founder-meeting-runbook
npx machina-cli add skill evalops/open-associate-skills/founder-meeting-runbook --openclawFounder 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
- Meeting brief (5 bullets + 3 kill questions) before the call
- Meeting notes (decision-oriented, with "must be true" + risks) within 2 hours
- Follow-up email (value + next steps) same day
- Pass note (if passing) that is direct and helpful
- 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)
| Section | Time | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Founder story + why this problem | 5 min | Motivation, insight |
| Product + why now | 10 min | Wedge, differentiation |
| Buyer + GTM motion | 10 min | ICP, cycle, pricing |
| Traction + retention + cycle time | 10 min | Evidence of pull |
| Risks / unknowns | 5 min | What founder is worried about |
| Next steps | 5 min | Clear 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
- 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.
- Step 2: Conduct a 45-minute meeting using the structured agenda and 8–12 high-signal questions.
- 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.