Score your startup idea the way a cold VC would.
A candid six-dimension scorecard, plus market data from 9,550 AI-built startup entries from 3 public builder contests (as of 2026-09-20). For solo builders deciding whether to keep building, reshape, or stop.
Get the free Top-10 reportThree things the data shows
2.0% of entries (191 of 9,550) mention any traction (users, customers, revenue) in their pitch text.
Basis: IC-TRAC-01'Education & edtech' is crowded in this dataset: 761 entries (8.0%), rank 1 of 49 themes.
Basis: IC-CROWD-01'All-in-one business suite / ERP' is relatively under-represented among global-contest entries (1.2%, 73 entries) versus India-contest entries (2.9%, 122).
Basis: IC-WS-01
Observations about the submitted entries in this dataset, not the whole market. Each links to its numbers and limits.
Free: the Top-10 report
Five findings with charts — where ideas crowd, where this dataset is thin, how few show traction — the ten strongest live products, and five questions to ask before you build more.
Founder Scorecard Kit
Fill-in scorecard workbook with honest partial scores, a Claude skill, eight prompts for any chatbot, three worked examples, and an offline "where your idea sits" lookup. Instant download. You don't need the kit to order a teardown.
Kit checkout coming soonCold VC Teardown
- Crowdedness: where your idea sits among 9,550 entries, and which neighbouring themes are thin in this dataset.
- Whitespace: under-represented adjacent clusters, framed honestly.
- Closest comparables: live products near you, what seems to drive them, and how believable their revenue claims are (Corroborated / Plausible / Thin / Unverifiable).
- Beta radar: what launched or entered beta nearby, as of the report date.
Plus your scorecard with evidence labels, who pays and how to reach the first ten buyers, top risks, and a 30-day validation plan with a kill rule. Delivered as a private report link within 48 hours of payment confirmation and a complete intake form, up to 4 teardowns a week — if we're full, we show the next available date before you pay.
Teardown checkout coming soonSee a sample: sample teardown coming soon.
How scoring works
| Problem | ×1.5 | How acute and must-have is the pain for a specific buyer? |
| Market | ×1.5 | How large and reachable is the paying market? |
| Moat | ×2 | What does the business still have after a competitor clones the features? |
| Traction | ×2.5 | What real usage, payment or commitment exists? |
| Maturity | ×1.5 | Is the product actually live, usable and reliable? |
| Founder | ×1 | Does the founder have relevant experience, execution evidence and customer access? |
Each 0–10; maximum weighted total 100. Missing evidence is marked "insufficient evidence", never zero, and a partial score is never stretched to 100. Bands for complete scores: Build ≥ 80, Reshape ≥ 56, otherwise Kill — always with the assumptions that would change the verdict. A score is not a probability of funding or success. Rubric 1.0.0.
FAQ
Is ColdVC affiliated with the contests or their organisers?
No. ColdVC is independent. The entries were submitted to public builder showcases; ColdVC analyses them and did not create them.
Is the founder of ColdVC an investor?
No. Ideas are scored the way a VC would — ColdVC does not invest, introduce you to investors, or promise funding, sales or success.
Who sees my idea?
Your intake is used only for your report. The report is published at an unlisted private link: anyone who has the link can open it, so share it carefully. It is not indexed by search engines. Ask us and we delete it.
Is the kit enough, or do I need the teardown?
The kit lets you score your idea yourself. The teardown adds live market research and a human review. Neither requires the other.
Refunds
Kit: 7-day refund, no questions asked. Teardown: refundable until delivery work starts — that is when we confirm your payment and your intake is complete, and we tell you by email.