Help & guidance

Everything a first-time judge needs, in two minutes.

Why your view comes first

Step 1 locks the rest of the workspace until you record your own first impression. Research shows an AI summary read first anchors human judgement, so the copilot stays hidden until your read is on the record.

Rubric extraction

Step 2 walks the 22 NVBC sub-questions across Market, Business Model, Team and Financials. For each one the AI says whether the submission answers it and quotes the exact wording, with document and page.

Verify or dispute

Every extracted snippet is yours to confirm or reject. Disputed items are surfaced in the cross-reference step so a bad extraction never quietly shapes your feedback.

What founders submit

Pitch deck, business plan, financial model and optional technical documentation. In the founder portal, founders can stress-test the same documents before judging and rehearse the questions mentors will ask.

Frequently asked

Does the AI score or rank ventures?: No. It extracts evidence, reviews the plan and critiques your writing. Every score and every decision belongs to the human panel.
What is the plan review?: A YC-partner-style read of one question: is there a credible path to a $100M business, and what would have to be true? It names strengths, gaps and the questions a sharp investor would ask.
Why does the AI critique my feedback?: Step 6 reviews your draft — not the startup — for specificity, evidence, fairness and blind spots, so founders get feedback they can act on.
Can founders see judge notes?: Founders see only the final feedback a judge submits. Draft versions and scores stay with the panel.

Ready to review? Open your dashboard