Business Idea Researcher

Who we are: We are very credible and active US-based investors that evaluates and develops new business concepts (as well as existing opportunities). We generate more ideas than we can chase, so we need rigorous, fast validation work to decide which ones are worth pursuing and which to kill. You would be working directly with the or more of the principals — no layers, no account managers. What we are looking for: A research analyst who can take a raw business idea and turn it into a defensible point of view about whether the opportunity is real. We are explicitly not looking for a domain expert in any one industry. We're looking for someone with strong general research instincts who can get up to speed on an unfamiliar market quickly and tell us what actually matters about it. Typical engagement: We hand you a concept in a sector you may know nothing about. You come back with an assessment of the market, who is already serving it, where the unmet need sits, what the economics look like, and what would have to be true for this to work. Scope of work Market landscape and dynamics: size, growth, structure, segmentation, value chain, and the forces actually driving change in the space Customer and pain point research: who has the problem, how acute it is, what they currently do instead, willingness to pay Competitive analysis: direct and indirect players, positioning matrix, funding and traction where relevant, white space identification Regulatory, supply chain, or structural constraints that would materially affect feasibility Initial financial modeling: TAM/SAM/SOM, unit economics, revenue build, cost structure, basic sensitivity analysis Synthesis into deliverables: executive summary (1–2 pages), slide deck (10–20 slides), and where the concept warrants it, a business plan draft A clear, honest recommendation — including "we think this is a bad idea, and here's why" Deliverable standards — please read this part carefully Every non-obvious factual claim must carry a source. Footnote or endnote, with a working link. We check them. We will verify a random sample of your citations. If a source does not say what the deliverable claims it says, the engagement ends immediately, regardless of how good the rest of the work is. AI tools are fine as an accelerant. AI-generated content passed off as research is not. You are welcome to use LLMs to speed up drafting, structuring, and synthesis. You are responsible for the accuracy of everything you submit. Unverified model output presented as fact is the fastest way to end this relationship. Where the data does not exist or is unreliable, say so explicitly and explain your estimation method. A well-reasoned assumption clearly labeled as an assumption is far more valuable to us than a confident number with no provenance. Distinguish clearly between what you found, what you inferred, and what you assumed. Required qualifications Demonstrable experience in consulting, venture capital, private equity, corporate strategy, equity research, investment banking, or startup market research Comfort building financial models in Excel or Google Sheets from scratch — not filling in a template Ability to produce clean, presentation-grade slides and tight executive writing Fluent written English; ability to write in a direct, business-professional register Overlap with US business hours for calls (at least 3 hours, US Eastern preferred) Access to research resources beyond free Google — trade publications, industry association data, government datasets, patent databases, filings, or paid research subscriptions. Tell us what you have access to. Nice to have MBA, CFA, or equivalent analytical training Experience conducting primary research (expert interviews, customer discovery calls, structured surveys) Experience presenting findings to founders, investors, or executives Engagement structure We will start with one paid pilot project at a defined scope and fee before discussing ongoing work. If the pilot goes well, we anticipate steady recurring work — we have a pipeline of concepts to evaluate and would prefer to build a long-term relationship with one or two analysts over rotating through freelancers. Budget We pay for quality and we pay on time. We are not the cheapest buyer on this platform and we are not looking for the cheapest analyst. How to apply — applications that skip this will not be read Do not send a generic cover letter. Instead, include the following four things: One example of prior research work you produced, redacted as needed. A deck, a memo, a model — something you actually made. Your process. In your own words: how do you approach a market you know nothing about? What are your first three moves? Where do you look for data that most people don't? A short, unpolished take. Pick any consumer or B2B market you find interesting and give us three sentences on where you think the real unmet need in it is. Rough is fine. We want to see how you think, not how you format. Your research toolkit. What databases, subscriptions, or sources do you have access to? Thank you