What is the Validation Score?
The Validation Score is a single number (0-100) that tells you how strong the market demand is for your idea. It's calculated from five components, each measuring a different dimension of traction.
The 5 components
1. Signup velocity (25% weight)
How fast are people signing up relative to your traffic? A 5%+ conversion rate is strong. Below 2% suggests weak positioning or a mismatch between your traffic source and your audience.
2. Email engagement (20% weight)
Are subscribers opening and clicking your emails? High engagement means real interest. Low engagement means they signed up on impulse but aren't actually invested.
3. Referral rate (20% weight)
Are subscribers sharing with others? A referral rate above 0.2 (1 in 5 subscribers refers someone) indicates genuine excitement. Above 0.5 is exceptional.
4. Fake door clicks (20% weight)
When visitors click a "Buy now" or "Pre-order" button, it signals willingness to pay — the strongest validation signal you can get without actually charging.
5. Interview sentiment (15% weight)
The user interview bot measures how positively your target audience talks about the problem and your proposed solution. A sentiment score above 7/10 is promising.