investor-update

Pack Availability Guard

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Investor Update — Stakeholder Communication

Generates a structured monthly update from current research state, metrics, roadmap progress, and customer feedback. Uses standard YC/First Round format suitable for investors, accelerator mentors, or advisory boards.

Soft Prerequisites

• Read all that exist: research/metrics.md, research/cohort-review-*.md, research/runway-model.md, research/customer-feedback.md, research/gtm.md, tasks/roadmap.md, tasks/todo.md, tasks/manual-todo.md, tasks/record-todo.md, tasks/recurring-todo.md, tasks/history.md
• The more data exists, the richer the update. Works with as little as a roadmap + basic metrics.

Process

0. Product-Path Scope Resolution

Resolve research scope by product path before using code or app structure as a hint:

1. If $ARGUMENTS names a non-archived research/{slug}/ directory or a product-path ID whose scope_path points there, use that path. Treat {slug} as the product/app name, not the ICP, audience, or segment label.
2. If $ARGUMENTS names only research/_archive/{slug}/ or a manifest entry with status: archived or legacy status: abandoned, stop and warn that the path is archived; do not write or update scoped outputs there.
3. Read research/.progress.yaml when present. Normalize legacy active_path to active_paths on read and write back active_paths on manifest updates. Treat legacy abandoned as archived; exclude archived, abandoned, deferred, revisit_candidate, promoted, and any scope_path under research/_archive/ from active target selection.
4. If active product paths exist in the manifest, use those paths. If multiple active paths exist, ask which one to target unless this skill explicitly supports cross-path output.
5. If no active manifest target exists, list non-archived product directories under research/, excluding research/_archive/ and dot directories. Auto-select only when exactly one exists; ask when multiple exist.
6. If no product directories exist, use flat research/ single-product mode.
7. Detect monorepo/app/package structure only as a secondary hint. Suggest creating a missing research/{slug}/ product path when code clearly exposes an app, but do not require code or monorepo detection before using research/{slug}/.

When product path {slug} is active, read and write research under research/{slug}/, specs under specs/{slug}/, and treat top-level research/*.md files as flat-mode documents or cross-path summaries.

1. Load Context

Read all available data sources:

• Metrics: research/metrics.md for targets, research/cohort-review-*.md (most recent) for actuals
• Financial: research/runway-model.md for runway, burn, revenue
• Customer: research/customer-feedback.md for qualitative signal
• Progress: tasks/roadmap.md, tasks/todo.md, tasks/manual-todo.md (if it exists), tasks/history.md for what was built; tasks/record-todo.md and tasks/recurring-todo.md for advisory measurements or cadence work that may affect asks/risks
• GTM: research/gtm.md for go-to-market context

Also check git log for the month to see what was shipped.

2. Compile Update Sections

For each section, pull from the appropriate data source. If a data source doesn't exist, either skip the section or ask the user for the data.

Use AskUserQuestion to fill gaps:

• "What were the top 3 accomplishments this month?"
• "What's the #1 thing you need help with?"
• "Any key hires, partnerships, or milestones?"
• "What are you most worried about right now?"

3. Present & Validate

Show the complete update to the user before writing:

• "Here's the draft update. Does it accurately represent the month? Anything to add or change?"

Incorporate feedback before proceeding.

4. Write Output

Only after confirmation, write the output file.

Output

research/investor-update-[YYYY-MM].md (or research/{slug}/investor-update-[YYYY-MM].md)

# Investor Update: [Month Year]

> Date: [current date]
> From: [product/company name]

## TL;DR
[2-3 sentences: the month in a nutshell — wins, challenges, and trajectory]

## Key Metrics

| Metric | Last Month | This Month | Target | Trend |
|--------|-----------|------------|--------|-------|
| [North Star] | [value] | [value] | [target] | [↑↓→] |
| MRR | [value] | [value] | [target] | [↑↓→] |
| Users | [value] | [value] | [target] | [↑↓→] |
| [Key metric] | [value] | [value] | [target] | [↑↓→] |

## Wins
1. [Accomplishment with impact — e.g., "Shipped X, resulting in Y"]
2. [Accomplishment]
3. [Accomplishment]

## Challenges
1. [Challenge and what you're doing about it]
2. [Challenge]

## Product
[What was built, shipped, or launched this month — concrete deliverables]

## Customers / Users
[New customers, notable feedback, retention signals, churn events]

## Financial
- **Cash**: $[amount]
- **Burn**: $[amount/mo]
- **Revenue**: $[MRR]
- **Runway**: [months]

## Plan for Next Month
1. [Top priority]
2. [Second priority]
3. [Third priority]

## Asks
[What you need help with — intros, advice, hiring, resources. Be specific.]

## Team
[Any changes — hires, departures, role changes]

Create the research/ directory if it doesn't exist.

Next Steps Guidance

The final response and output file must include a ## Next Steps section with one explicit recommendation and 2-4 other options.

Recommendation priority (first applicable becomes the recommendation):

1. IF runway, burn, or revenue data is missing or stale: recommend /runway-model — investor updates need current financial context.
2. IF metrics are missing or stale: recommend /metrics — investor updates need a defensible KPI frame.
3. IF actual usage or retention data exists but has not been reviewed: recommend /cohort-review — convert operational data into investor-ready signal.
4. IF the update surfaced strategic misses, stale assumptions, or missed commitments: recommend /retro — turn the update into a corrective learning loop.
5. Otherwise recommend /research-roadmap — choose the next lifecycle task after the stakeholder update is current.

Use this format:

## Next Steps

**Recommended:** [recommended skill] — [one-line reason grounded in the update]

Other options:
- [2-4 applicable alternatives]

Task Classification

When this skill produces follow-up work, file it by execution semantics:

• Immediately actionable implementation or documentation work goes in tasks/todo.md.
• Human-only external actions tied to automated steps go in tasks/manual-todo.md with _(blocks: Step N.X)_ or _(after: Step N.X)_; repo edits, SDK wiring, generated assets, local commands, tests, audits, and authenticated CLI/API work stay in tasks/todo.md.
• One-time condition-gated records, baselines, or future measurements go in tasks/record-todo.md with source, condition, non-blocking reason, evidence, and promotion rule.
• Cadence-based reviews, playtests, adoption checks, investor updates, retros, or docs-health checks go in tasks/recurring-todo.md with cadence, owner/agent, next due, evidence path, and escalation conditions.
• Do not put non-blocking records or recurring obligations in tasks/todo.md unless they have been explicitly promoted into current execution work.

Constraints

• Honest and concise. Investor updates should be transparent, not spin. Bad news delivered with a plan is better than hidden problems.
• Present before writing. Never write until the user validates the update.
• Separate dated files. Each update is a new file. Don't modify previous updates.
• No fabrication. Only include metrics that have real data behind them. If a metric isn't tracked yet, omit it rather than estimate.
• Standard format. Stick to the YC/First Round format — investors expect this structure.

Alignment Page

When this skill produces durable deliverables (research, specs, plans, reports, prototypes, or any document output), build a full-depth HTML alignment page following ALIGNMENT-PAGE.md in this skill's directory. Output: alignment/investor-update-{topic}.html.

Default Shipping Contract

Follow the shared shipping contract convention in CLAUDE.md.