1 — Information
Research begins with startup-submitted material, public company information, market information, verified third-party sources and financial information where it is available and permitted. Each item should retain its source, date and verification status.
2 — Signal extraction
The system is intended to identify meaningful signals across founders, market, product, traction, financials, technology, competition, growth and risk. A company claim and an independently supported observation should never be treated as the same thing.
3 — Research framework
Signals are organised into consistent categories, with context for company stage, sector and business model. Missing information stays visible instead of being silently filled with an assumption.
4 — Intelligence layer
AI-supported interpretation, quantitative indicators, pattern recognition and research rules can help connect evidence. Contradictions, uncertainty and source limitations remain part of the result.
5 — Explainable output
The intended output includes research notes, category scores, risk indicators, confidence, completeness, strengths, concerns and source references. The goal is to support better questions—not to manufacture certainty.
What the result is not
A ZORAA score is not a probability of startup success, an investment recommendation or a guarantee. Material decisions still require independent professional diligence and human judgement.