(Collapse Detection & Survival Dashboard)
Most startups do not die suddenly — they decay quietly. The signals appear months before collapse: burn outpacing reality, narratives growing louder than execution, culture fraying beneath forced optimism, investors turning silent before they disengage. By the time the crisis is visible externally, internally the warning lights have been flashing for a while.
This Startup Governance Early Warning System is a structured collapse-detection framework designed to quantify those early signals across financial health, founder behaviour, culture, product, market position, and governance discipline. It converts intuition into measurable indicators, helping founders and investors diagnose risk before it becomes irreversible. Because survival in startups is rarely about brilliance alone — it is about catching structural weakness early enough to correct it.
How it works
Score each signal 0 = Healthy | 1 = Watch | 2 = Danger
Add totals → Determine Risk Level → Trigger action.
SECTION 1 — FINANCIAL HEALTH SIGNALS
| Indicator | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Runway | >12 months | 6–12 months | <6 months |
| Burn discipline | Controlled | Rising | Uncontrolled |
| Revenue quality | Growing | Flat | Declining |
| Unit economics | Positive path | Unclear | Broken |
| Cash visibility | Clear | Some gaps | Confused |
Score: ___ /10
Early danger pattern: Revenue illusion + burn denial.
SECTION 2 — FOUNDER BEHAVIOUR SIGNALS
| Indicator | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Decision clarity | Clear | Hesitant | Erratic |
| Emotional stability | Calm | Stressed | Volatile |
| Reality acceptance | Honest | Defensive | Delusional |
| Execution speed | Consistent | Slowing | Stalled |
| Transparency | Open | Selective | Opaque |
Score: ___ /10
Danger sign: Founder narrative stronger than execution.
SECTION 3 — TEAM & CULTURE SIGNALS
| Indicator | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Key team retention | Stable | Some exits | Core leaving |
| Hiring quality | Strong | Mixed | Weak |
| Ownership mindset | High | Declining | Low |
| Internal trust | Strong | Friction | Fear |
| Execution rhythm | Smooth | Uneven | Chaotic |
Score: ___ /10
Silent killer: Culture decay before performance collapse.
SECTION 4 — MARKET & PRODUCT SIGNALS
| Indicator | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| PMF strength | Strong | Weakening | Missing |
| Customer love | High | Neutral | Dropping |
| Churn | Low | Rising | High |
| Product velocity | Fast | Slowing | Stalled |
| Competitive position | Strong | Pressured | Losing |
Score: ___ /10
Critical: Product stagnation hides under storytelling.
SECTION 5 — INVESTOR & GOVERNANCE SIGNALS
| Indicator | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Board trust | Strong | Tense | Broken |
| Reporting discipline | Clean | Delayed | Avoided |
| Fundraising outlook | Positive | Uncertain | Weak |
| Investor support | Active | Passive | Withdrawing |
| Governance clarity | Clear | Friction | Conflict |
Score: ___ /10
Early danger: Investors go silent before they disengage.
SECTION 6 — EXECUTION REALITY CHECK
| Indicator | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Strategy clarity | Clear | Fuzzy | Confused |
| Focus | Tight | Scattered | Lost |
| Speed vs market | Ahead | Matching | Behind |
| Resource allocation | Rational | Inefficient | Wasteful |
| Delivery vs promises | Matches | Lagging | Broken |
Score: ___ /10
TOTAL GOVERNANCE RISK SCORE
Total = ___ /60
| Score | Governance Health | Meaning |
| 0–12 | STRONG | Stable, scalable |
| 13–24 | WATCH | Fix early |
| 25–36 | RISK | Structural issues forming |
| 37–48 | DANGER | Failure probability rising |
| 49–60 | CRITICAL | Collapse trajectory |
FAILURE TRAJECTORY PATTERNS (Recognise Early)
Pattern 1 — Slow Financial Bleed
Burn ↑ → Revenue flat → Narrative ↑ → Reality ↓
Pattern 2 — Founder Drift
Vision → Stress → Confusion → Avoidance → Freeze
Pattern 3 — Culture Erosion
Key exits → Fear → Silence → Execution drop → Death
Pattern 4 — Product Illusion
Story strong → PMF weak → Growth forced → Collapse
Pattern 5 — Governance Breakdown
Trust ↓ → Transparency ↓ → Investors withdraw → Funding dies
TRIGGER ACTION FRAMEWORK
If Score 13–24 (WATCH)
- Tighten reporting
- Clarify strategy
- Control burn
- Fix hiring quality
If Score 25–36 (RISK)
- Reset priorities
- Address founder stress
- Rebuild execution discipline
- Strengthen product-market reality
If Score 37–48 (DANGER)
- Major strategy correction
- Leadership introspection
- Cost restructuring
- Investor alignment intervention
If Score 49–60 (CRITICAL)
- Survival mode
- Radical focus
- Leadership change (if needed)
- Emergency funding or controlled shutdown
MONTHLY 5-QUESTION SURVIVAL CHECK
If answer “NO” to 3+ → danger rising.
- Are we closer to product–market truth than last month?
- Are we financially more disciplined than last month?
- Is team belief stronger than last month?
- Is execution speed improving?
- Is reality clearer — not more confusing?
ELITE ADD-ONS I CAN BUILD FOR YOU
- Startup Collapse Probability Model (predicts failure risk)
- Founder Burnout & Breakdown Detector
- Investor Withdrawal Early Signal Map
- Startup Health Dashboard (scorable monthly)
- Governance Stress Heatmap
- Survival Mode Playbook
- Founder Decision Quality Index
- “Should We Pivot?” Decision Engine
If you want, next logical tools are:
Startup Collapse Predictor (probability model)
Founder Burnout Detector (psychological failure early warning)
Survival Mode Operating System (what to do when things go bad)
Say which one.