Where Idea Filters Break at Scale

Filters built for first-time picks break past v1.

Failure Modes

• Reachability is yours, not the team's. Once you have an audience, your reach is your distribution. The filter does not catch new product fit anymore.
• Three named buyers is too easy at scale. Your customers will name three. The filter loses signal.
• Existing spend is everywhere. Past PMF, every adjacent pain has spend. Filter is not selective.
• Founder fatigue. Filter feels redundant, you skip it, bad idea slips through.

The Fix

Replace v1 filters with v2 filters: customer pull, ARR impact, infra leverage, brand fit.

When to Retire

Once you have one product working and a real audience, retire v1 filters. They served their purpose.