Turn dealflow noise into conviction — and clean "passes" founders respect

Athanor generates investor-grade evaluation artifacts (GemScore) in minutes: Readiness × Potential, key risks, and concrete next steps — plus optional Expert Opinion you can share in one click.

IC-ready artifacts, not chat
Fast triage (3-30 min)
Private by default

Built for operator angels, analysts, and small funds that need leverage

Well Designed
"The combination of an evaluation layer with milestone-based execution is genuinely interesting—especially for solo LPs and operator angels."
V
VC Analyst
Venture Capital
Great UX
"Modern and clean design. The scoring visualization is amazing—great presentation that makes complex data easy to understand."
F
Founder
B2B SaaS
In Demand
"Our clients are eager for this kind of scoring capability. The strategic partnership model works well for our venture club."
C
Club Owner
Venture Club
Perfect Fit
"That sounds exactly what we are looking for. Please connect us with your team."
M
Managing Partner
Venture Capital
Quality Filter
"For investors, scoring works as a top-level filter. It helps not waste time on unprepared projects. A fund can use the score as an entry criterion."
M
Misha Hypov
Managing Partner, Techhy Venture Club
Dual-Axis Scoring

See opportunity AND execution gaps at a glance

Unlike single-score tools, GemScore maps deals on two dimensions: Potential (upside) and Readiness (investability).

Readiness (Investability)
Potential (Upside)
Niche Play
Strong Candidate
Pass
Raw Gem
Enterprise Security
P: 88 | R: 79
AI Consumer App
P: 72 | R: 28
Green Energy
P: 81 | R: 19
B2B Analytics
P: 65 | R: 71
EdTech Platform
P: 54 | R: 86
Generic SaaS
P: 35 | R: 22
0
25
50
75
100
0
25
50
75
100
Strong Candidate
Solid Play
Raw Gem
Watchlist
Mature Play
Pass

Hover over points to see deal details. View a full sample report →

Founders aren't just asking for money — they're asking for clarity

Ghosting is common, and founders perceive it as disrespectful. In a Sifted survey, 75%+ of respondents said they'd experienced arrogance and being ghosted by investors.

TechCrunch describes the founder experience as the "did I do something wrong?" spiral — "enough to drive anyone crazy."

And yet: detailed feedback is hard to give consistently — especially at volume.

Why most investors don't give structured feedback (even when they want to)

Time Constraint

Writing thoughtful rejections takes real time and often gets deprioritized.

Downside Risk

Founders can react badly. VCs report being insulted or threatened after providing feedback.

Unintended Impact

Research shows negative feedback increases venture abandonment by ~13% — blunt critique can demotivate wrong teams.

So the real need is structured clarity that's fast, neutral, and constructive.

Athanor is your structured feedback layer — without the reputational risk

Athanor turns a pitch deck (or structured submission) into consistent, repeatable artifacts:

GemScore

Dual-axis scoring (Potential × Readiness) + key gaps + next steps

Adversarial evaluation

Optimist vs pessimist stress-test (reduces "single-model vibes")

Expert Opinion

Human validation from experienced founders/advisors/investors (optional)

Faster "no" that founders respect

Clarity + next step, not ambiguity

Better internal consistency

Your team passes for the same reasons

Goodwill that compounds

"Declining well builds goodwill"

Outputs designed for decisions

Depending on tier, Athanor produces:

Dual-axis scores

Readiness × Potential scores with narrative explanation showing what's working and what's not

Structured diligence

Team, market, risks, competitors in report format ready for IC or internal notes

Next-step plan

"What to validate / improve / kill first" — milestone-based roadmap

Verification layer

Optional claim cross-checking and confidence framing (premium tier)

Shareable report link

Easy to forward with password protection; you control visibility and what gets shared

Share feedback without starting a debate

Instead of writing bespoke critique, send a standardized "pass note":

  • 2–3 objective gaps identified
  • What would change the decision (milestone-based)
  • One resource / one intro when appropriate (optional)
Pass Note Example

Re: Enterprise Security Platform

Thank you for sharing your deck. After evaluation, we're passing at this stage. Here's the structured feedback:

Key Gaps:

  • No enterprise reference customers yet
  • GTM strategy needs clarification
  • Team lacks security compliance expertise

What would change our decision: 2-3 pilot customers in Fortune 500 with signed LOIs.

This mirrors what strong investors already try to do: Homebrew's Hunter Walk says they aim to give specific feedback when passing out of respect for founders.

And founders can use structured feedback productively: TechCrunch quotes a founder who asked for actionable feedback, applied the pattern, and says it helped her "get to the yeses… and close."

When you want a second signal: Expert Opinion

For borderline deals, send it to a human reviewer for quick perspective

Multiple viewpoints

Get human validation from experienced operators

Invite any expert

Send evaluation to domain specialists you trust

Circle of Alchemists

Our network of vetted reviewers (free for paid reports)

From deck → decision artifacts in minutes

1

Submit

Structured form or upload pitch deck

2

Parallel analysis

Specialist agents run in parallel

3

Adversarial debate

Optimist vs pessimist stress-test

4

Synthesis

Scores + memo-style outputs + next steps

Why not just use Claude or build your own?

Because you need repeatable artifacts, not a chat thread — and building an evaluation pipeline is a full product

Feature Claude / single prompt Personal AI assistant (e.g. OpenClaw) Manual Review Athanor
Output format Chat thread Varies per session Varies by analyst IC-ready memo
Repeatability
Dual-axis scoring
Web research Limited If configured Time-intensive Built-in
Adversarial stress-test
Shareable pass note Time-intensive
Basic DD
(KYC, sanctions, patents, tech)
Expensive Verification tier
Ecosystem None None None Full
Time per deal 15-30 min Hours 2-4 hours 3-30 min

Who it's for

Operator angels / solo LPs

Make faster calls, stay consistent, keep founder relationships intact.

  • High dealflow volume
  • Limited time for screening

Fund analysts / associates

Standardize first-pass notes and reduce variance across the team.

  • IC memo preparation
  • Team consistency

Scout networks / venture clubs

Offer founders something concrete even on a "no" — without burning your bandwidth.

  • Volume screening
  • Founder goodwill

Accelerators

Screen applicants at scale and give every founder actionable feedback on their pitch.

  • Batch application triage
  • Portfolio readiness scores

Confidential by default

Private by default

Reports are only visible to you unless you share them

No training on your data

We do not train public AI models on your submissions

Controlled sharing

Password protection and link expiration available

You choose what to share

Selective sharing: share only what's relevant to founders

Pay for leverage, not meetings

Screening

Free

Daily

Quick filter (Potential only)

  • Potential score
  • 3-5 minutes

Assessment

$39

Per evaluation

Dual-axis + debate + deeper diligence

  • Readiness × Potential
  • ~15 minutes
  • Shareable pass note

Verification

$199

IC-ready

Deeper validation / IC-ready tier

  • All Assessment features
  • Deep verification
  • Entity graph
  • ~30 minutes
Coming Q1 2026

Let AI handle the deal screening so you focus on founders

Connect Athanor to Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, or any MCP-compatible tool. Search, filter, and discover startups using natural language — powered by your Investor DNA.

Investor DNA Matching

We capture your thesis, portfolio, and behavioral patterns to rank every startup against your specific criteria. 40% thesis alignment, 30% portfolio fit, 30% behavioral match.

Natural Language Search

"Find fintech startups with strong teams that complement my portfolio." Your AI returns ranked, pre-analyzed matches with GemScores.

Real-Time Alerts

Get notified when a high-match startup enters the platform. Deals come to you, pre-scored and pre-matched to your thesis.

Join Waitlist

Works with Claude Desktop, ChatGPT*, and MCP-compatible AI tools.

FAQ

Is this replacing analyst judgment?

No. It standardizes first-pass diligence and creates consistent artifacts your team can critique. Think of it as a research assistant that produces IC-ready memos, not a decision-maker.

Will founders argue with it?

Sometimes. That's why the share format is milestone-based and neutral — and why Expert Opinion exists for edge cases. Also, feedback can demotivate some teams, so Athanor is designed to keep it constructive.

How long does it take?

Screening ~3–5 min, Assessment ~15 min, Verification ~30 min depending on complexity.

Why not just use Claude or a personal AI assistant?

Because you need repeatable artifacts (memo-style outputs), not a chat thread. A personal AI assistant like OpenClaw can help you think through a deal, but it won't produce consistent, IC-ready memos with dual-axis scoring, adversarial debate, and evidence graphs. Athanor gives you the same structured output every time — shareable, archivable, and comparable across deals.

Can I use this for my entire portfolio screening?

Yes. Many investors use the free monthly Screening tier for volume triage, then upgrade to Assessment or Verification for deals that pass first filter. We also offer volume pricing for funds — contact us for enterprise plans.

Want volume pricing or enterprise features?

Schedule a quick call to discuss API access, whitelabel solutions, or custom integrations for your fund.

Make your "yes" faster — and your "no" cleaner

Run one report on a live deck. If it doesn't save time or improve clarity, don't use it.