You cleared the Concept gate. You showed the market was big enough, urgent enough, and painful enough to be worth chasing.
Now at Seed, it’s time to pressure-test those claims with evidence. You’re committing more time, talent, and capital — so no more relying on back-of-napkin math or hopeful interviews.
Are people actually leaning in? Is this market still big enough, urgent enough, and painful enough to justify the fight?
Your job now is to replace assumptions with signals — not just TAM logic, but real traction, repeated behavior, and credible access that proves you can take a bite out of the market you claimed.
When you pitch Seed investors, they’re looking for truth, not theater. You’ve still got two slides to win or lose the room:
- Is the Market Opportunity still compelling — now that you’ve been swimming in it?
- Do you still have a Competitive Advantage — or has the field shifted under you?
These slides aren’t just for them. They’re for you — a checkpoint.
If the market no longer rings true: admit it, adjust, or stop.
But don’t waste anyone’s time pretending.
Purpose
- Validate that your Concept-stage assumptions hold under real-world testing.
- Show updated TAM/SAM/SOM with live signals, not just theory.
- Identify segments, channels, or niches where traction is actually happening.
- Confirm you still have a defensible angle and access advantage.
When to Complete
- Before finalizing your Seed deck or investor meetings.
- After pilots, prototypes, or first sales start feeding back data.
- Once you have a few “hot spots” that show where the market is real.
Proof Sections
Market Reality, Not Theory
Who are you actually landing with right now?
- B2B SaaS – “We thought HR teams would lead adoption; turns out COOs at 10–50 person firms are our first movers.”
- B2C CPG – “Expected teens, but early traction is from health-conscious parents.”
- Services – “Nonprofits weren’t biting, but regional banks asked for proposals.”
TAM / SAM / SOM (Evidence-Based)
Update your market sizing with live data. Which slices are warm? Which are dead cold?
- B2B SaaS – “Our SOM narrowed to regional HR outsourcing firms — 3 of 5 contacted took meetings.”
- B2C CPG – “70% of testers re-ordered within 3 weeks; urban specialty groceries showed repeat demand.”
- Services – “Our SOM is now midsize compliance-heavy clients — 2 of 4 signed pilots.”
Access Strategy (CEO Signal)
What rooms, communities, or relationships have you unlocked since Concept?
- B2B SaaS – “CEO invited to two startup finance roundtables → 3 demo requests.”
- B2C CPG – “Featured at local food expo → secured 2 retail pilots.”
- Services – “Panel slot at industry event → 5 inbound inquiries.”
Talent & Partner Attraction
Is the market compelling enough that others want in?
- B2B SaaS – “Former Series B VP Marketing offered to advise.”
- B2C CPG – “Packaging supplier offered flexible terms to support scaling.”
- Services – “A Big 4 firm asked about partnership pilots.”
Execution Requirements
- Updated TAM/SAM/SOM with evidence.
- List of segments showing early traction.
- CEO access log: rooms, intros, partnerships.
- Documented talent/partner interest signals.
Domain Adaptability: Moderate
- B2B SaaS: demo requests, pilots, narrowed segment focus.
- B2C CPG: re-orders, expo traction, early retail conversations.
- Services: client pilots, referrals, or requests for expansion.
Expected Output
- 2–3 paragraph summary of where the market is actually hot.
- Updated SOM table or segment map.
- Partner/talent/CEO access tracker.
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Optional Enhancements (Pro-Level Execution)
- Customer Heat Map — visualize warm vs. cold segments.
- Investor Honesty Slide — “what changed” since Concept.
- Partner Signal Tracker — inbound advisor/partner log.
- Narrative Re-Test — show revised story to 3 customers & 2 advisors; see if it sticks.