A Practical Guide to Idea Filters for AI SaaS

End-to-end for AI founders.

Step 1: Idea Dump

List every "AI could do this" idea. 15-30. Do not edit.

Step 2: Reachability First

Per idea: 50 buyers warm in 30 days? No → strike.

Step 3: Existing Spend

Are buyers paying for adjacent already? No → strike.

Step 4: Three Named Buyers

Real names. No → strike.

Step 5: Weekly Pain

Quarterly pain does not move money. No → strike.

Step 6: Defensibility (AI-Specific)

Is the wedge anything beyond a model call? Workflow, data, distribution, integrations? No → strike.

Step 7: Token Economics

Will gross margin be 50%+ at 100 customers? Run the math. No → strike or refine.

Step 8: Outside Reviewer

One non-technical advisor reviews kept and killed lists. Adjust.