About the Startup Readiness Framework
After working with 500+ early-stage founders over 15+ years, I kept seeing the same pattern:
Founders were not failing because they lacked effort, intelligence, or passion.
They were failing because they were unclear about which foundational pieces were actually in place and which ones they were just hoping would work out.
The gap between confident forward movement and months of wheel-spinning came down to clarity across six core startup foundations.
The Startup Readiness framework was built to make those gaps visible before momentum compounds risk.
The Pattern
Across industries, business models, and founder backgrounds, the same breakdowns surfaced:
Building before validating urgency.
Targeting markets without a defined wedge.
Pitching before understanding unit economics.
Committing full-time before understanding runway.
These were not motivation problems.
They were structural clarity problems.
The Startup Readiness Score translates that pattern recognition into a structured diagnostic.
Who I Am
I'm Dr. Shaun P. Digan, a PhD in Entrepreneurship who has spent the past 15 years helping early-stage founders navigate their messiest, most uncertain decisions.
I’ve worked with founders developing strategic plans, financial models, pitch decks, and funding conversations across industries. I’ve also taught entrepreneurship at the university level and published academic research on entrepreneurial behavior, decision-making, and learning.
Across all of that work, one pattern stood out.
Founders were moving fast. Building. Pitching. Applying. Raising. Yet many stalled because foundational assumptions were never examined with discipline.
The Startup Readiness framework grew from that pattern recognition.
It translates years of advising, financial modeling, research, and classroom teaching into a structured clarity diagnostic across the six core startup foundations.
Why This Framework Exists
Most startup tools focus on execution: build faster, test more, hustle harder.
But I kept watching founders:
Build for 6 months before talking to a single customer.
Quit their jobs before validating their idea.
Apply to accelerators with brilliant pitches but zero evidence.
They were busy, but they weren't ready.
The Startup Readiness Score exists to show founders where they actually stand across six foundational pillars... before the stakes get higher, before they waste months, and before they make commitments they're not prepared for.
The Philosophy: Evidence Over Activity
The assessment doesn't measure how much you've done.
It measures whether you have the clarity required to make informed decisions:
Do you have concrete, observable evidence this problem is real and painful?
Can you describe your target market in customer language, not founder assumptions?
Do you understand how customers actually make buying decisions?
Do you know the financial realities determining how long you have to figure this out?
Clarity before commitment. Evidence before execution.
That's what separates founders who move forward with confidence from those who hope things will work out.
Who This Is For
This assessment is designed for early-stage founders who:
Are preparing for major commitment (quitting a job, raising funding, applying to an accelerator).
Feel "busy but stuck" and aren't sure where the real bottleneck is.
Want honest feedback, not validation or cheerleading.
Are willing to confront gaps instead of hoping they'll resolve themselves.
You don't need an LLC, a product, or revenue. The assessment adapts to your stage, whether you're validating an idea or preparing to scale early traction.
It takes 15 minutes. You can take it up to two times completely free. And it will show you exactly where your foundation is strong and where critical gaps exist.
What Makes This Different?
The Startup Readiness Score is Diagnostic, Not Prescriptive
The assessment doesn't tell you what to do. It shows you where you are and how to gather more clarity so you can decide what comes next.
It Prioritizes Evidence Over Activity
Doing stuff doesn't mean you're ready. The assessment measures whether you have the concrete evidence required to make informed decisions.
It's Research-Backed & Practitioner-Tested
The 6 Pillars framework is grounded in academic research on startup failure patterns and refined through work with hundreds of founding teams at different stages. The full framework and methodology are detailed in my book on startup readiness.
It's Free to Start
Every founder can take the assessment up to twice for free (once to establish a baseline, and again to measure progress). After that, a subscription will unlock up to 8 assessments per month and progress tracking over time.
What's Next
The baseline assessment will always be available for free (up to two times).
The book, Startup Ready: The Six Foundations Every Founder Must Get Right, breaks down each pillar in depth- explaining why foundations matter, how to evaluate each pillar honestly, and how misalignment creates friction, confusion, and wasted effort. The book includes the full assessment with detailed scoring guidance and worksheets for strengthening each pillar.
Beyond the assessment and book, I'm building:
The Startup Readiness Audit: a deeper diagnostic based on the same assessment, with expanded analysis, specific recommendations, and actionable next steps for each pillar.
Progress tracking dashboard so you can visualize improvement across pillars over time as you retake the assessment.
Evidence-based insights from aggregate data showing common readiness patterns, gaps by stage, and what separates founders who move forward from those who stall.
Institutional tools for accelerators and universities to baseline cohorts, track progress, and identify where programming should focus.
For Accelerators, Universities, and Programs
Interested in using the Startup Readiness Score with your cohort or students?
The assessment can help:
Baseline readiness at the start of a program.
Track progress over time across the 6 pillars.
Identify common gaps across a cohort for targeted programming.
Provide founders with a shared diagnostic for mentor conversations.
Get in touch about institutional use.
Let's Connect
Questions? Feedback? Want to discuss using this with your team?
Email: shaun@probusinessplanning.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaundigan/
I read every message.
Dr. Shaun Digan is a PhD in Entrepreneurship with over 10 years of experience helping early-stage founders navigate critical decisions. Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, he works with founders globally through coaching, university programs, and startup readiness frameworks.
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