start here
a startup readiness checklist ↗
a practical evidence checklist for south african founders: customer problems, impact, revenue, international potential and the next useful test.
founder toolkit
clear thinking.
useful evidence.
start with a question your business needs to answer. these working guides and downloadable worksheets help you prepare the evidence for the next decision.
free working documents
put the questions to work
download a plain-text worksheet to complete in your own notes. no email or sign-in is required. the website does not receive what you write in these documents.
from lab2sky
eight guides for the work ahead
choosing your route
venture builder, accelerator or venture capital? ↗
understand the different jobs of venture building, startup support and venture capital, and choose the right starting point at lab2sky.
customer discovery
customer access belongs in the first conversation ↗
a practical customer discovery guide: identify the user, buyer and decision maker, test access and turn a pilot into evidence.
international potential
build an international growth case ↗
a founder’s guide to choosing a next market and testing customer demand, distribution, local adaptation and the economics of international growth.
business models
what we look for after the first sale ↗
understand recurring revenue quality through customer retention, delivery costs, collected cash and continuing impact.
investment readiness
prepare the evidence behind a series a story ↗
organise the commercial, financial, team and international-growth evidence for a considered series a conversation.
human evolution
from a health technology to a useful outcome ↗
the questions lab2sky asks about health ventures: evidence, users, buyers, delivery responsibility and a sustainable path from product to impact.
clean power
clean power: start with the customer’s decision ↗
lab2sky’s questions for clean-power ventures: measurable outcomes, the buyer, recurring value, delivery economics and international potential.
your first introduction
the thinking behind the slides
a polished deck is optional. explain the customer problem, intended impact, what you have learned and the next milestone. distinguish results from estimates and plans. use the pitch-deck checklist to make the evidence easy to follow, then export your deck as a pdf up to 10 mb if you want to include it.
for another perspective on presenting a company, see sequoia’s business-plan guide ↗. it is external reading, not an affiliation with lab2sky.
find your starting point