founder-stage-gate-operator
by exaoa nkaoan
A rigorous stage-gate framework to validate ideas, limit MVP scope, and ensure audit-ready startup growth.
- Validate startup ideas by mapping assumptions against disconfirming evidence.
- Define strict MVP scope for AI coding agents to prevent feature bleed.
- Audit founder bottlenecks to transition from manual work to automated systems.
Free
Sample input
Use this skill to evaluate my startup idea.
Product idea: An AI app that turns messy client notes into polished project briefs. Target user: Freelance designers and consultants. Current product state: Idea only. Evidence gathered: I talked to 3 friends who said it sounds useful. Current bottleneck: I am not sure whether to build the MVP. Desired decision: Decide whether this is worth building now.
Sample output
Stage
Evidence-backed stage: Idea
Claimed stage: MVP-ready
Confidence: Medium
Evidence
Supporting evidence:
- The product idea is specific enough to discuss.
- The target user is roughly defined.
- Three people reacted positively.
Missing evidence:
- No proof that the problem is frequent or painful.
- No current workaround has been documented.
- No evidence of willingness to pay or switch.
- No disconfirming evidence has been tested.
Decision
HOLD
Do not build the MVP yet. Positive feedback from friends is not enough validation.
Key Risks
- Users may say the idea is useful but keep using docs, templates, or manual writing.
- Freelance designers and consultants may have different workflows and buying triggers.
- The product may solve a convenience problem rather than a painful one.
Next Smallest Action
- Interview 8-10 freelancers who created client briefs in the last 30 days.
- Ask about the last time they turned messy notes into a brief.
- Document frequency, time cost, current workaround, and where the process breaks.
- Return to MVP scope only after repeated pain and workaround evidence appear.
Approval Needed
No
A rigorous stage-gate framework to validate ideas, limit MVP scope, and ensure audit-ready startup growth.
Free
Included in download
- Downloadable skill package
- Works with external tools, MCP servers
- Instant install
Sample input
Use this skill to evaluate my startup idea.
Product idea: An AI app that turns messy client notes into polished project briefs. Target user: Freelance designers and consultants. Current product state: Idea only. Evidence gathered: I talked to 3 friends who said it sounds useful. Current bottleneck: I am not sure whether to build the MVP. Desired decision: Decide whether this is worth building now.
Sample output
Stage
Evidence-backed stage: Idea
Claimed stage: MVP-ready
Confidence: Medium
Evidence
Supporting evidence:
- The product idea is specific enough to discuss.
- The target user is roughly defined.
- Three people reacted positively.
Missing evidence:
- No proof that the problem is frequent or painful.
- No current workaround has been documented.
- No evidence of willingness to pay or switch.
- No disconfirming evidence has been tested.
Decision
HOLD
Do not build the MVP yet. Positive feedback from friends is not enough validation.
Key Risks
- Users may say the idea is useful but keep using docs, templates, or manual writing.
- Freelance designers and consultants may have different workflows and buying triggers.
- The product may solve a convenience problem rather than a painful one.
Next Smallest Action
- Interview 8-10 freelancers who created client briefs in the last 30 days.
- Ask about the last time they turned messy notes into a brief.
- Document frequency, time cost, current workaround, and where the process breaks.
- Return to MVP scope only after repeated pain and workaround evidence appear.
Approval Needed
No
About This Skill
What it does
The Founder Stage-Gate Operator acts as a high-judgment chief of staff for solo founders and indie hackers. It systematically prevents "pre-mature scaling" and "building in a vacuum" by enforcing a rigorous stage-gate process across the startup lifecycle: Idea, MVP, Launch, and Scale.
Why use this skill
Unlike generic AI prompting which often encourages "hype" or creates scope creep, this skill is designed to be skeptical. It forces you to separate evidence from assumptions. It helps you identify the exact moment to move from customer discovery to coding, ensuring that every line of code written by your AI agents is backed by validated user pain.
Supported framework
- Stage-Gate Methodology: Explicitly moves projects through validation gates (B-I).
- AI Integration: Prepares high-context prompts for coding agents (Cursor, Claude Code) to ensure they stay within MVP boundaries.
- Moat Mapping: Evaluates defensibility beyond just "AI-wrappers."
- Operational Audits: Identifies founder bottlenecks and systemization gaps.
The Output
The skill produces structured decision frameworks including Stage Diagnoses, Assumption Maps, MVP Scope Gates, and AI Coding Context definitions. Every output concludes with a "Next Smallest Action" to maintain momentum without wasting resources.
Use Cases
- Validate startup ideas by mapping assumptions against disconfirming evidence.
- Define strict MVP scope for AI coding agents to prevent feature bleed.
- Audit founder bottlenecks to transition from manual work to automated systems.
- Assess PMF signals to decide if a product is ready for a public launch.
- Identify defensible moats and data flywheels for AI-native products.
Known Limitations
This skill does not validate a startup by itself. It helps structure founder judgment, but real validation still requires customer conversations, usage data, retention, revenue, referrals, and market evidence. It is not legal, financial, investment, tax, medical, security, compliance, or professional business advice. It is instruction-only and does not fetch live market data or inspect project files unless your agent runtime separately provides those capabilities.
How to Install
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && curl -sL https://www.agensi.io/api/install/founder-stage-gate-operator -o /tmp/founder-stage-gate-operator.zip && unzip -o /tmp/founder-stage-gate-operator.zip -d ~/.claude/skills && rm /tmp/founder-stage-gate-operator.zipFree skills install directly. Paid skills require purchase - use the download button above after buying.
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Security Scanned
Passed automated security review
Permissions
No special permissions declared or detected
Works as a plain SKILL.md workflow. Best with Codex-style local agent workflows. No API keys, external tools, MCP servers, or environment variables required.
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