How to use it
Agree on the rubric as a team before you use it. Change it only at a set time, for example once a quarter.
Score each criterion before you read the other partners' scores.
The total is a guide, not a decision. A deal with a low total and one exceptional score can still be worth a meeting. Write down why.
Download (.md)Or select the text below and paste it into Google Docs, Notion or Word.
# Deal screening rubric **Company:** [name] **Reviewer:** [name] **Date:** [date] Score each line from 1 (weak) to 5 (exceptional). Write one sentence of evidence for each score. | Criterion | Score (1-5) | Evidence | |-----------|-------------|----------| | Team: founders have an unusual insight into this problem | | | | Team: founders can hire and sell | | | | Market: large if the company succeeds | | | | Market: a clear change that makes this possible now | | | | Product: customers use it and come back | | | | Traction: progress for the time and money spent | | | | Fit: matches our thesis, stage and check size | | | | Terms: valuation allows a fund-returning outcome | | | | **Total** | **/40** | | ## Red flags (any one means discuss before the next step) - [ ] Founders not full-time - [ ] Unclear ownership of the company or of key IP - [ ] Facts in the deck that do not match what we found ## Next step [Pass / First meeting / Partner meeting] - reason in one sentence:
Free to use and share. If you publish it or adapt it, please link to this page.
