Frequently Asked Questions
Everything founders ask before booking a diagnostic.
Who Is This For
Who is this diagnostic for?
Founders preparing for a Series A raise who have solid metrics but keep getting vague rejections or "not right now" responses from investors. You have product-market fit signals, revenue growth, and a real business—but something in your story is not landing.
Who is this NOT for?
Pre-revenue startups, companies raising seed rounds, founders who need basic pitch deck help, or anyone looking for a coach or ongoing advisor. This is a diagnostic for companies with real metrics that should be fundable but are not getting the traction they expect.
What stage should I be at?
Ideally, you have raised a seed round, have $500K-$5M+ in ARR (or strong growth metrics if earlier), and are 3-12 months away from starting your Series A process. The diagnostic works best when you have enough traction to analyze but time to fix issues before raising.
What metrics do I need to have?
There is no strict cutoff, but most founders I work with have: $1M+ ARR, clear month-over-month growth, strong retention metrics, and enough customers to demonstrate product-market fit. If your metrics are borderline, the diagnostic can help you understand if it is a positioning problem or a metrics problem.
Do you work with pre-revenue companies?
Generally no. The diagnostic is built for companies with traction data to analyze. Pre-revenue companies have different challenges that this diagnostic is not designed to address.
Do you work with international founders?
Yes. I work with founders globally. Sessions are conducted over Zoom and timing is flexible to accommodate different time zones.
What industries do you work with?
Primarily B2B SaaS, enterprise software, developer tools, and marketplaces. I have less experience with biotech, hardware, or consumer apps—though the positioning principles still apply.
Do you work with solo founders?
Yes. Many of the founders I work with are solo or have small teams. The diagnostic focuses on the company's positioning, not team size.
The Diagnostic Process
How long does the entire process take?
Two weeks from application to delivery of the final written report. This includes: application review and scheduling (2-3 days), pre-diagnostic materials review (3-5 days), the 2-hour diagnostic session, report writing (5-7 days), and the 45-minute report review call.
What happens after I apply?
I review your application within 48 hours. If it looks like a fit, I send a short questionnaire and request for materials. Once I have reviewed everything, we schedule the 2-hour diagnostic session.
What materials do I need to send?
Your current pitch deck, one-pager or executive summary, any investor feedback you have received, key metrics dashboard or growth data, and a brief description of your target investors. The more context you provide, the more precise the diagnostic.
What happens during the 2-hour diagnostic session?
I ask questions across the five dimensions: Market Position, Founder-Market Fit, Growth Trajectory, Capital Efficiency, and Investment Narrative. This is not a pitch practice—it is a structured interview designed to surface how you think about and communicate your business. I am looking for gaps between what you believe and what investors will perceive.
Is the session over Zoom?
Yes. All sessions are conducted over Zoom and recorded (with your permission) so I can reference the conversation while writing the report.
Who should be on the call?
The CEO or primary founder who will be leading investor conversations. Co-founders are welcome but not required. The diagnostic works best when I am talking to the person who will be in the room with investors.
Can my co-founder join the session?
Yes. Having your co-founder there can be valuable, especially if they will participate in investor meetings. However, I recommend one person take the lead in answering questions so I can assess the primary narrative.
What questions will you ask?
Questions span market sizing, competitive positioning, founder background, growth metrics, unit economics, capital strategy, and how you tell your story. The specific questions depend on your business and the materials you provide. I am not following a script—I am probing for the gaps that will surface in investor conversations.
The Deliverables
What do I get at the end?
A 25-35 page written report containing: your DX Score across all five dimensions, detailed analysis of each dimension with specific gaps identified, the patterns I see in your positioning, concrete recommendations for what needs to change, and a prioritized action plan. You also get a 45-minute call to review the report and ask questions.
What is in the written report?
The report covers: Executive Summary with your overall DX Score, dimension-by-dimension scoring and analysis, specific positioning gaps identified, investor perception analysis (how VCs will likely interpret your story), recommended narrative shifts, competitive positioning assessment, and a prioritized action plan with immediate, short-term, and pre-raise fixes.
Do you change our deck?
No. I diagnose the positioning and narrative gaps. You fix the underlying story first, then update your deck. Changing slides without fixing the narrative is why most deck revisions fail. The report tells you what needs to change in your story—the deck update comes after.
Do you write the narrative for us?
The standard diagnostic includes detailed recommendations but not written narrative. If you want hands-on narrative work, the Diagnostic + Narrative Rebuild package ($7,500) includes investment thesis rewriting, positioning statement development, and core narrative documentation.
How long is the written report?
Typically 25-35 pages. Some reports are longer if there are more issues to address. The report is detailed enough to be actionable but not padded with generic advice.
What is the DX Score?
A fundability score across five dimensions: Market Position (1-20), Founder-Market Fit (1-20), Growth Trajectory (1-20), Capital Efficiency (1-20), and Investment Narrative (1-20). Total possible score is 100. The score gives you a clear benchmark and shows exactly where the gaps are.
What happens on the report review call?
We spend 45 minutes going through the report together. I explain the scoring, walk through the key findings, answer your questions, and help you prioritize the action items. This is where you can push back, get clarification, and plan your next steps.
Pricing & Payment
How much does it cost?
The DX Score Diagnostic is $3,500. This includes the pre-diagnostic materials review, 2-hour diagnostic session, 25-35 page written report, and 45-minute report review call. Payment is due before the diagnostic session.
Why is it this price?
This is 30 years of pattern recognition across hundreds of investor conversations, compressed into a two-week engagement. Founders typically spend months getting vague rejections before figuring out what is wrong. This diagnostic surfaces those issues in two weeks. The cost of getting it wrong—failed raises, down rounds, wasted time—is significantly higher.
Is this a retainer or ongoing service?
No. It is a one-time diagnostic with a clear deliverable and action plan. You get the report, we do the review call, and you have everything you need to move forward. No ongoing fees, no monthly charges.
Do you offer payment plans?
No. The diagnostic is a one-time payment of $3,500 due before the session. This keeps the engagement simple and focused.
What is your refund policy?
If after our initial call I determine the diagnostic is not a fit for your situation, I will refund your payment in full. Once the diagnostic session begins, there are no refunds—but I have never had a founder request one.
Are there other services available?
Yes. Beyond the standard diagnostic ($3,500), I offer Structural Remediation ($7,500) which includes complete re-architecture of business logic, and Series A Deal Architecture ($15,000) which includes end-to-end deal management and diligence defense. Details are on the Remediation page.
How do I pay?
After your application is accepted, I send an invoice via Stripe. Payment can be made by credit card or ACH transfer.
Timing & Scheduling
When should I do this relative to my raise?
Ideally 2-6 months before you start actively meeting with investors. This gives you time to implement the recommendations, refine your narrative, and update your materials. The diagnostic can also be valuable if you are mid-raise and getting unexpected rejections—but earlier is better.
How soon can we start?
Typically within 1-2 weeks of your application being accepted. Availability varies, but I aim to start the process quickly once we confirm fit.
What if I am already raising?
The diagnostic can still help, especially if you are getting rejections you do not understand. However, the ideal time is before you start—once you are in market, you have less flexibility to make major narrative changes. If you are mid-raise, we can discuss whether the diagnostic makes sense for your situation.
What if I am not raising for 6+ months?
That is actually ideal timing. You will have time to implement recommendations, test the new narrative with customers and advisors, and go into your raise with confidence. The diagnostic results do not expire—the positioning work you do now will still be relevant when you start raising.
Can I reschedule the session?
Yes, with at least 48 hours notice. I understand things come up. Repeated rescheduling may result in needing to restart the process.
Results & Expectations
What results have other founders seen?
Founders typically report: clarity on why investors were passing, specific narrative changes that immediately improved conversations, confidence going into meetings, and faster time-to-term-sheet. I cannot share specific outcomes due to confidentiality, but the pattern is consistent—once you fix the positioning gaps, investor conversations change.
Can you guarantee I will raise my round?
No. No one can guarantee fundraising outcomes—there are too many variables outside your control. What I can guarantee is that you will understand exactly how investors perceive your company and have a clear plan to close the gaps. The rest depends on execution, market conditions, and fit with specific investors.
What if the diagnostic shows major issues?
Then you will know what they are before investors tell you (or worse, do not tell you and just pass). Some founders discover they need to delay their raise, change their target round size, or rethink their positioning entirely. That is valuable information—better to know now than after 50 failed investor meetings.
What if I disagree with the findings?
That is what the report review call is for. I will explain my reasoning, and you can push back. Sometimes founders have context I did not have, and we adjust the findings. Sometimes founders are resistant to feedback that investors will give them anyway. Either way, we will discuss it.
How is this different from advisor feedback?
Advisors typically give general feedback based on their experience. This diagnostic is a structured assessment using a specific framework, with written deliverables and actionable recommendations. It is also an outside perspective—advisors who know you well often cannot see the gaps that strangers (like investors) will notice immediately.
How is this different from pitch coaching?
Pitch coaching focuses on delivery—how you present. This diagnostic focuses on substance—what you are presenting. You can have perfect delivery and still fail if the underlying positioning is wrong. This diagnostic fixes the foundation before you work on presentation.
About Mash
What is your background?
I have spent 30+ years building companies. I have founded or co-founded 12 ventures, had 7 successful exits, and helped founders raise over $75M in capital. I have been on both sides of the table—raising money and evaluating companies. Full background is on the about page.
Have you raised money yourself?
Yes. Multiple times across different ventures. I have experienced the fundraising process from the founder side—the rejections, the vague feedback, the frustration of not knowing what is wrong. That experience is core to how I built this diagnostic.
Do you invest in startups?
I do angel investing, but never in companies I am doing diagnostics for. There is no conflict of interest—this engagement is purely advisory. If I think you are investment-worthy after the diagnostic, I will tell you, but I will not be investing.
Why did you create this diagnostic?
I kept meeting founders who had strong businesses but could not close their rounds. The problem was always the same—gaps in positioning and narrative that they could not see from inside. This diagnostic systematizes what I was doing informally for years.
Do you work with the same companies as an ongoing advisor?
Occasionally, but only if there is clear value beyond the diagnostic. The standard engagement is designed to be complete—you get everything you need to move forward independently. If ongoing support makes sense, we can discuss it after the diagnostic.
Fit & Application
What if it is not a fit?
If your situation is not right for this diagnostic, I will tell you directly—usually within 48 hours of your application. I will explain why and, if possible, suggest what might be more helpful. I would rather turn away business than waste your time and money.
How do I know if I should apply?
Apply if: you have raised seed funding, you have meaningful metrics (ideally $500K+ ARR), you are planning to raise Series A in the next 3-12 months, and you are getting vague feedback or unexpected passes from investors. If you are unsure, apply anyway—the worst case is I tell you it is not a fit.
How selective are you?
I turn away roughly 30-40% of applications. Not because those companies are bad—often they are just not at the right stage, or the diagnostic is not what they actually need. I only take engagements where I am confident the diagnostic will provide real value.
What happens if I apply and get rejected?
You get a direct explanation of why and what I would recommend instead. No ghosting, no vague responses. If the timing is just wrong, I will tell you when to come back.
Is my information confidential?
Yes. Everything you share—application, materials, session content, and report—is kept strictly confidential. I do not share information about clients, their companies, or their strategies with anyone.
Still Have Questions?
Apply and share your situation. I will respond within 48 hours and let you know if the diagnostic is a fit.
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