--- slug: "startup-skill" source_type: "readme" source_url: "https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/ferdinandobons/startup-skill@main/README.md" repo: "https://github.com/ferdinandobons/startup-skill" source_file: "README.md" branch: "main" --- # Startup Skill [![Version](https://img.shields.io/github/v/release/ferdinandobons/startup-skill?label=version)](https://github.com/ferdinandobons/startup-skill/releases) [![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-blue.svg)](LICENSE) [![GitHub stars](https://img.shields.io/github/stars/ferdinandobons/startup-skill)](https://github.com/ferdinandobons/startup-skill/stargazers)

Startup Skill — From startup idea to validated strategy. In one afternoon. Radically honest. Completely free.

What a $10K strategy consultant would deliver: market research, competitive battle cards, positioning, financial projections, and a 30-day action plan. If your idea should die, it will tell you. Works with [Claude Code](https://claude.ai/claude-code) and any agent that supports skills. **Website:** [startupskill.me](https://startupskill.me) **Latest release:** [v1.10.0](https://github.com/ferdinandobons/startup-skill/releases/tag/v1.10.0) **Contributions welcome!** [Open a PR](#contributing) or [an issue](https://github.com/ferdinandobons/startup-skill/issues). ## Available Skills | Skill | What you get | |-------|-------------| | [startup-design](https://github.com/ferdinandobons/startup-skill/tree/HEAD/startup-design/) | Complete startup strategy: market research, customer discovery, competitive analysis, brand, product definition, financial projections, and validation experiments. 8 phases plus pre-flight check and customer interview gate, 30+ structured deliverables. | | [startup-competitors](https://github.com/ferdinandobons/startup-skill/tree/HEAD/startup-competitors/) | Battle cards for every competitor, pricing landscape, feature matrix, and strategic report. Built from real reviews, forums, web data, and reviewed social/community source packets when provided. | | [startup-positioning](https://github.com/ferdinandobons/startup-skill/tree/HEAD/startup-positioning/) | Market positioning using April Dunford's framework. Positioning doc, competitive alternatives map, market category analysis, and messaging implications. | | [startup-pitch](https://github.com/ferdinandobons/startup-skill/tree/HEAD/startup-pitch/) | Investor-ready pitch in multiple formats: 10-min, 5-min, 2-min, 1-min elevator, email, and a slide-by-slide deck outline. Includes scoring rubric, Q&A prep, and investor roleplay practice. | ## Usage Describe what you need — skills trigger automatically: > *"I want to build a SaaS for real estate agents that automates follow-up emails. Is it worth building?"* **→ `startup-design`** runs the full process: pre-flight check, 8 phases, customer discovery gate --- > *"Who are my competitors in the project management space for creative agencies? I need battle cards and a pricing comparison."* **→ `startup-competitors`** profiles 5-8+ competitors across 3 research waves --- > *"Quick validation — fast track mode."* **→ `startup-design`** runs a compressed go/no-go analysis --- > *"How should we position our product? We're in the project management space but we're different from Asana and Monday."* **→ `startup-positioning`** builds positioning through Dunford's 5+1 components --- > *"Prepare my pitch — I'm raising 500K pre-seed. We have 45 active customers growing 20% MoM."* **→ `startup-pitch`** builds pitch narratives in multiple formats with scoring and Q&A prep Or invoke directly: `/startup:startup-design`, `/startup:startup-competitors`, `/startup:startup-positioning`, `/startup:startup-pitch` > **Token usage:** These skills run multiple research agents and can consume a large number of tokens. For the best experience, use [Claude Max 5x](https://claude.ai/upgrade). If a session hits the limit, just ask Claude to "resume from where you left off" — it will pick up the process. ## Installation ### Claude Code Plugin (Recommended) ```bash claude plugin marketplace add ferdinandobons/startup-skill claude plugin install startup@startup-skill ```
Claude.ai (Web App) Download `.skill` files from the [Releases page](https://github.com/ferdinandobons/startup-skill/releases), then upload in **Settings → Skills**.
Other Methods ```bash # CLI Install npx skills add ferdinandobons/startup-skill # Clone and copy git clone https://github.com/ferdinandobons/startup-skill.git cp -r startup-skill/startup-design .agents/skills/ cp -r startup-skill/startup-competitors .agents/skills/ cp -r startup-skill/startup-positioning .agents/skills/ cp -r startup-skill/startup-pitch .agents/skills/ # Git submodule git submodule add https://github.com/ferdinandobons/startup-skill.git .agents/startup-skill # SkillKit (works with Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, etc.) npx skillkit install ferdinandobons/startup-skill ```
Updating **Claude Code Plugin:** ```bash claude plugin update startup@startup-skill ``` > If the update doesn't pick up new changes, refresh the marketplace source and reinstall: > ```bash > claude plugin uninstall startup@startup-skill > claude plugin marketplace remove startup-skill > claude plugin marketplace add ferdinandobons/startup-skill > claude plugin install startup@startup-skill > ``` **Claude.ai:** Download the latest `.skill` files from the [Releases page](https://github.com/ferdinandobons/startup-skill/releases) and re-upload in **Settings → Skills**. **CLI / SkillKit:** Re-run the install command — it overwrites the previous version: ```bash npx skills add ferdinandobons/startup-skill # or npx skillkit install ferdinandobons/startup-skill ``` **Git Submodule:** ```bash git submodule update --remote .agents/startup-skill ```
## Contributing See [CONTRIBUTING.md](https://github.com/ferdinandobons/startup-skill/blob/HEAD/CONTRIBUTING.md) for details. ## License [MIT](https://github.com/ferdinandobons/startup-skill/tree/HEAD/LICENSE)