What Idea Filters Look Like When They Actually Work

Working filters look like a smaller list, not a longer spreadsheet.

What You Should See

• Most ideas die at filter 1 or 2.
• The 2-3 survivors are uncomfortable in the same way (boring, harder to reach in your network, less exciting).
• You feel some loss letting favorites die. That is the filter doing its job.
• Interviews with the survivors confirm the pain in 20 minutes.

What You Should Not See

• Everything passing.
• Endless reasoning to keep an idea alive past a clear no.
• New filters invented mid-process to save a favorite.

The Real Test

You move from filter to interview within a week. The interview either kills or confirms within 10 conversations. Build follows confirmation.