SFS_05Startup Foundation System™ 2–3 weeks

Market Research & Opportunity Mapping

Understand where to play. Size the opportunity (TAM/SAM/SOM). Identify competitive whitespace.

Why it matters

Investors detect hand-waving on market sizing in 30 seconds. We produce a credible bottoms-up + top-down TAM/SAM/SOM, a Porter & PESTEL view, and a Wardley map of the opportunity — the artefacts that survive due diligence.

Scope covered

TAM / SAM / SOM bottoms-up + top-down reconciliation

Market structure, growth-rate, and macro tailwinds (PESTEL)

Porter 5-forces analysis

Wardley map of the opportunity

Whitespace & wedge identification

Adjacent market expansion paths

Ecosystem map — buyers, channels, partners, regulators, capital, talent flows

Regulatory trajectory analysis — current rules, pending bills, 24-month forecast

Analyst-firm intel — hype-cycle position, analyst wave quadrant, marketscape ranking

How we run it

Our methodology

A senior-led delivery sequence — not a template dump. Each phase is operated with your team, not handed over as a deck.

1
TAM / SAM / SOM build
Week 1
Construct bottoms-up TAM / SAM / SOM by segment and geography with defensible source data.
2
Market structure & forces
Week 1–2
Map market structure (Porter's 5 forces), incumbents, substitutes and the regulatory backdrop.
3
Trend & timing analysis
Week 2
Identify the catalysing trends (tech, regulation, behaviour) and why now is the right window.
4
Opportunity ranking & wedge
Week 2–3
Rank sub-opportunities; choose the wedge market (smallest defensible beachhead) with explicit rationale.