Stop Wasting Discovery Calls on Bad Startup Ideas
Learn how agencies and venture studios can qualify startup leads automatically using AI-powered viability scores. Save 10+ hours per month on unqualified discovery calls.
You know the pattern.
A founder slides into your DMs. "I have this amazing idea." You book a discovery call. Thirty minutes later, you realize:
- -The idea is a clone of something that failed in 2019
- -They have no budget
- -The market doesn't exist
- -They want you to work for equity
Multiply that by 10 founders a month. That's a full workday gone on people who were never going to sign.
The Real Cost of Unqualified Leads
Most agencies just accept this. "It's the cost of doing business." It's not. It's the cost of not filtering.
Every bad discovery call costs you:
- •30-60 minutes of your time
- •Mental energy context-switching
- •A calendar slot that could have gone to a real prospect
- •Follow-up emails that go nowhere
The math: At 10 bad calls per month, you're burning 10+ hours. That's a full day of billable work. Gone.
What If Founders Qualified Themselves?
Imagine this: before a founder can book a call with you, they run their idea through a 60-second market scan.
60 seconds later, they get a viability score from 0 to 100. The scanner checks:
- ✓Real competitor data (names, funding, pricing)
- ✓Market demand signals from Reddit, Hacker News, and forums
- ✓Google Trends momentum
- ✓TAM/SAM/SOM estimates with sources
You see the results before the call ever happens.
Score 72? Take the call.
They've done the homework. The market exists. Worth your time.
Score 38? Send a template.
"Thanks for reaching out. Based on your initial scan, we'd recommend validating further before investing in development."
No awkward "this isn't a fit" call. No wasted afternoon. No slow-fade ghosting.
How It Works
Embed a widget on your website
2 minutes, copy-paste. Uses your logo and branding.
Founders submit their idea before requesting a call
The widget runs complete market validation in real-time.
They get a detailed report with real market data
Competitors, demand signals, TAM/SAM/SOM, and a viability score.
You see every lead in a dashboard
Score, idea summary, and full report. Decide who's worth your time.
Founders get real market data before the call. You get pre-qualified leads who already understand their competitive landscape.
We're piloting with a handful of agencies. Early signal:
Most skip 3-5 calls per month. That's half a day back, every month.
Who's Using This
Venture Studios
Pre-screen founders before accelerator applications. Filter by viability score before investing time in due diligence.
MVP Development Shops
Qualify startup leads and prioritize high-potential projects. Focus your MVP development resources on ideas with market demand.
Startup Marketing Agencies
Identify clients who actually have product-market fit potential. Better clients = better case studies.
Fractional CTOs
Vet ideas before signing retainer agreements. Don't spend months building something nobody wants.
Why Traditional Lead Qualification Fails
Most agencies use one of two approaches:
The Form
"Tell us about your budget and timeline." Founders lie. Everyone says they have $50K when they have $5K. Everyone says "ASAP" when they mean "someday." And even when they're honest, they're guessing. They don't know their competitors. They don't know if demand exists.
The Discovery Call
You spend 30 minutes asking questions you could have answered in 60 seconds with data. Discovery calls should validate fit, not gather basic information.
AI-powered market validation gives you objective data before the call. You know if the market exists. You know who the competitors are. You know if demand signals are real.
Frequently Asked Questions
How accurate is the viability score?
The score is based on real market data from 20+ live sources including Crunchbase, Google Trends, Reddit, and Hacker News. It's not a prediction of success. It's an objective assessment of market conditions.
Will founders feel filtered out?
Low scores come with specific recommendations: pivot angles, underserved niches, validation next steps. Most founders thank you for the data even when they're not ready. You've given them something useful instead of a polite rejection email.
Can I customize the scoring threshold?
Yes. Some agencies set 60+ for immediate booking, 40-60 for email follow-up, and below 40 for automated nurture sequences.
How does this integrate with my existing workflow?
The widget embeds in any website. Results sync to a dashboard. Webhook integrations available for CRM and calendar tools.
Related guides:
Try It Free for 30 Days
We're offering a free pilot for agencies and venture studios who want to qualify startup leads automatically. No credit card. No commitment.
Request Your Free Pilot→See which leads are worth your time before they hit your calendar. If it doesn't save you hours, we part friends.
