Proof beats permission

Let's build yours

Climb the Ladder Book a selection call

For founders who need customers, teammates, and investors to say yes.

Hooli · your score

2/5
First derivativeHighest rung you can prove with first-hand evidence

You can name the pain. You can't yet explain why it exists. That is where most decks stop, and where most passes start.

  • 01Symptomproven
  • 02First derivativeproven
  • 03Second derivativeclaimed
  • 04Third derivativeopen
  • 05Communityopen
Sample result. Hooli is fictional.

The Problem Depth Ladder

How I read a company. Scroll to go deeper.

RUNG 1 / 5

Five rungs. One rule.

How I read a company: the Problem Depth Ladder

    The deck doesn't win. Depth does.

    How it works

    1. Investors pass on the story.
    2. The story is thin because the go-to-market is a guess.
    3. The go-to-market is a guess because the problem is shallow.

    So we start at the bottom and build up.

    Find the problem worth building on, with evidence you gathered yourself. Then build around what customers prove.

    Feeds / who you sell to

    Who pays, how much, and how you reach the next ten. A business model that evolves as the company learns.

    Feeds / what you can claim

    The version that gets the yes from your cofounder, your first hire, your customer and your investor. Funding is one of those yeses.

    Earns / the buy-in

    Work with me if

    You want the honest read, and you'll act on it this week.

    1. Open to everyone

      The Ladder

      Score your own company in 5 minutes. Free, and nothing is stored.

      Climb the Ladder

    2. 20-minute call

      The Selection

      Bring your score and we talk. I decide who I work with, and I'll tell you either way.

      Book a selection call

    3. Hand-picked · option one

      The Proof

      A written verdict across problem, go-to-market and story. The gaps ranked, and a 90-day plan.

    4. Hand-picked · option two

      The Build

      12 weeks together on what decides your next yes. A few companies at a time.

    Taissa Maleh

    Life between launches.

    Building, scaling, and investing in startups from Los Angeles, CA.

    #1 Product of the Day on Product Hunt Top 5 Launch Tastemaker Tastemaker 10 Tastemaker 5
    // seen at
    Taissa Maleh interviewed on camera as a founder of Bluefin Foods
    On camera, as a founder (Bluefin Foods)
    Taissa Maleh moderating the Fundraising for Tech panel at LMU
    Moderator · Fundraising for Tech, LMU
    Taissa Maleh on air as an investor with Expert Dojo
    On air, as an investor (Expert Dojo)
    Taissa Maleh on the CPG Accelerator Map panel at LA Tech Week
    Panel · LA Tech Week
    Taissa Maleh on a Wefunder Studio webinar
    Webinar · Wefunder Studio
    Taissa Maleh with founders at Founder Weekend at LMU
    Founder Weekend at LMU
    Taissa Maleh at the UCLA Anderson Venture Accelerator
    UCLA Anderson Venture Accelerator
    Taissa Maleh in a startup strategy session at a whiteboard
    Strategy session · building a startup
    Taissa Maleh with a cohort at the UCLA Center for Global Management
    Teaching · UCLA Center for Global Management

    Every Friday

    The Pattern Recognizer

    What investors see that founders miss. All letters

    Nobody is coming to give you permission.

    Bring the proof you have. I'll tell you what it's worth.