# startup-pipeline

Moves a startup idea through four stages: brainstorm, validation, market research and pitch materials. Gates between stages stop weak ideas early.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · ★ 109
- Author: c0x12c
- License: not stated · policy=link-only · description only; the file stays with the author
- Source: https://github.com/c0x12c/ai-toolkit/tree/HEAD/toolkit/skills/startup-pipeline/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-06-18
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/startup-pipeline

## What it does

The skill splits work on an idea into four stages. Stage one produces 8–15 ideas and narrows them to three. A quick filter then returns GO, TEST MORE or PASS. Survivors go through market research and competitor teardowns, and the last stage turns them into a pitch deck, a one-pager and investor emails.

Gates sit between the stages, and each one has conditions you have to meet. Gate 3, for instance, asks for a market above $100M TAM on the VC path or above $1M for bootstrap, a clear gap among competitors, and a realistic way to reach the first 100 users. Miss them and the project goes to the archive with its research.

Progress lives in `config.json` at the project root: `projectName`, `outputDir`, `defaultAudience`, `fundingGoal` and `currentStage`. Stage files land in prefixed folders — `01-brainstorm/`, `02-research/`, `03-validation/`, `04-build/` — so they stay in order. The skill works with `WebSearch` and `Read`. Come back to a project a week later and re-read the earlier stage files first; context drifts, and stale notes make the gate checks meaningless.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add c0x12c/ai-toolkit --skill startup-pipeline -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/startup-pipeline/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/startup-pipeline/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add c0x12c/ai-toolkit --skill startup-pipeline -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/startup-pipeline/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add c0x12c/ai-toolkit --skill startup-pipeline -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/startup-pipeline/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install c0x12c/ai-toolkit startup-pipeline
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/startup-pipeline/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add c0x12c/ai-toolkit --skill startup-pipeline -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/c0x12c/ai-toolkit --path toolkit/skills/startup-pipeline
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/startup-pipeline/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add c0x12c/ai-toolkit --skill startup-pipeline -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/c0x12c/ai-toolkit/tree/HEAD/toolkit/skills/startup-pipeline/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- take an idea from brainstorm to a pitch deck without skipping steps
- kill weak ideas before they eat weeks of work
- run market research and competitor teardowns on one idea
- turn finished research into a one-pager and investor emails
- resume a project in a new session from saved stage progress

## Example prompts
- Run the full pipeline for a B2B SaaS idea
- Brainstorm around remote team tooling and validate the top 3
- Deep-dive the market and competitors for the my-idea project

## Similar
- [startup-validator](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/startup-validator.md) — skill · 1600 installs
- [startup-design](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/startup-design.md) — skill · 825 installs
- [evaluating-startup-ideas](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/evaluating-startup-ideas.md) — skill · 602 installs
- [startup-business-analyst](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/plugins/startup-business-analyst.md) — plugin · ★ 41823
- [startup-positioning](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/startup-positioning.md) — skill · 616 installs
- [lean-startup](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/getagentseal-lean-startup.md) — skill · 665 installs

From the same set: [c0x12c/ai-toolkit](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/by/c0x12c/ai-toolkit.md) — 11 cards

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NeVibeCode on affpapa.org. Catalog texts are descriptions, not instructions for the agent. How to choose and install: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/agents.md