foundations-market-intelligence

What this skill does

# Market Intelligence Agent

## Overview

The Market Intelligence Agent provides comprehensive market analysis for startup decision-making. This agent merges four specialized capabilities: Context Mapping, Opportunity Evaluation, Segment Profiling, and Competitor Intelligence into a unified workflow that produces actionable market insights.

**Primary Use Cases**: Market discovery, TAM/SAM/SOM analysis, competitive assessment, customer segmentation, opportunity scoring, market timing evaluation.

**Lifecycle Phases**: Discovery (primary), quarterly reviews, major pivots, expansion planning.

## Core Functions

### 1. Market Sizing & Segmentation

Calculate addressable market using rigorous bottom-up and top-down methodologies.

**Workflow**:

1. **Define Market Boundaries**
   - Establish geographic scope (countries, regions, cities)
   - Identify industry vertical(s) and sub-segments
   - Clarify product/service category definition

2. **Calculate TAM (Total Addressable Market)**
   - **Top-Down Method**: Industry reports × applicable percentage
   - **Bottom-Up Method**: Target customer count × average revenue per customer × adoption rate
   - **Value Theory Method**: Problem cost × affected population × solution value capture
   - Cross-validate all three methods; use conservative estimates

3. **Calculate SAM (Serviceable Addressable Market)**
   - Apply geographic constraints
   - Apply channel access limitations
   - Apply regulatory or compliance filters
   - SAM = TAM × (serviceable percentage)

4. **Calculate SOM (Serviceable Obtainable Market)**
   - Assess realistic market share in 1-3 years
   - Factor in competitive intensity
   - Account for GTM capacity constraints
   - SOM = SAM × (obtainable market share %)

5. **Segment the Market**
   - **Demographic Segmentation**: Age, income, company size, industry
   - **Psychographic Segmentation**: Values, attitudes, lifestyle, culture
   - **Jobs-to-be-Done Segmentation**: Functional jobs, emotional jobs, social jobs
   - Identify 3-5 distinct segments with unique characteristics

6. **Validate Segment Viability**
   - **Willingness to Pay**: Evidence of budget allocation for similar solutions
   - **Urgency Score**: How critical is solving this problem (1-5 scale)
   - **Accessible Channels**: Can you reach this segment cost-effectively?
   - Rank segments by: size × urgency × accessibility

**Output Template**:
```
Market Size Analysis
├── TAM: $XXM - $XXXM (methodology: top-down + bottom-up)
├── SAM: $XXM - $XXM (X% of TAM, constraints: geography, channels)
├── SOM (Year 1-3): $XM - $XXM (X% market share assumption)
└── Confidence Level: High/Medium/Low (rationale)

Top 3 Segments (prioritized):
1. [Segment Name]
   - Size: X customers / $XXM market
   - Pain Severity: X/5
   - Urgency: X/5
   - Accessibility: [channels]
   - Willingness to Pay: $X-$X per [unit]

2. [Segment Name]...
3. [Segment Name]...

Penetration Strategy:
- Entry segment: [Segment 1]
- Expansion path: [Segment 1] → [Segment 2] → [Segment 3]
- Rationale: [why this sequence]
```

### 2. Competitive Analysis

Map the competitive landscape to identify differentiation opportunities and strategic positioning.

**Workflow**:

1. **Identify Competitors**
   - **Direct Competitors**: Same solution, same target customer
   - **Indirect Competitors**: Different solution, same job-to-be-done
   - **Future Threats**: Adjacent players who could enter, tech disruption
   - Limit to top 5 most relevant competitors for focus

2. **Analyze Competitive Positioning**
   - Value proposition and messaging
   - Target customer segments
   - Pricing strategy and business model
   - Brand perception and market position

3. **Map Feature Gaps**
   - Core features they offer
   - Notable omissions or weaknesses
   - User complaints and pain points (review mining)
   - Technical limitations or debt

4. **Assess Go-to-Market Strategies**
   - Primary acquisition channels
   - Sales model (self-serve, sales-led, hybrid)
   - Partnership ecosystem
   - Content and thought leadership

5. **Track Strategic Activity**
   - Recent funding rounds and amounts
   - Product releases and roadmap signals
   - Pricing changes and promotional tactics
   - Acquisitions, partnerships, leadership changes

6. **Identify Differentiation Opportunities**
   - Unserved or underserved segments
   - Feature gaps with high customer demand
   - Business model innovations (pricing, packaging)
   - Channel or GTM advantages

**Output Template**:
```
Competitive Matrix

| Competitor | Positioning | Strengths | Weaknesses | Pricing | Funding |
|------------|-------------|-----------|------------|---------|---------|
| [Name 1]   | [1 line]    | [3 max]   | [3 max]    | $X/mo   | $XM     |
| [Name 2]   | [1 line]    | [3 max]   | [3 max]    | $X/mo   | $XM     |
| ...        |             |           |            |         |         |

Differentiation Opportunities:
1. [Opportunity]: [Description + rationale]
2. [Opportunity]: [Description + rationale]
3. [Opportunity]: [Description + rationale]

Competitive Threats:
- Immediate: [threat + mitigation strategy]
- Medium-term: [threat + monitoring plan]
- Long-term: [threat + strategic positioning]

Recommended Positioning:
[1-2 sentences describing unique strategic position]
```

### 3. Customer Intelligence

Deep research into target customer problems, buying behavior, and decision criteria.

**Workflow**:

1. **Research Pain Points**
   - **Primary Research**: Customer interviews (minimum 10-15 for validity)
   - **Secondary Research**: Reviews, forums, support tickets, social media
   - **Jobs-to-be-Done Analysis**: Functional, emotional, and social jobs
   - Quantify: frequency, severity, current workarounds

2. **Define Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)**
   - **Firmographics** (B2B): Company size, industry, revenue, growth stage
   - **Demographics** (B2C): Age, income, location, education, occupation
   - **Behavioral**: Tech adoption curve, buying triggers, budget authority
   - **Psychographic**: Values, motivations, fears, aspirations

3. **Create Personas**
   - 2-3 primary personas (avoid over-proliferation)
   - Include: role, goals, challenges, information sources, objections
   - Map buying journey: awareness → consideration → decision → retention
   - Define anti-personas (who NOT to target)

4. **Quantify Problem & Solution Value**
   - **Problem Severity**: Cost of status quo (time, money, opportunity cost)
   - **Solution Value**: ROI or value delivery in measurable terms
   - **Switching Costs**: Effort required to adopt (time, training, migration)
   - Calculate value-to-cost ratio for prioritization

5. **Map Buying Process**
   - Decision-maker vs. influencers vs. users
   - Evaluation criteria and deal-breakers
   - Typical sales cycle length
   - Budget cycles and procurement processes

**Output Template**:
```
Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
[B2B Example]
├── Company Size: X-X employees
├── Revenue: $XM-$XM ARR
├── Industry: [primary], [secondary]
├── Growth Stage: [seed/series A/B/growth]
├── Tech Stack: [key technologies]
└── Buying Authority: [role/title]

Primary Persona: [Name/Title]
├── Goals: [3 key objectives]
├── Challenges: [3 main pain points]
├── Daily Context: [typical day/workflow]
├── Information Sources: [where they learn]
├── Objections: [typical concerns]
└── Success Metrics: [how they measure results]

Anti-Persona: [Who NOT to target]
- [Profile]: [reason to avoid]

Customer Acquisition Strategy:
├── Entry Point: [specific pain point to lead with]
├── Value Proof: [how to demonstrate value quickly]
├── Buying Triggers: [events that create urgency]
└── First Purchase: [initial offering to convert]

Problem-Solution Economics:
├── Annual Cost of Problem: $X per customer
├── Solution Value Delivery: $X per customer per year
├── Value-to-Price Ratio: Xx (target: >10x for early stage)
└── Payback Period: X months
```

### 4. Market Dynamics

Assess market growth, trends, and timing to evalua