The framework
Six pillars.No shortcuts.
How bad1dea turns your idea into a forensic finding — and why the score means something.
Deterministic scoringLive web dataConstraint-matched5 validated frameworks
How the audit works
Evidence in.Verdict out.
Step 01
Context + constraints
Name, one-liner, then the inputs that actually matter: your budget, available hours, technical skills, and team. These aren't optional — they're the foundation of the gap analysis.
Constraint-matched scoring
Step 02
Evidence questions across six pillars
Each pillar has three evidence-tiered questions. You pick the option that honestly reflects what you actually know — not what you hope is true.
18 structured questions
Step 03
Live data fills what you don't know yet
Competition counts, funding signals, and market benchmarks are fetched live at audit time. The algorithm uses real data, not your assumptions.
Live web intelligence
Step 04
Algorithm calculates. AI narrates.
A deterministic formula computes your score. The AI writes the explanation after. It cannot change the number — only explain it.
Score-first, always
The six pillars
Six failure vectors.
All of them matter.
Every pillar is scored from your evidence — not your confidence. All six are required. None can be skipped. A knockout in any single pillar triggers a Hard Stop regardless of the overall total.
01
Problem Clarity
Did strangers describe this problem — or did you describe it to yourself?
02
Market Size
Bottom-up numbers from real comparables — not top-down TAM.
03
Solution Fit
Does it destroy the pain, or is it a feature that found a problem?
04
Business Model
Has anyone paid? Not promised. Not said they would. Paid.
05
Competition
Live scan. Who owns the space and what moat do they hold?
06
Execution
Budget, skills, and team vs. what this specific idea actually requires.
The scoring engine
Mathematical.Not negotiable.
Materiality weights
Each pillar carries a different weight depending on your business model type. A B2B SaaS idea is scored differently from a consumer app or a regulated business. The algorithm knows the difference.
Hard caps & knockouts
Some scores can be capped regardless of other pillars. Some pillar scores trigger a Hard Stop regardless of the overall total. These rules are non-negotiable.
Evidence tiers
Every question has four answer options scored 25/50/75/100. The phrasing forces honesty — the highest-scoring answers require real evidence, not belief.
The verdict scale
Five verdicts.
Only one gets you in.
Hover over the graph to explore each verdict. On mobile, use the slider below.
CONDITIONAL GO
Score 50–69
Meaningful evidence exists across some pillars but critical gaps remain. Proceed only after addressing the named conditions in your gap analysis.
Methodology
Five frameworks.One verdict.
Bain Critical Few
Used to assign different weights to each pillar based on your business model type. Not all pillars matter equally for every idea.
Jobs To Be Done
Evaluates whether your solution addresses the actual job to be done — or a symptom of it. The distinction determines Solution Fit scoring.
Bottom-Up Sizing
Forces real market size calculation from actual unit economics rather than top-down TAM percentages. What can you actually capture?
Evidence Tiering
Every question has four evidence-tiered options. The scoring is weighted toward demonstrated evidence over belief or intention.
Constraint Matching
Scores your execution capacity against the specific requirements of your idea — not against generic founder benchmarks.
Design principles
Why it works the way it does.
≡
Deterministic over probabilistic
The score is always mathematical. Never vibes. The same inputs produce the same output every time — regardless of how the idea is framed.
◎
Evidence over confidence
What you know scores higher than what you believe. The audit is designed to reward demonstrated evidence over founder optimism.
⊡
Constraint-matched
The same idea scores differently depending on who is building it. A $500K budget with a technical team scores the Execution pillar differently than $10K and no engineers.
✕
Blunt by design
The product has no incentive to encourage you. That's the point. There's no upsell in telling you your idea passed. The score is what the score is.