Most startups don’t fail suddenly.
They deteriorate quietly.
Metrics weaken, decisions slow, teams lose belief, founders burn out—and by the time the crisis is visible, options are already gone.
This Startup Health Dashboard is designed to surface those signals early.
It is not a reporting tool. It is a diagnostic tool.
The purpose is not to “look good” in a monthly review, but to tell the truth before the truth becomes expensive.
Unlike traditional dashboards that focus only on revenue and burn, this framework forces founders to track what actually determines survival:
- Financial discipline
- Real demand (not story)
- Execution velocity
- Team health
- Founder mental state
- Governance and investor trust
Each category is scored monthly, not to create false precision, but to observe direction.
In startups, trend matters more than absolute numbers.
A company with a modest score that is improving is far healthier than one with strong numbers that are decaying.
This dashboard is meant to be filled with brutal honesty—by founders, and ideally reviewed with investors or advisors.
If scores are manipulated, the framework loses all value.
Used correctly, this becomes:
- An early-warning system
- A prioritisation engine
- A founder self-check
- A board-level truth mirror
Most collapses are predictable months in advance.
This dashboard exists to make sure you see it coming—and act while you still can.
Scoring Rule
Score each metric:
- 2 = Strong / Improving
- 1 = Stable / Needs attention
- 0 = Weak / Declining
Track trend month-to-month — direction matters more than absolute score.
1. FINANCIAL HEALTH
| Metric | Score (0–2) |
| Runway (>12m strong, <6m weak) | ___ |
| Burn discipline | ___ |
| Revenue growth quality | ___ |
| Gross margin trend | ___ |
| Cash visibility & planning | ___ |
Financial Score: ___ /10
2. GROWTH & MARKET REALITY
| Metric | Score |
| Customer demand strength | ___ |
| Lead → conversion trend | ___ |
| Retention / repeat usage | ___ |
| Churn trend | ___ |
| Pricing power | ___ |
Growth Score: ___ /10
3. PRODUCT & EXECUTION
| Metric | Score |
| Product velocity (shipping speed) | ___ |
| Product quality / stability | ___ |
| Customer satisfaction / love | ___ |
| PMF strength trend | ___ |
| Roadmap clarity | ___ |
Product Score: ___ /10
4. TEAM & CULTURE
| Metric | Score |
| Key team retention | ___ |
| Hiring quality | ___ |
| Ownership mindset | ___ |
| Execution rhythm | ___ |
| Internal trust / morale | ___ |
Team Score: ___ /10
5. FOUNDER STATE (BRUTAL HONESTY ZONE)
| Metric | Score |
| Decision clarity | ___ |
| Emotional stability | ___ |
| Reality acceptance | ___ |
| Energy / burnout level | ___ |
| Focus vs distraction | ___ |
Founder Score: ___ /10
6. GOVERNANCE & INVESTOR SIGNALS
| Metric | Score |
| Reporting discipline | ___ |
| Board trust | ___ |
| Strategic clarity | ___ |
| Fundraising readiness | ___ |
| Investor confidence | ___ |
Governance Score: ___ /10
TOTAL STARTUP HEALTH SCORE
Total = ___ /60
| Score | Health Status | Meaning |
| 50–60 | STRONG | Compounding, scalable |
| 40–49 | HEALTHY BUT WATCH | Fix weak spots early |
| 30–39 | STRESSED | Structural weakness forming |
| 20–29 | DANGER | Execution + financial risk rising |
| 0–19 | CRITICAL | Survival mode required |
TREND TRACKER (Most Important)
Fill monthly:
| Month | Score | Trend |
| Jan | ___ | — |
| Feb | ___ | ↑ / ↓ |
| Mar | ___ | ↑ / ↓ |
| Apr | ___ | ↑ / ↓ |
| May | ___ | ↑ / ↓ |
| Jun | ___ | ↑ / ↓ |
Rule:
- Rising score = strengthening company
- Flat score = stagnation risk
- Falling score = early failure signal
3 months decline → investigate immediately.
RED FLAG PATTERNS
1. Financial Score Falling + Founder Score Falling
→ Burn + denial → collapse risk
2. Growth Falling + Story Increasing
→ Narrative > reality
3. Team Falling + Product Falling
→ Execution breakdown coming
4. Governance Falling
→ Funding risk rising
5. Founder Falling Alone
→ Hidden internal collapse (very common)
MONTHLY DIAGNOSIS QUESTIONS
Answer YES / NO:
- Are we closer to real PMF than last month?
- Is burn more controlled than last month?
- Is execution faster than last month?
- Is team belief stronger than last month?
- Is clarity increasing (not confusion)?
If 3+ NO → investigate deeply.
HOW ELITE FOUNDERS USE THIS
They:
- Track monthly without fail
- Watch trend, not ego
- Act early, not late
- Fix root causes, not symptoms
- Never manipulate score
Dashboard is useless if honesty is missing.