Startup Competitive Analysis
Use this skill to produce decision-oriented competitive intelligence: define the competitive set, collect evidence, synthesize match / ignore / bet decisions, and ship practical artifacts teams can use (briefs, landscapes, battlecards, win/loss).
Operating Principles (2026)
- Prefer decisions over inventories: make explicit
match / ignore / betcalls with rationale and owner. - Treat competitor claims as hypotheses: validate with buyer reality and current evidence.
- Date-stamp key claims and keep an evidence trail (link + capture month).
- Triangulate important facts across sources (at least two).
- Stay ethical: respect ToS; don’t scrape behind auth/paywalls; don’t misrepresent identity.
Intake Checklist (Ask First)
- Objective: sales enablement, positioning, strategy, fundraising, churn reduction
- Market: category, geography, segment (ICP), and time horizon (now vs 6–12 months)
- Known competitors and “do nothing” alternative (status quo / DIY / services)
- Constraints: available sources, web access, internal docs, legal/compliance requirements
Choose the Right Output
| If the user asks… | Produce… | Use… |
|---|---|---|
| “Who are the competitors?” / “Map the landscape” | Market map + competitor set | references/market-mapping-guide.md, assets/competitive-landscape.md |
| “How do we differentiate?” / “What category are we in?” | Category structure + differentiation thesis | references/industry-structure-and-differentiation.md, assets/competitive-analysis-brief.md |
| “How should we position?” | Positioning canvas + statement + tests | references/positioning-playbook.md, assets/competitive-analysis-brief.md |
| “Deep dive Competitor X” | Deep dive + (optional) battlecard | references/competitor-deep-dive.md, assets/battlecard.md |
| “Why are we losing to X?” / “What’s driving churn?” | Win/loss + churn patterns + remediation | assets/win-loss-analysis.md |
Workflow
- Define the competitive set: direct/indirect/substitutes/status quo, segmented by ICP and job-to-be-done.
- Collect evidence: product/docs/pricing, changelogs, job postings, reviews/VoC, partnerships, distribution signals.
- Analyze on buyer criteria: switching costs, time-to-value, risk/procurement, integration ecosystem, ROI proof.
- Synthesize into decisions:
match/ignore/bet, wedge, proof points, landmines, and “walk-away” criteria. - Produce artifacts: narrative brief, landscape, battlecards, win/loss summary (use bundled templates).
- Operationalize: set an update cadence and monitoring sources; refresh battlecards and decisions as signals change.
Evidence & Freshness Rules
- Prefer primary sources first (docs, pricing pages, release notes, filings), then triangulate.
- Use dated evidence labels like
[YYYY-MM]and include the source URL. - If web search is available, verify “current state” (pricing, positioning, major launches, funding, M&A). If not, state the limitation and proceed with provided context.
Lightweight CI Monitoring (No Tool Assumptions)
- Seed sources from
data/sources.json; add category-specific sources for the market. - Track changes to: pricing pages, docs/changelogs, security/compliance pages, partner directories, job postings, ad libraries, review sites.
- Keep a simple change log and review it on a fixed cadence (weekly/monthly/quarterly based on sales cycle).
Resources
| Resource | Purpose |
|---|---|
| competitor-deep-dive.md | Full competitor analysis framework |
| market-mapping-guide.md | Market map creation |
| positioning-playbook.md | Positioning methodology |
| industry-structure-and-differentiation.md | Porter 5 Forces + JTBD alternatives + strategy canvas |
| win-loss-analysis-guide.md | Win/loss interview methodology, loss reason taxonomy, reporting |
| competitive-monitoring-setup.md | CI monitoring sources, cadence, tools, zero-budget setup |
| category-creation-strategy.md | Category creation vs competition, Play Bigger framework, case studies |
Templates
| Template | Purpose |
|---|---|
| competitive-analysis-brief.md | Decision-oriented narrative brief |
| competitive-landscape.md | Full competitive overview |
| battlecard.md | Sales enablement |
| win-loss-analysis.md | Deal analysis |
Data
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
| sources.json | Competitive intelligence sources |