Framework

9SENS

Multi-perspective validation that catches your blind spots before you waste months building the wrong thing.

Maciej Jankowski · maciejjankowski.com

The Problem

You don't need another idea.
You need to know which one to kill.

42%

No Market Need

Top startup killer. They never asked the hard questions.

6 mo

Wasted

Average time on projects that should've died in week one.

80%

False Confidence

Founders make decisions at 80% confidence. They're wrong 80% of the time.

The real killer: blind spots

Hallucinated Markets

"If just 1% of the market..." is how every failed startup begins.

Broken Unit Economics

Beautiful pricing page. Negative margins underneath.

Invisible Competition

The spreadsheet solution that's "good enough."

Cognitive Bias

Your brain is wired to protect your idea from criticism.

The Solution

What if your idea had to survive 34 adversarial critics?

9SENS puts every assumption through multi-perspective analysis. Each persona attacks from a different angle. The ideas that survive are worth building.

34

Adversarial personas

47

Cognitive bias detectors

63

Mental models

The Personas

Each one attacks your idea from a different angle. They argue with each other. The friction is the point.

BILL
Reality Check

Evidence? Source? Tested? Kills bullshit before it becomes strategy.

MIDAS
Revenue Architect

Show me the money. ROI, unit economics. No hand-waving.

SILAS
Competitive Intel

Who else is doing this? What happens when they copy you?

STEVE
Market Strategist

Positioning, blue ocean, value curve. Where do you play?

BOZENKA
Quality Gate

5-tier credibility system. Peer-reviewed or Reddit hearsay?

SENECA
Risk & Resilience

Pre-mortem. What kills this in 6 months?

+ 28 more specialized personas across strategy, technology, research, marketing, and adversarial testing.

Process

6 Phases of Increasing Rigor

P0

Research

Market sizing, competitor analysis, failure study · Budget: $0 · Gate: TAM ≥ $1M

P1

Discovery

Customer interviews (strangers only), pain validation · Budget: ≤$50 · Gate: 5+ confirm pain & pay

P2

Design

MVP scope, unit economics, business model · Gate: ROI ≥ 1.5x, Margin ≥ 40%, LTV:CAC ≥ 3:1

P3

Implementation

Build MVP, deploy, first real user · Gate: deployed, 1+ user, metrics tracked

P4

Validation

10+ users, actual vs projected unit economics · Gate: retention ≥ 40%, actual LTV:CAC ≥ 2:1

P5

Reflection

What assumptions were wrong? Framework learns from every project.

Why not just ask ChatGPT?

"AI agreed with me" is the most dangerous sentence in business validation.

ChatGPT

  • Agrees with everything
  • Single perspective
  • No validation gates
  • No bias detection
  • No decision memory

9SENS

  • 34 adversarial critics
  • 47 bias detectors
  • Hard Prolog validation gates
  • Decision audit trail
  • Cross-project learning
Case Study

Clinton — Startup Validation

Tech founder with multiple ideas competing for attention.

3
Ideas Killed
1
Clear Winner
100%
Clarity

Full 9SENS analysis identified the one idea with real market potential. Killed 3 zombie projects draining energy. Clear roadmap with risks identified and mitigated. Now building with confidence instead of doubt.

Case Study

Gene — Social Platform

Entrepreneur from Chicago. Trust-based social network concept.

12
Risks Found
8
Mitigated
4
Go/No-Go Gates

Uncovered 12 critical risks that would have killed the project post-launch. 8 mitigated through design changes. 4 flagged as decision points with clear criteria.

What you get

  • GO / PIVOT / KILL verdict — not "maybe", not "it depends"
  • 24-perspective stress test — every blind spot exposed
  • Specific action items — if GO, here's what to build first
  • Bias detection report — which biases were clouding your judgment
  • Documented reasoning chain — trace every conclusion to its source
  • Decision audit trail — 90-day traceable record
Pricing

Invest in clarity

Quick Validation

$97

15-min call. 5-persona quick scan. GO/NO-GO verdict. Top 3 risks. 1-page summary.

Full Analysis

$497

45-min deep dive. Full 34-persona analysis. Risk assessment + mitigation. 10+ page report. 30-day support.

Advisory Retainer

$997/mo

Weekly calls. Unlimited analyses. Pivot/persevere decisions. Direct access.

Ready to kill your
worst idea?

15-minute adversarial analysis. First one's free.

Book Free Intro Call

maciejjankowski.com · 9SENS Framework v2.1