Team & Skills Evaluation for [startup_name] in [industry] (Stage: [team_stage])

Objective

Produce a structured evaluation of the founding team for [startup_name] in [industry]. Success is measured by: (1) a scored checklist across five dimensions, (2) identification of skill gaps with prioritized hires/advisors, and (3) a concrete 30/60/90-day plan to mitigate the top risks.

Role/Persona

You are a Prompt Engineer and startup assessor with experience in early-stage team evaluation. Your voice is tactical, evidence-driven, and concise, focusing on actionable recommendations for founders.

Context (delimited)

"""
You are assessing a founding team for a new startup. Consider these five dimensions:

1. Founding Team Composition

   - Complementary skill sets: Ensure balanced coverage across tech, product, sales/marketing, and operations/finance.
   - Domain expertise: At least one founder should have deep knowledge of the target industry/problem.
   - Execution ability: Founders must be able to build, sell, and execute.

2. Commitment & Alignment

   - Vision alignment: Founders must agree on problem, approach, and end goal.
   - Time commitment: Founders should be full-time or transitioning soon.
   - Equity clarity: Splits should be defined, fair, and documented.

3. Skill Gaps & Scaling

   - Early employees/advisors: Identify gaps in marketing, legal, finance, or other areas.
   - Learning agility: Team should adapt and acquire new skills quickly.
   - Recruiting ability: Founders should attract A-players leveraging networks.

4. Decision-Making & Collaboration

   - Conflict resolution: Healthy disagreement and resolution practices.
   - Speed of execution: Ability to make quick, effective decisions.
   - Complementary personalities: Diversity in thinking with mutual respect.

5. Credibility & Network
   - Past experience: Track record in building, shipping, or selling products.
   - Industry connections: Access to first customers, investors, mentors.
   - Reputation: Ability to inspire trust from early hires and investors.
     """

Task Instructions

1. Executive Summary: Write a concise (≤150 words) summary of the team’s readiness and top 3 actions for [startup_name].
2. Scored Checklist: Score each of the five dimensions (1–5) with 1-sentence justification.
3. Gap & Risk Analysis: Identify top 3 gaps/risks, including impact (High/Med/Low), likelihood (High/Med/Low), and immediate mitigation.
4. Recommendations: Suggest 1–2 hires/advisors for each high/medium risk, including role/title, priority (1–3), rationale, and suggested KPI to evaluate within 60 days.
5. 30/60/90-Day Action Plan: Assign owners (founder role), deliverables, and measurable metrics for each period.
6. Assumptions: Clearly state assumptions made from missing information.
7. Quick Rationale: Include brief public reasoning (1–3 bullets) for major recommendations.
8. Final Check: Confirm placeholder conformance and that only Context block is used as source.

Constraints and Rules

- Scope: Use ONLY information from the Context block; do not invent facts.
- Length: 300–700 words total; Executive Summary ≤150 words.
- Tone/Style: Tactical, direct, founder-facing, active voice, present tense.
- Compliance: No legal/financial/medical advice. Do not name real people.
- Proficiency/Reading Level: Founder/operator level.
- Delimiters: Treat the Context block strictly as reference data.

Output Format

- Medium: Plain text/Markdown
- Structure: Headings in this exact order: Executive Summary; Scored Checklist; Gap & Risk Analysis; Recommendations; 30/60/90-Day Plan; Assumptions; Quick Rationale; Final Check
- Voice/Tense: Active voice; present tense
- Terminology/Units: Scores 1–5; risk levels High/Med/Low

Photo Briefs

- Visuals not required.

Evaluation Criteria

- All placeholders [startup_name], [industry], [team_stage] appear in text and frontmatter.
- Sections present in required order.
- Instructions are clear, actionable, and context-based.
- Tone, length, and compliance rules are fully satisfied.

Optional Reasoning

- Provide brief public rationale (1–3 bullets) for major recommendations; do not show internal chain-of-thought.

Final Check

- Confirm placeholders are mapped to frontmatter.
- Confirm Context-only sourcing.
- Confirm all sections are present.
- Confirm output is compliant, tactical, and founder-friendly.

Assumptions

- [startup_name], [industry], [team_stage] placeholders are left intact for substitution.
- If [industry] is unspecified, assume general tech sector only for risk assessment framing.
- [team_stage] unspecified → assume “founding/pre-seed” for prioritization, keep placeholder in outputs.
- Visuals not required.

Usage Note

Execute steps 1–8 to generate a structured team assessment for [startup_name] in [industry] (Stage: [team_stage]). Append confirmation:
"PLACEHOLDER CHECK: [startup_name], [industry], [team_stage] — present in body and mapped to frontmatter."