Map

The 23 areas of the library, laid out from the lab to an exit. Click an area to see its playbooks. A detailed, playbook-level map comes next.

1 MINUS-ONE2 PRE-SEED3 SEED4 SERIES A5 GROWTH6 EXIT Founder readinessLab to company: IPCo-foundersLegal structureEquity and ESOPsHiringCulture and leadershipIdea to MVPProduct and R&DProduct-market fitGo-to-marketCustomers and pricingNon-dilutive capitalPre-seed and seedSeries A and laterFinance and metricsRegulatoryScalingInternationalBoard and governanceFounder wellbeingCrisis and pivotsExits and after
Has written playbooks Planned Circle size = number of playbooks

As a list

1 · Minus-oneStill in the lab

Founder readiness and the minus-one stage0 / 20Lab to company: IP, tech transfer and spinouts1 / 20

2 · Pre-seedForming the company

Co-founders and the founding team1 / 18Legal and corporate structure0 / 20Idea to MVP: discovery and validation0 / 20Non-dilutive capital0 / 19Pre-seed and seed fundraising0 / 25

3 · SeedBuilding product and team

Equity, ESOPs and compensation0 / 20Hiring and team building0 / 20Product and R&D execution0 / 20Product-market fit0 / 16Go-to-market, sales and marketing0 / 22

4 · Series AProving it can grow

Customers, pricing and revenue0 / 16Series A and later rounds0 / 18Finance, operations and metrics0 / 18Board and governance0 / 12

5 · GrowthScaling the company

Culture, org design and leadership0 / 18Regulatory, compliance and government0 / 16Scaling the company0 / 18International expansion0 / 12Founder wellbeing0 / 10

6 · ExitExits and endings

Crisis, pivots and shutdowns0 / 14Exits and after0 / 18