IP · slot 01
POC
Username
Phase 01

Idea / Audience lock

Identify the under-served pocket in the category and lock who exactly we're building this IP for. Both halves must lock in one pass — gap without audience is a guess; audience without gap is generic.

Note on AI: AI helps map the competitive landscape, cluster players by positioning, and pressure-test the gap hypothesis. Founder + Strategist still pick the angle.

Prompt templates: Where AI accelerates a checkpoint, a copy-pasteable prompt sits below it. The "Attach" line names which docs to reference alongside the prompt.

Phase deliverable
Audience BriefDoc
Category map, top 20 player scan, gap hypothesis, 3 priority audience segments, anti-audience, audience size estimate, our angle — all in one doc.
Drop file here, or click to upload
4 tasks — checkpoints to tick through as the team works
01.1
Map the category and competitive landscape
LockedUnassigned
01.2
Lock the gap hypothesis
LockedUnassigned
01.3
Define priority audience segments
LockedUnassigned
01.4
Note our angle
NotedUnassigned

Locked at exit gate

Founder signs off on these. Hard requirements.
  • Category + sub-categories named
  • Top 20 players mapped
  • Gap hypothesis (1-line)
  • 3 priority audience segments
  • Audience size estimate (1-line)
  • Anti-audience named

Noted for downstream awareness

Must exist. Don't need to be “right” yet.
  • Differentiator angle
  • 3 failure modes + answers
Reusable artefacts — template once, fork for every tool after
Category mapping formatPlayer scan formatAudience segment templateGap pressure-test promptAnti-audience format
Exit gateFounder approves gap hypothesis + 3 audience segments + audience size estimate. Phase 02 (Persona + name + positioning) starts the moment those are signed.