Business Case Generator

Generate a comprehensive, investor-ready business case document covering market opportunity, solution, competitive landscape, financial projections, team, risks, and funding ask for startup fundraising and strategic planning.

Use this skill when

• Working on business case generator tasks or workflows
• Needing guidance, best practices, or checklists for business case generator

Do not use this skill when

• The task is unrelated to business case generator
• You need a different domain or tool outside this scope

Instructions

• Clarify goals, constraints, and required inputs.
• Apply relevant best practices and validate outcomes.
• Provide actionable steps and verification.

Treat page counts, time estimates, team sizes, funding allocation and runway as illustrative. Separate observed traction from forecasts, label every assumption and missing input, and date/cite current market evidence. Do not invent founders, customer wins, partnerships, IP, metrics or investor commitments to fill the template. Financial projections need consistent cash-flow assumptions and scenarios; a polished document is not verified investment or legal advice. Slash commands and companion skills are optional client capabilities, not guaranteed tools.

What This Command Does

Create a complete business case including:

1. Executive summary
2. Problem and market opportunity
3. Solution and product
4. Competitive analysis and differentiation
5. Financial projections
6. Go-to-market strategy
7. Team and organization
8. Risks and mitigation
9. Funding ask and use of proceeds

Instructions for Claude

When this command is invoked, follow these steps:

Step 1: Gather Context

Ask the user for key information:

Company Basics:

• Company name and elevator pitch
• Stage (pre-seed, seed, Series A)
• Problem being solved
• Target customers

Audience:

• Who will read this? (VCs, angels, strategic partners)
• What's the primary goal? (fundraising, partnership, internal planning)

Available Materials:

• Existing pitch deck or docs?
• Market sizing data?
• Financial model?
• Competitive analysis?

Step 2: Activate Relevant Skills

Reference skills for comprehensive analysis:

• market-sizing-analysis - TAM/SAM/SOM calculations
• startup-financial-modeling - Financial projections
• competitive-landscape - Competitive analysis frameworks
• team-composition-analysis - Organization planning
• startup-metrics-framework - Key metrics and benchmarks

Step 3: Structure the Business Case

Create a comprehensive document with these sections:

Business Case Document Structure

Section 1: Executive Summary (1-2 pages)

Company Overview:

• One-sentence description
• Founded, location, stage
• Team highlights

Problem Statement:

• Core problem being solved (2-3 sentences)
• Market pain quantified

Solution:

• How the product solves it (2-3 sentences)
• Key differentiation

Market Opportunity:

• TAM: $X.XB
• SAM: $X.XM
• SOM (Year 5): $X.XM

Traction:

• Current metrics (MRR, customers, growth rate)
• Key milestones achieved

Financial Snapshot:

| Metric | Current | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|--------|---------|--------|--------|--------|
| ARR | $X | $Y | $Z | $W |
| Customers | X | Y | Z | W |
| Team Size | X | Y | Z | W |

Funding Ask:

• Amount seeking
• Use of proceeds (top 3-4)
• Expected milestones

Section 2: Problem & Market Opportunity (2-3 pages)

The Problem:

• Detailed problem description
• Who experiences this problem
• Current solutions and their limitations
• Cost of the problem (quantified)

Market Landscape:

• Industry overview
• Key trends driving opportunity
• Market growth rate and drivers

Market Sizing:

• TAM calculation and methodology
• SAM with filters applied
• SOM with assumptions
• Validation and data sources
• Comparison to public companies

Target Customer Profile:

• Primary segments
• Customer characteristics
• Decision-makers and buying process

Section 3: Solution & Product (2-3 pages)

Product Overview:

• What it does (features and capabilities)
• How it works (architecture/approach)
• Key differentiators
• Technology advantages

Value Proposition:

• Benefits by customer segment
• ROI or value delivered
• Time to value

Product Roadmap:

• Current state
• Near-term (6 months)
• Medium-term (12-18 months)
• Vision (2-3 years)

Intellectual Property:

• Patents (filed, pending)
• Proprietary technology
• Data advantages
• Defensibility

Section 4: Competitive Analysis (2 pages)

Competitive Landscape:

• Direct competitors
• Indirect competitors (alternatives)
• Adjacent players (potential entrants)

Competitive Matrix:

| Feature/Factor | Us | Comp A | Comp B | Comp C |
|----------------|----|---------| -------|--------|
| Feature 1 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Feature 2 | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pricing | $X | $Y | $Z | $W |

Differentiation:

• 3-5 key differentiators
• Why these matter to customers
• Defensibility of advantages

Competitive Positioning:

• Positioning map (2-3 dimensions)
• Market positioning statement

Barriers to Entry:

• What protects against competition
• Network effects, switching costs, etc.

Section 5: Business Model & Go-to-Market (2 pages)

Business Model:

• Revenue model (subscriptions, transactions, etc.)
• Pricing strategy and tiers
• Customer acquisition approach
• Expansion revenue strategy

Go-to-Market Strategy:

• Customer acquisition channels
• Sales model (self-serve, sales-led, hybrid)
• Customer acquisition cost (CAC)
• Sales cycle and conversion rates

Marketing Strategy:

• Positioning and messaging
• Channel strategy
• Content and demand generation
• Partnerships and integrations

Customer Success:

• Onboarding approach
• Support model
• Retention strategy
• Net dollar retention target

Section 6: Financial Projections (2-3 pages)

Revenue Model:

• Cohort-based projections
• Key assumptions
• Revenue breakdown by segment

3-Year Financial Summary:

| Metric | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| Revenue | $X.XM | $Y.YM | $Z.ZM |
| Gross Margin | XX% | XX% | XX% |
| Operating Expenses | $X.XM | $Y.YM | $Z.ZM |
| Net Income | ($X.XM) | ($Y.YM) | $Z.ZM |
| EBITDA Margin | (XX%) | (XX%) | XX% |

Unit Economics:

• CAC: $X,XXX
• LTV: $X,XXX
• LTV:CAC ratio: X.X
• CAC Payback: XX months
• Gross margin: XX%

Key Metrics Trajectory:

| Metric | Current | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|--------|---------|--------|--------|--------|
| MRR/ARR | $X | $Y | $Z | $W |
| Customers | X | Y | Z | W |
| Net Dollar Retention | XX% | XX% | XX% | XX% |
| Burn Multiple | X.X | X.X | X.X | X.X |

Scenario Analysis:

• Conservative, base, optimistic
• Key drivers and sensitivities

Path to Profitability:

• Break-even timeline
• Key milestones
• Unit economics at scale

Section 7: Team & Organization (1-2 pages)

Leadership Team: For each founder/executive:

• Name, title, photo (if available)
• Relevant background (2-3 sentences)
• Key accomplishments
• Why they're uniquely qualified

Current Team:

• Headcount by department
• Key hires and their backgrounds
• Advisory board

Hiring Plan:

• Year 1-3 headcount growth
• Key roles to fill
• Recruiting strategy

Organization Evolution:

Current (5 people) → Year 1 (15) → Year 2 (35) → Year 3 (60)
Engineering: 3 → 7 → 15 → 25
Sales & Marketing: 1 → 4 → 12 → 20
Other: 1 → 4 → 8 → 15

Equity & Compensation:

• Option pool sizing
• Compensation philosophy
• Retention strategy

Section 8: Traction & Milestones (1 page)

Current Traction:

• Revenue or user metrics
• Growth rate
• Key customer wins
• Product development progress

Milestones Achieved:

• Product launches
• Funding rounds
• Team hires
• Customer acquisition
• Partnerships

Upcoming Milestones (12-18 months):

• Product milestones
• Revenue targets
• Customer goals
• Team goals
• Partnership goals

Section 9: Risks & Mitigation (1 page)

Market Risks:

• Market size assumptions
• Competitive intensity
• Substitute adoption
• Mitigation strategies

Execution Risks:

• Product development
• Go-to-market effectiveness
• Hiring and retention
• Mitigation strategies

Financial Risks:

• Burn rate management
• Fundraising market
• Unit economics
• Mitigation strategies

Regulatory/External Risks:

• Compliance requirements
• Data privacy
• Economic conditions
• Mitigation strategies

Section 10: Funding Request & Use of Proceeds (1 page)

Funding Ask:

• Amount seeking: $X.XM
• Structure: Equity, SAFE, convertible note
• Target valuation: $X.XM (if applicable)

Use of Proceeds:

Total Raise: $5.0M
- Product Development: $2.0M (40%)
  • Engineering team expansion
  • Infrastructure and tools
  • Product roadmap execution

- Sales & Marketing: $2.0M (40%)
  • Sales team hiring (5 AEs)
  • Marketing programs
  • Demand generation

- Operations & G&A: $0.5M (10%)
  • Finance/legal/HR
  • Office and facilities

- Working Capital: $0.5M (10%)
  • 6-month buffer

Milestones to Achieve:

• Revenue: $X.XM ARR (X% growth)
• Customer: XXX customers
• Product: Key features launched
• Team: XX employees
• Metric: Key metric targets

Expected Timeline:

• 18-24 month runway
• Achieve milestones in 15-18 months
• 6-month buffer for next raise

Next Round:

• Series A in 18-24 months
• Expected metrics at that time
• Target raise amount

Step 4: Enhance with Visuals

Suggest including:

• Charts for market sizing (TAM funnel)
• Product screenshots or mockups
• Positioning maps
• Financial trend charts (revenue, customers, burn)
• Organization chart
• Timeline/roadmap
• Use of proceeds pie chart

Step 5: Provide Additional Sections (Optional)

If Relevant, Add:

• Regulatory/Compliance section (for regulated industries)
• Technology Architecture (for deep tech)
• Clinical/Scientific Data (for biotech/health tech)
• Unit Economics Deep Dive (for complex business models)
• Strategic Partnerships (if material to strategy)

Step 6: Create Executive Summary Slide

Provide one-page summary for quick review:

• Problem & Solution (3 bullets each)
• Market: TAM/SAM/SOM
• Traction: Key metrics
• Team: Founders
• Ask: Amount and use
• Contact information

Step 7: Save Business Case

Offer to save as markdown:

• Filename: business-case-[company-name]-YYYY-MM-DD.md
• Suggest converting to PDF for sharing
• Provide tips for presentation format

Best Practices

Do:

• Lead with customer problem
• Quantify everything
• Show, don't just tell (use data)
• Be realistic on projections
• Acknowledge risks honestly
• Cite all data sources
• Keep executive summary concise
• Focus on differentiation

Don't:

• Use jargon without explanation
• Make unsupported claims
• Ignore competition
• Be overly optimistic
• Skip the "why now"
• Forget to proofread
• Use generic templates without customization

Integration with Other Commands

This command synthesizes outputs from:

• /market-opportunity - Include TAM/SAM/SOM analysis
• /financial-projections - Include full financial model

Example Usage

User: /business-case

Claude: I'll create a comprehensive business case document. Let me gather the key information first.

Company name and description?
→ "AcmeCorp - AI-powered email marketing for e-commerce"

Who is the audience?
→ "Series A investors"

What materials do you have?
→ "We have market sizing and financial model done"

[Claude creates comprehensive 15-20 page business case with all sections]

Notes

• Business case creation takes 1-2 hours
• Result is a draft requiring factual, financial and audience review
• Can be used for pitch deck development
• Update quarterly or for funding rounds
• Customize sections based on audience
• Keep executive summary to 2 pages max

Limitations

• Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
• Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
• Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.