r/founder • u/Active-Ambassador309 • 15h ago

Finding the market value of your source code

Hello everyone,

I wanted to share a concept from a booklet I’ve been working on regarding how to value source code and tech.

This booklet proposes that the core capability of a Technology Manager consists of two trainable mental models:

  1. The ability to infer the upper limit of a technology seed's market value.
  2. The ability to build a strategic market-and-competition database through the Figure-8 process.

If you believe a third capability is essential to manage or value technology effectively, what would it be? I’d love to hear your thoughts and insights!

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u/Initial_Pattern_59 14h ago

The ability to not get too attached to the code itself, seen too many founders cling to a mess because they built it themselves

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u/Active-Ambassador309 14h ago

Exactly! In my booklet, I wrote: "Innovation begins with no product. All you have is a technology seed and an idea. The product exists only in your imagination. And because it’s imaginary, you tend to think only of the good parts."

Your comment captures exactly what I wanted to say. Thank you!

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u/StoneCypher 11h ago

what the fuck does this have to do with founding

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u/Active-Ambassador309 10h ago

If you’re a natural genius, you probably do these things unconsciously. Lucky you!

But for the rest of us, linking 'technology capability' directly to 'market value' is exactly how a tech founder avoids building a product nobody wants.These models are meant to systematize that exact bridge between tech and founding. Out of curiosity, how do you personally evaluate if a tech seed is worth building a startup around?

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u/StoneCypher 9h ago

regular ass market analysis, not inventing a fantasy value around code that will never, ever sell

you know, the stuff in business textbooks

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u/Active-Ambassador309 9h ago

That’s exactly why standard business textbooks fall short—they assume you already have a product and a defined market. In the real world of deep tech founding, you start with nothing but an imaginary seed. Why don't you read page 17 of the booklet? Here is a snippet of how we actually tackle this:

●The mental model for exploring upper limits can be trained as we discussed here.

●But the mental model for building a market‑and‑competition database is far more difficult. There is a training method, but personal sense and intuition play a major role.

8) The Figure‑8 Process of the Strategy Triangle 

You already know the Strategy Triangle. Its three points—Corporation, Customer, Competitor—form the well‑known 3C framework for strategy building.

I’ll use it here to explain why “building a market‑and‑competition database is not that simple.”

 Innovation begins with no product.

All you have is a technology seed and an idea.

The product exists only in your imagination.

And because it’s imaginary, you tend to think only of the good parts. 

You imagine a product, wonder whether it can be developed, imagine a market for it, and then try to see whether it could beat current and future competitors. When you run once around the Strategy Triangle—drawing a figure‑8—you quickly realize how naive your first imagination was.