The Startup Lab.
Three free tools that replace what an accelerator interview used to do. Founder DNA Test — six archetypes, your default failure mode, your ideal co-founder. Idea Validator — paste your startup idea, get a 0-100 score across six dimensions. YC vs. X Batch Sim — paste your YC app, get scored against both rubrics.
The central hub for founders in 2026. The output is yours to keep. No batch. No equity. No relocation.
Founder DNA Test.
A 16personalities-style quiz built on the empirical 6-archetype model from Vol II. Identifies your primary archetype, secondary lean, ideal co-founder pairing, and the default failure mode that will kill your company if you don't watch for it.
Take the test →Idea Validator.
Paste your startup idea. The validator scores it 0-100 across the six dimensions from Vol III — Problem, Market, Team, Moat, Timing, Distribution. Detects red flags. Returns the one thing to fix first.
Score my idea →YC vs. X Sim.
Paste your YC batch application. Get dual-scored against both the reverse-engineered YC implicit rubric and the published Startup X explicit rubric. See where they agree, where they don't, and what Startup X would coach you on instead.
Run the sim →Three tools, one methodology.
Take the Founder DNA Test
Identifies your archetype + secondary lean. Surfaces your default failure mode and the co-founder pairing data says you need.
Run your idea through the Validator
Scores your idea on six dimensions. Surfaces red flags. Returns the ranked sequence of what to fix first.
Stress-test against YC
Paste your YC batch app. See the dual scores side-by-side. Decide whether YC is still your right next step — or whether Startup X is.
Welcome to the central hub.
Startup X is what an accelerator looks like when you design it for the founder of 2026 instead of retrofitting the founder of 2005. The Lab is free. The research is open. The curriculum is here when you're ready.