Business Ideation

ORCA Framework business ideation is a distinct front-end workflow for startup ideas, venture evaluation, and early opportunity planning. It exists upstream of product specs and implementation work.

Purpose

Use this feature area to:

• turn a rough concept into a one-page idea frame
• pressure-test the idea through founder, problem, market, competition, and execution lenses
• separate evidence from assumption
• collect focused desk research without pretending that research alone proves demand
• decide whether to pursue, park, kill, or narrow the idea
• design the next validation step before writing a product spec

When To Use It

Use business ideation when the user is still deciding whether a company, product, or wedge is worth pursuing.

Use orca-spec instead when:

• the opportunity is already chosen
• the user needs a product contract for implementation
• the work is primarily a software delivery task rather than an idea-evaluation task

Core Commands

• orca-idea: structure a rough idea into an intake and one-pager
• orca-evaluate-idea: apply venture-style evaluation lenses and produce a written judgment
• orca-plan-idea: turn a promising idea into an opportunity memo, validation plan, and execution bridge
• orca-validate-idea: design the smallest credible next experiment

Optional Council Skills

When a single ideation or evaluation pass feels too shallow, ORCA can use a council-style deliberation lane:

• orca-council-product-idea
• orca-council-market-opportunity
• orca-model-council for a more generic five-worker council

Core Artifacts

• templates/idea-intake.md
• templates/idea-one-pager.md
• templates/idea-scorecard.md
• templates/evidence-vs-assumption.md
• templates/opportunity-memo.md
• templates/validation-plan.md
• templates/idea-decision.md

Operating Rules

• Force compression before expansion. A weak one-pager should not become a long strategy memo.
• Score only to clarify judgment, not to hide judgment.
• Treat founder fit, problem intensity, market reach, competition, and execution logic as separate questions.
• Separate observed facts from inference and from hope.
• Prefer the smallest next experiment that changes the decision.
• Do not force every idea into venture-scale framing. Distinguish between lifestyle, niche, and venture-scale outcomes explicitly.

Standard Flow

1. Capture the idea in an intake and one-pager.
2. Evaluate it through structured lenses.
3. Fill evidence-versus-assumption gaps with targeted research.
4. Produce an opportunity memo and decision.
5. Design the next validation experiment.
6. If the idea survives, bridge into spec-driven product work.

Council-style deliberation is optional. Use it when disagreement and multi-angle judgment are likely to improve the decision, not as default ceremony for every idea.

Relationship To ORCA Framework

Business ideation extends ORCA Framework upstream:

• orca-idea creates the initial frame
• orca-evaluate-idea produces judgment and open questions
• orca-research or idea-specific research fills the most important gaps
• orca-validate-idea chooses the next experiment
• orca-plan-idea writes the opportunity memo and execution bridge
• orca-spec begins only after the opportunity and first validation path are clear enough

NotebookLM can be a useful optional support layer here when the user wants a research notebook for competitor, market, or evidence synthesis. It should help compress source material, not replace judgment or direct validation.