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founder-meeting-runbook

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Founder meeting runbook

When to use

Use this skill for:

  • First meetings / second meetings with founders
  • Prepping a partner for a meeting
  • Turning a conversation into a clear "next step" (diligence or pass)

Inputs you should request (only if missing)

  • Company deck / website / demo link (if available)
  • Stage and what the founder is raising
  • Your firm's investment criteria (check size, ownership, etc.)
  • Any prior interactions (intro path, prior passes)

Outputs you must produce

  1. Meeting brief (5 bullets + 3 kill questions) before the call
  2. Meeting notes (decision-oriented, with "must be true" + risks) within 2 hours
  3. Follow-up email (value + next steps) same day
  4. Pass note (if passing) that is direct and helpful
  5. Salesforce logging within 2 hours

Hard rule: Every meeting must have a 5-bullet recap logged within 2 hours.

Templates:

  • assets/meeting-brief.md
  • assets/meeting-notes.md
  • assets/follow-up-email.md
  • assets/pass-note.md

Procedure

1) Pre-meeting prep (15-25 minutes)

Do:

  • Read everything public (site, docs, pricing, 2-3 customer quotes if possible).
  • Write 5 questions you truly don't know the answer to.
  • Identify 3 "kill questions" (if answered badly, likely a pass).
  • Write your wedge hypothesis: "Why might this be 10x?"
  • Write your initial "must be true" (what needs to be true for this to work?).

Avoid:

  • Writing a long summary nobody uses.
  • Asking questions the deck already answers (unless testing honesty).
  • Going in without a point of view.

2) Meeting structure (45 minutes, keep time)

SectionTimeFocus
Founder story + why this problem5 minMotivation, insight
Product + why now10 minWedge, differentiation
Buyer + GTM motion10 minICP, cycle, pricing
Traction + retention + cycle time10 minEvidence of pull
Risks / unknowns5 minWhat founder is worried about
Next steps5 minClear actions

3) High-signal questions (pick 8-12)

Buyer / pain (establish ICP + trigger)

  • Who is the buyer with budget authority?
  • What is the trigger event that causes purchase now?
  • What are they doing today instead?
  • What is the "do nothing" competitor?
  • What happens if they don't buy this? (cost of inaction)

GTM (establish repeatability)

  • How do the first 10 customers find you?
  • What is the sales cycle length and who blocks it?
  • What is the onboarding path and time-to-value?
  • What's your pricing and how did you arrive at it?
  • What's your churn and why do people leave?

Traction / truth (establish evidence)

  • What's the best evidence this is repeatable?
  • What's the hardest churn story you've had?
  • What surprised you since launch?
  • What metric would you want us to check in 6 months?

Team / learning rate (establish adaptability)

  • Tell me about a major internal disagreement and how you resolved it.
  • What's an example of something you changed your mind about based on evidence?
  • What do you believe that most people in the space disagree with?
  • What's your biggest gap as a team right now?

Kill questions (must ask) Your 3 kill questions from prep. If the answers are bad, you should pass.

4) Note-taking rules (decision oriented)

Your notes must include these sections:

## One-line summary
[Company] does [what] for [who] at [stage]. Recommend: [advance/pass/watch]

## Must be true (3 bullets)
1. 
2. 
3. 

## Strengths (3 bullets)
1. 
2. 
3. 

## Risks (3 bullets, ranked)
1. [Highest impact]
2. 
3. 

## Kill question answers
1. Q: / A: / Signal:
2. Q: / A: / Signal:
3. Q: / A: / Signal:

## Next step (if advancing)
- Diligence item 1:
- Diligence item 2:
- Owner:
- Deadline:

## Pass reason (if passing)
- Primary reason:
- What would change our mind:
- Recheck date:

5) Follow-up (same day, within 2 hours)

If advancing: Send:

  • A crisp recap of what you heard (so they can correct it)
  • 1-2 specific intros you can make (customers/operators/candidates) - named, not generic
  • The diligence items needed next (explicit, max 3)
  • A proposed timeline for next steps with dates

If passing:

  • Be direct ("we're going to pass")
  • Name 1-2 concrete reasons (avoid "not a fit")
  • Offer 1 actionable suggestion (ICP change, wedge, metric to hit, etc.)
  • State what would change your mind (and when to reconnect)

6) Passing well

Rules for passing:

  • Pass quickly (within 48 hours of decision)
  • Be direct in the first sentence
  • Give a real reason, not "timing" or "fit"
  • Leave the door open with specifics

Good pass: "After discussing internally, we're going to pass on this round. Our main concern is [specific reason]. If we saw [specific evidence], we'd love to reconnect. In the meantime, [one helpful suggestion]."

Bad pass: "Unfortunately, this isn't the right fit for us at this time. Best of luck with your fundraise!"

Salesforce logging (REQUIRED, within 2 hours)

Minimum logging per meeting:

  • Event/Activity with 5-bullet notes attached
  • Opportunity created or updated with current stage
  • Task for next step with owner and due date
  • Pass reason (if passing) + "what would change our mind" + recheck date

Use salesforce-crm-ops for API-level logging.

Interview craft (advanced)

Building rapport without wasting time:

  • One genuine observation from your prep (not generic flattery)
  • Let them talk 70% of the time
  • Take notes visibly (shows you're listening)

Handling evasive answers:

  • If vague: "Can you give me a specific example?"
  • If no data: "What's the closest proxy you have?"
  • If deflecting: "I want to make sure I understand - [restate question]"
  • If still evasive after 2 attempts: note it as a red flag, move on

Handling overselling:

  • Acknowledge the positive, then probe
  • "That's great. What's the hardest part of that?"
  • "What would have to go wrong for that to fail?"

Silence is useful:

  • After a question, let them think
  • Don't fill awkward silences - founders often add important context

References to keep you sharp

  • Paul Graham essays for founder patterns and early-stage behavior (e.g., "Do Things That Don't Scale").
  • Mark Suster's writing for board and fundraising dynamics.

(These are reading aids, not a substitute for evidence from the company.)

Edge cases

  • If the founder is evasive: ask for specifics (numbers, names, timelines). If still evasive after 2 attempts, treat as a red flag and document.
  • If you're missing data: propose the smallest next step that would resolve the top risk.
  • If the meeting runs long: protect the "next steps" section. End on clarity, not ambiguity.
  • If the founder asks for feedback: be honest and specific, even if uncomfortable.

Source

git clone https://github.com/evalops/open-associate-skills/blob/main/founder-meeting-runbook/SKILL.mdView on GitHub

Overview

Founder-meeting-runbook helps you run crisp, decision-focused founder meetings by guiding pre-meeting kill questions, a structured 45-minute conversation, and rapid post-call notes and follow-ups. It’s designed for first/second founder meetings, partner prep, and diligence or deal screening, with concrete templates and SLA-driven outputs.

How This Skill Works

Before the call, do 15–25 minutes of prep: read public materials, write 5 unknowns, identify 3 kill questions, craft a wedge hypothesis, and draft a must-be-true. During the 45-minute meeting, follow a structured agenda and ask 8–12 high-signal questions across buyer, GTM, traction, and team topics, including the kill questions. After the call, produce decision-oriented notes (must be true, risks, strengths), a 5-bullet recap, and complete the required outputs (meeting brief, notes, follow-up email, pass note, and Salesforce log) within 2 hours or the same day as specified by the hard rules.

When to Use It

  • First or second meetings with founders
  • Prepping a partner for a meeting
  • Turning a conversation into a clear next step (diligence or pass)
  • Screening deals against investment criteria
  • Aligning internal criteria and logging (Salesforce)

Quick Start

  1. Step 1: Pre-meeting prep (15–25 minutes): read public materials, write 5 questions you don’t know, identify 3 kill questions, craft wedge hypothesis, draft must-be-true.
  2. Step 2: Conduct a 45-minute meeting using the structured agenda and 8–12 high-signal questions.
  3. Step 3: Write the 5-bullet meeting recap, capture decision notes (must be true, risks, strengths), and complete follow-up email, pass note, and Salesforce logging the same day.

Best Practices

  • Do thorough pre-meeting prep: read public materials, write 5 questions you truly don’t know the answer to, identify 3 kill questions, craft a wedge hypothesis, and draft your must-be-true.
  • Run a tight 45-minute meeting with a clearly defined sectioned agenda and time caps.
  • Use 8–12 high-signal questions across Buyer, GTM, Traction, and Team domains, including the three kill questions.
  • Capture decision-oriented notes with a One-line summary, Must be true (3 bullets), Strengths, and Risks, plus a 5-bullet recap within 2 hours.
  • Deliver all outputs promptly: meeting brief, meeting notes, follow-up email, pass note, and Salesforce logging on the same day.

Example Use Cases

  • First meeting with a B2B SaaS founder; extract wedge and must-be-true to decide next steps.
  • Partner-prep call to align diligence criteria before a meeting with a portfolio company.
  • Early-stage deal screening to decide pass or proceed using kill questions.
  • Post-meeting follow-up email highlighting value and next steps within the same day.
  • Salesforce logging completed within 2 hours to keep the deal record fresh.

Frequently Asked Questions

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