market-research

Market research combines top-down estimates from reports or public datasets with bottom-up sanity checks based on realistic customer acquisition assumptions. Every leap in logic should carry an explicit assumption, and findings should end in a decision, not just a summary.

Competitive analysis collects product reality rather than marketing copy, public funding and investor history, traction metrics, distribution and pricing clues, and positioning gaps. Include strengths, weaknesses, and contrarian evidence so the comparison supports a real decision.

An investor dossier covers fund size, stage, typical check size, relevant portfolio companies, public thesis, and recent activity. It also lists reasons the fund is or is not a fit plus any obvious red flags or mismatches before outreach.

Market sizing uses top-down estimates from industry reports or public datasets, then validates them with bottom-up checks from realistic acquisition assumptions. State every assumption explicitly and label numbers as sourced or estimated.

Desk research falls short when data is stale, sources conflict, or the question depends on proprietary behavior like actual willingness to pay. In those cases, primary research such as customer interviews or pilot tests provides evidence public sources cannot.