VC Red Flag Assessment

Eighteen fast yes/no questions covering what VCs actually screen for — your team, market, technology & traction, and deal structure. Every "No" points at one specific, fixable problem.

You'll get a score, your red and yellow flags, and a personalized breakdown of what to fix first. No account needed — about 5 minutes.

About 5 minutes.

Step 1 of 617%
Does the founding team have 5+ years of relevant technical/domain expertise (career or graduate-level education)? *
Is the founding team full-time on the venture with zero competing commitments? *
Does the founding team have 5+ years of relevant experience in a decision-making role at other companies or startups? *
Does the founding team have 12+ months of financial runway to stay committed and work full-time? *
Has someone on the founding team been immersed in this sector (professionally, academically, or personally) for at least 5 years? *

What do VCs actually screen for?

Most VC passes come down to four things, and none of them is the pitch deck: the team, the market, the technology and traction, and the deal structure. Investors are looking for reasons to stop reading, and each of those areas contains a handful of specific, nameable problems that end a conversation early. In deep tech, the fatal ones are rarely about the science. In most cases, they are part-time founders, a problem nobody needs solved, technology that's stuck in the lab setting, and a cap table that makes the company uninvestable. This assessment walks all four areas as eighteen yes/no questions, and every "No" is one named red flag with one concrete fix.

Team & commitment
Real technical depth, founders who are full-time, operating experience, personal runway, and genuine immersion in the sector.
Market & value proposition
A market big enough to return a fund, a problem urgent enough that someone pays now, a sales cycle you can survive, and a value proposition a stranger can repeat.
Technology & traction
How far past the demo the technology actually is, and what evidence exists — beyond friendly conversations — that anyone wants it.
Deal & structure
Cap table, IP ownership, and the terms that make a company uninvestable no matter how good the science is.

Common questions

Why do VCs say "you're too early"?

"Too early" is the polite version of "I cannot yet see proof that the technology works outside your lab, or that anyone will pay for it when it does." In deep tech, that normally means unvalidated technology, the lack of a commercial partner or letter of intent, or customer discovery hasn't translated into commercial commitments. It is also one of the most fixable gaps: the gap is evidence, and evidence is something you can collect.

Is this assessment really free?

Yes — no account, no card, no upsell. You answer eighteen questions and get your score, your red and yellow flags, and a personalized breakdown of what to fix first. The one thing we ask for is an email address at the end, because that is how we send you a copy of the results. We may follow up with you after you complete your assessment to ask for your feedback.

What happens to my answers?

They are stored with the email address you give us, and used to score your submission and email you a copy of your results. Submitting is also how you opt in to hearing from Deep Tech Dirt; every email we send has an unsubscribe link. Your answers are never published, and nothing you write is attached to your name anywhere on the site. Occasionally, we aggregate results to share insights on the investment environment with our community.

Where to go next