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

1. Every important claim needs a source.
2. Prefer recent data and call out stale data.
3. Include contrarian evidence and downside cases.
4. Translate findings into a decision, not just a summary.
5. 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