Research · data as of 2026-10-16

    Validation score benchmarks

    How 20,843 real IdeaProof validation reports scored between 2025-11-26 and 2026-10-16, and exactly how each score is calculated. Every number on this page comes from stored reports; nothing is estimated.

    Reports
    20,843
    Median score
    65
    Middle 50%
    55–74
    Average
    62.9

    Score distribution

    Number of reports in each 10-point band. 10% of ideas scored 40 or lower, and 10% scored 81 or higher.

    0–9
    1 · 0.0%
    10–19
    146 · 0.7%
    20–29
    611 · 2.9%
    30–39
    1,213 · 5.8%
    40–49
    1,701 · 8.2%
    50–59
    3,455 · 16.6%
    60–69
    6,242 · 29.9%
    70–79
    4,733 · 22.7%
    80–89
    2,570 · 12.3%
    90–100
    171 · 0.8%

    Verdict split

    Verdict Score rule Reports Share
    STRONG 75 or higher 4,914 23.6%
    PROMISING 60–74 8,802 42.2%
    REFINE 45–59 4,325 20.8%
    RECONSIDER below 45 2,802 13.4%

    How a score is produced

    1. The idea is researched against live web sources, competitors and our failure database.
    2. Each criterion below is scored from 0 to 100, with a written explanation.
    3. A base score is calculated as the weighted sum of the criteria.
    4. Each red flag subtracts 2 points (3 if the base score is under 45), up to 5 flags. Each green light adds 3 points (2.5 if the base is under 45), up to 4.
    5. The result becomes the single canonical score. The same number appears in the headline, the summary text and the verdict, so a report can't contradict itself.
    Criterion Weight Average score Median
    Problem–solution fit 17% 65.2 68
    Value proposition 15% 60.2 60
    Competition level 14% 43 40
    Timing 12% 64.8 65
    Target market clarity 10% 63.4 65
    MVP viability 10% 62.2 65
    Defensibility 8% — —
    Market entry barriers 7% 46.2 45
    Initial feasibility 5% 60.3 65
    Resource requirements 2% 57.3 60

    Competition level (average 43) and market entry barriers are the criteria that pull scores down most often: most submitted ideas enter crowded markets.

    Limits of this data

    • Scores measure how an idea looks on the evidence available at validation time. They are not a probability of business success.
    • Ideas are self-submitted and include tests, duplicates and very early concepts, which pulls scores in both directions.
    • Defensibility is part of the formula but is not stored as a separate score in most reports, so it has no average here.
    • We do not yet track business outcomes for these ideas, so this page shows how scores are distributed, not how accurate they are.

    Sample: Every stored validation report that carries the canonical score (introduced 26 November 2025), from signed-in users and guests. Ideas are submitted by users, so this is not a random sample of all business ideas. In total we have stored 57,972 validation reports since 2025-06-28; older reports used an earlier scoring format and are not included above.

    Evidence and data sourcesResearch methodologyValidate your idea free