Goal: Validate the MVP experience across verification, listing creation, NDA gating, and EOI workflow.
Participants: 20-30 verified institutions (mix of sellers, allocators, and brokers)
Tactics
- Controlled onboarding via admin-approval flow
- Require each participant to complete one thesis and one listing (real or test)
- Manually broker first matches through admin matching
Track:
- Time to verification
- % completing listing and thesis
- EOI submissions and approvals
- Friction points in NDA and document gating
Success Metrics:
- ≥ 80% complete verification and listing with no major friction
- ≥ 10 EOIs submitted, ≥ 5 bilateral approvals
- ≥ 50% report "would use again" (post-test survey)
Goal: Validate network effects and monetization readiness.
Participants: ~150 verified users (25 asset owners / 25 brokers + 100 allocators)
Tactics
- Allow brokers and wealth managers free access (as per business model)
- Charge allocators Action-Pack credits (€950 / 10 actions) to send EOIs or unlock data rooms
- Offer early Unlimited-Access discount to 3-5 institutions (€25,650 / yr)
- Continue weekly manual matching and feedback calls
- Run 2 pilot "Digital Liquidity Discovery Events" with asset sellers
Success Metrics:
- 150+ listings uploaded (supply depth)
- 20+ successful bilateral matches
- ≥ 25% weekly active users
- ≥ 10 paid conversions (Action Pack or Subscription)
- NPS > 45 among verified users
Note: NPS stands for Net Promoter Score, a standard way to measure user satisfaction and advocacy. It asks: "How likely are you to recommend Deployed to a colleague?" (0-10 scale). 9-10 = Promoters, 7-8 = Passives, 0-6 = Detractors. Formula: NPS = % Promoters - % Detractors. So if 70% are promoters and 25% detractors → NPS = 45.
Kill / Pivot Triggers
If any of these conditions are met, seriously reconsider the project direction:
User Growth Triggers
- < 40 qualified verified users after Week 30
- < 15% weekly active users after Week 40
Monetization Triggers
- < 5% free-to-paid conversion by Week 50
Value Proposition Triggers
- Consistent rejection of confidentiality or verification value prop
Important: These are hard stops. Don't rationalize poor metrics. If users don't want what you're building, pivot or kill quickly. Time and money are finite.
