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Startup business plan: what investors read

A business plan is your startup, written out in full.
It has 6 sections. Each answers an investor question.

Write my business plan

Business Plan is on Max. A free account shows you a sample plan. See plans

The sections of a business plan

These are the 6 sections our generator writes, in order. Each one must answer its questions.

  1. 1. Executive Summary

    • What problem do you solve, and for whom?
    • How much are you raising, and for what?

    Write it last. It sums up the rest.

    Its parts

    • Opportunity: Problem & SolutionAlways in
    • Competitive Analysis and Advantages
    • Scope of Business in Our Market
    • Target Customer Segment
    • Funding
    • Financial Summary
    • Goals

  2. 2. Market Opportunity

    • How big is your market, and how did you size it?
    • Who are your rivals, and why do you win?

    Cite a source for every market figure.

    Its parts

    • Opportunity
    • Change in Customer Behaviour
    • Market Overview
    • Market Share
    • Target Customer Segment
    • Competitive Analysis
    • Competitive Advantages

    The 8 to 10 page plan leaves out Change in Customer Behaviour.

  3. 3. Company Overview

    • What have you built so far?
    • Who runs the company, and who owns it?

    Your cap table fills in the ownership table.

    Its parts

    • Overview
    • Startup Summary
    • Product
    • Ownership & Structure
    • Management Team
    • SWOT Analysis
    • Strategic Partners (if you have any)
    • Personnel Planning

    The 8 to 10 page plan leaves out Strategic Partners and Personnel Planning.

  4. 4. Execution

    • How will you build and sell it?
    • What will you reach, and by when?

    Name your channels. Put a date on each milestone.

    Its parts

    • Product Development
    • Marketing Plan & Customer Acquisition Strategy
    • Key Milestones

    The 8 to 10 page plan writes these as one part, Key Activities.

  5. 5. Financial Plan

    • How do you make money?
    • What do the next few years look like?

    Your financial model fills in the statements.

    Its parts

    • ForecastAlways in
    • Revenue Model
    • Financial StatementsAlways in

  6. 6. Expansion Strategy

    • Where do you grow once the core works?

    Name real options, not a wish list.

    The 8 to 10 page plan leaves this section out.

These parts stay in every plan: Opportunity: Problem & Solution, Forecast and Financial Statements.

How to write one yourself

Work in this order. It saves rewriting later.

  1. Write down the problem and your answer first.
  2. Size your market from the bottom up.
  3. Name your rivals and what they do better.
  4. Build your numbers in a model, not in prose.
  5. Answer each section with its own questions.
  6. Write the executive summary last.
  7. Cut any claim a reader cannot check.

Business plan vs pitch deck vs one pager

Three documents, three different jobs. Each one is read at a different time.

Business planWhat it isYour whole case, written out in pages.Length8 to 10, 20 to 25 or 40 to 50 pages in ShunyaSe.When it is readWhen an investor wants the detail.In ShunyaSeBusiness Plan. Business Plan is on Max.
Pitch deckWhat it isSlides that tell the story fast.Length12 to 16 slides, then an appendix.When it is readBefore and during your first meeting.In ShunyaSePitch deck review. Starter includes one pitch deck review a year.
One pagerWhat it isYour case on a single page.LengthOne page.When it is readIn a first email or an intro.In ShunyaSeOne Pager. Writing it costs 1 AI credit. The draft download is free.

How our business plan generator works

It writes from the work you have already done in ShunyaSe. Every figure must trace to your own data.

  1. Finish your profile, deck review, cap table and financial model first.
  2. Pick a length: 8 to 10, 20 to 25 or 40 to 50 pages.
  3. Untick any part you do not need.
  4. We fill in your answers from those modules.
  5. You check them and add what is missing.
  6. Longer plans ask for more, like rivals and milestones.
  7. We write the plan section by section.
  8. A sentence with a figure we cannot trace is cut.
  9. The ownership table and statements come from your modules.
  10. Download it in Word or PDF, or save it to your data room.
  11. Rewrite any one section with your own instruction.
Write my business plan

What it asks for before it writes

Longer plans ask for more. Gaps are named, not guessed.

  • Every plan: the problem, your answer and the use of funds.
  • From the 20 to 25 page plan up: how you sized the market, with a source.
  • Also from there: named rivals, each with your edge over it.
  • And milestones with dates, not just goals.
  • A market smaller than your round gets flagged.
  • Figures that disagree across your modules get flagged.

Lengths and credits

Business Plan is on Max. Each plan draws AI credits, by length.

  • 8 to 10 pages: 4 credits.
  • 20 to 25 pages: 8 credits.
  • 40 to 50 pages: 16 credits.
  • Rewriting one section costs 1 to 3 credits, by length.
  • Unticking parts can lower the price.
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Questions founders ask

What is a startup business plan?

It is the full written case for your startup. It covers your market, company, plan and money. Investors read it when they want the detail.

How long should a business plan be?

Long enough to answer every section. Our generator writes 8 to 10, 20 to 25 or 40 to 50 pages. Pick the shortest one that answers every question.

Do I need a business plan if I have a pitch deck?

Often, yes. The deck opens the conversation. The plan answers the questions that follow, in writing.

Is the AI business plan generator free?

No. Business Plan is on Max. A plan costs 4, 8 or 16 credits, by length. It writes only from your own figures.