing: growth rate data → flag for Phase 3 validation.
Phase 3: Web Research Validation (3-5 min per Tier 1/2)
For Tier 1/2 companies, validate claims via web search:
SEARCH QUERIES:
├── "{company_name} funding 2025 2026"
├── "{founder_name} {company_name} LinkedIn"
├── "{company_name} customers case study"
└── "{company_name} vs {competitor}"Validate: funding history, team backgrounds, customer references, competitive landscape, recent news.
Phase 4: Shortlist Generation
Output per shortlisted company:
## {Company Name}
**Website:** {url}
**Founder LinkedIn:** {linkedin_url}
**Description:** {2-3 sentence description of what they do}
**Comments:** {Key signals, traction, risks, and investment thesis in 3-5 sentences}
**Contact:** {Name} - {email}
**Raised:** {amount} | **Asking:** {amount and instrument}Full templates: screening-worksheet.md | shortlist-template.md
Guidelines & Guardrails
| Principle | Detail |
|---|---|
| Speed over depth | Max 5 min per company on initial pass |
| Always validate | Tier 1/2 must have web research citations |
| Force prioritization | Shortlist must be 3-15 companies; if >15, re-tighten filters |
| Document passes | Every PASS needs a stated reason |
| Signal hierarchy | Revenue > customers > pilots > interest > nothing |
| One risk per company | Explicitly list alongside positives to avoid confirmation bias |
Completion Checklist
- All companies classified into Tier 1-4
- Tier 1/2 validated with web search
- Shortlist with Website + LinkedIn + Description + Comments
- Quick reference table for group meeting
- Clear rationale for all passes
- Output saved to
pipeline/Deals/{Event}/
Downstream
Feed Tier 1 companies to deal-evaluate for full investment memo.