Purpose

The Idea Killing Framework is designed to help founding teams critically assess and eliminate weak startup ideas early—before significant time and resources are invested. At Antler, this is a core part of the residency. While the process can be confronting, it is essential. Startup success is rare, and most ideas fail due to poor founder–idea fit, weak problem framing, or lack of market viability. This is developed to expose those weaknesses quickly.

The Idea Killing Framework is not designed to discourage founders; it accelerates the path to stronger ideas by removing poor-fit opportunities early. Use it to align your team, surface misalignment, and ensure your startup idea has strong foundations.

<aside> ⚠️

We recommend completing the Questions to fall in love with your Co-Founder first

</aside>

When to Use This

• When forming or validating ideas with a potential co-founder
• When comparing multiple ideas across a team

Step 1: Align on Domain, Function, Passion

Before scoring ideas, each co-founder must reflect on their Domain, Function, and Passion. This ensures the founding team is aligned with the ideas being evaluated.

Domain

Assess whether the idea aligns with your personal or professional experience.

Ask:

• Have you worked in this industry?
• Do you have an unfair advantage when it comes to accessing key stakeholders?
• Do you have deep insight into the space and strong relationships?
• Have you experienced the problem directly?
• Have you previously worked to solve this problem?

Function