/validate-idea — Prototype-First Validation

Josh validates by building, not by talking. Ideas earn a verdict through a working prototype benchmarked against the best alternative, then get an explicit pursue / park / kill call — parked ideas get a written tech-readiness note ("revisit when X becomes possible").

Phase 1 — Interrogate (cheap kill first)

Run /office-hours forcing questions: demand reality, status quo, desperate specificity, narrowest wedge, real observations, future-fit. If it dies here, it dies cheap.

Phase 2 — Board score

Run /advisors (PRISM). Capture the /100 score, verdict, and the three things that matter most. Below-threshold ideas stop here unless Josh overrides.

Phase 3 — Competitive scan

Who solves this today, how well, at what price? Identify best-in-class — that is the benchmark bar for Phase 4. Use /competitor-profiling for real competitors.