Verified fact
A dependable source supports the claim and its freshness is known.
Evidence before certainty.
FoundMatter does not reduce a company to a magic number. The method separates verified facts, submitted claims, synthesis, risks, and missing information—and deliberately keeps company evaluation distinct from investor-specific Match Fit.
- Hard facts
- Market, product, traction, round
- Soft facts
- Team, execution, clarity, signals
- Match Fit
- Separate for each mandate
Four states keep claims honest
Submitted claim
The information came from the company or investor but has not yet been independently supported.
Platform synthesis
FoundMatter connects available evidence into an explained interpretation without presenting it as fact.
Missing or stale
Decision-relevant information is absent, conflicts with another source, or needs to be refreshed.
Company Evaluation and Match Fit answer different questions
Company Evaluation
What can the available evidence support about this company's market, product, team, execution, and capital readiness?
Match Fit
Why does this company fit—or not fit—a particular mandate, its criteria, and its exclusions?
Decision context
Which risks, missing evidence, and investor-specific questions should the team test next?
The method is versioned and inspectable
FoundMatter deliberately starts with a lean V0 model. Dimensions and weights can evolve from product and customer evidence without rewriting historical results.
Traceable origin
Every material claim retains its source, freshness, and state. Conflicts and uncertainty are not dissolved into polished prose.
No paid ranking
Payment never improves ranking, evaluation, or response priority. Introductions remain permissioned and carry no outcome promise.
Practical expertise as the starting point
The methodology is authored by FoundMatter founder Paul Krügel, drawing on 80+ accelerated AI and technology startups, 150+ evaluation, training, and jury contexts, and program and investor-readiness work with Cointelegraph Accelerator and UNDP AltFinLab.
Common questions
Does FoundMatter create one universal startup score?
No. FoundMatter shows dimensions, evidence state, risks, and open questions. A concise result can structure review but never replaces investment judgment or due diligence.
Why separate hard facts and soft facts?
Hard facts and soft facts have different sources, uncertainties, and refresh cycles. Separating them prevents a compelling narrative from being treated like a verified business fact.
Can the evaluation method change?
Yes. The V0 method is versioned and intentionally changeable. Historical results retain their method version while new evidence can produce traceable revisions.
The next relevant decision starts with clear evidence.
How FoundMatter separates hard facts, soft facts, source state, company evaluation, and investor-specific Match Fit.