Private investor · Consumer technology · July 2026
Testing the case for an early-stage sports app
A product and commercial assessment that turned an ambitious pitch into a clear set of conditions for further investment.
The situation
A private investor asked us to assess an early-stage sports coaching app to support their investment decision.
The founders had a polished proposition, an early product and a set of ambitious growth assumptions.
The investor wanted to understand where the risks and assumptions were, and what we’d recommend the team demonstrate to boost confidence.
What we did
We treated the pitch deck as a set of claims to test. We interviewed the founders, reviewed the product and spoke with potential customers. We compared the proposition with ~ 20 competing apps and substitutes, including the free tools people already use instead of a paid product.
The commercial work went beyond a headline market size. We rebuilt the UK opportunity from cited sources, modelled acquisition and churn, and tested whether the proposed price could support the likely cost of winning and keeping a customer.
We then did a review of the core flows and product roadmap, mapping back what they were building to the insights we uncovered.
We turned our research, insights and what the founders presented into a clear report that answered these four questions:
1 - Is there a need, and is the market big enough?
2 - What have they built, or planning to build, and can they scale it?
3 - Do they have a sustainable business model?
4 - How clear are their plans for growth
We then brought the evidence together in a plain-speaking report and presentation. Each conclusion showed where it came from, which assumptions were still open and what evidence would change our view.
What changed
The assessment separated a credible founding team and a promising product idea from the parts of the business case that needed more confidence.
We gave a specific recommendation, and ensured there was clear set of criteria we’d expect the founders to meet in order for the investor to make a real, informed decision.
The work also gave the founders useful next steps and advice; where to narrow down focus, critical UX improvements, which customers to prioritise and how to measure impact during launch.