Deployed
How you make money, when you break even, and why the model has optionality.
Let's be honest about revenue. Year 1 will be small. Year 2 will be better. Year 3 is where it gets interesting.
Revenue: €0
Why: You're validating product-market fit. Free access for 50-100 vetted users. Focus on feedback, iteration, retention.
Success metric: 70%+ weekly active rate. If users aren't coming back, revenue doesn't matter yet.
The tiers:
Tier | Price | Limits | Features |
---|---|---|---|
Free | €0 | 3 requests/mo | Basic search, redacted browsing |
Professional | €499/mo | 20 requests/mo | Advanced filters, saved searches, alerts |
Enterprise | €1,199/mo | Unlimited | API access, white-label reports, priority support |
Custom | Quote | Custom | Multi-seat, SSO, dedicated manager |
Conversion assumptions:
đź’ˇ Why Freemium Works Here
Free tier solves chicken-and-egg. Sellers list for free (supply). Buyers browse for free (demand). Once they see value, upgrading is easy. The 3-request limit creates urgency without feeling restrictive.
Success fee: 0.25% on closed transactions >€5M
Who pays: Introducing party (typically seller/fundraiser)
Structure:
The reality check:
⚠️ Transaction Fee Honesty
Here's what we're NOT telling investors: 50-60% of deals will happen outside the platform after intro. Users will "forget" to report. Audit rights are hard to enforce.
So why include it? (1) Optionality—if it works, massive upside. (2) Investor expectations—they want transaction economics. (3) Alignment signal—we win when you win.
Conservative model: Assume 5% capture Year 1-2. Reality: probably 2-3%. Model breakeven without transaction fees to be safe.
Additional revenue streams:
€2,500/mo for API access
Programmatic deal matching for AI agents. High margin, low support.
€500/mo add-on
White-label market intelligence reports for LP updates.
€5K+/mo
Private instances for large institutions. Custom branding.
Quote-based
Anonymized market intelligence for research firms.
Assumptions baked in:
Total Users | 250 |
Paying Subscribers | 35 |
Subscription Revenue | €252K |
Transaction Revenue | €0 |
Total Revenue | €252K |
Costs | €975K |
Net | -€723K |
Total Users | 650 |
Paying Subscribers | 115 |
Subscription Revenue | €897K |
Transaction Revenue | €86K |
Premium Add-ons | €45K |
Total Revenue | €1.03M |
Costs | €1.42M |
Net | -€390K |
Total Users | 1,400 |
Paying Subscribers | 285 |
Subscription Revenue | €2.39M |
Transaction Revenue | €297K |
Premium Add-ons | €185K |
API/AI Revenue | €140K |
Total Revenue | €3.01M |
Costs | €2.08M |
Net | +€930K |
Breakeven: Month 33-34
Cumulative cash burn: -€1.11M through Year 2, profitable by end of Year 3
What if things go better—or worse—than plan?
Scenario | Y3 Revenue | Y3 Net | Cumulative |
---|---|---|---|
Conservative (70%) | €2.11M | +€30K | -€1.05M |
Base (100%) | €3.01M | +€930K | -€183K |
Optimistic (130%) | €3.91M | +€1.83M | +€740K |
📌 What This Tells You
Even in conservative case (70% of plan), you're close to breakeven by Year 3. Base case gets you profitable. Optimistic case gives you growth capital. The model has room for error—that's good risk management.
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC):
Lifetime Value (LTV):
LTV:CAC Ratio:
Target: >3:1 for venture viability. You're hitting that easily.
Total needed: €2M over 24 months
Use of funds:
Technology Development | €700K (35%) |
Team (Salaries + Benefits) | €1,015K (51%) |
Sales & Marketing | €135K (7%) |
Infrastructure & Tools | €90K (5%) |
Legal & Compliance | €60K (3%) |
Most startups have one revenue stream. If it fails, they're done. You have four: subscriptions (stable), transaction fees (upside), premium services (margin expansion), and API licensing (future optionality).
If subscriptions underperform by 30%, you still break even. If transaction fees disappoint completely, you're still viable. That's good risk management. That's what investors want to see.