What It Takes
You've shipped, failed, and learned. You know manufacturing is different from B2B SaaS and you've worked inside the constraints: procurement cycles, regulatory complexity, operators making $40K/year, pilots that unlock $10M+ contracts.
You want partners who've been your co-founder before. People who can push back, open doors, and challenge you because they've lived it. Not a vendor. Not an accelerator.
The Reality
The journey won't be easier than doing it alone. It will probably be harder. OSS pushes constantly for more, faster, with increasing standards. Feedback will reveal shortcomings. Hard moments will come.
But asking the right questions during good times makes bad times manageable. Avoiding those questions during validation guarantees worse outcomes later.
The Bar (CEO Track)
8+ years in complex B2B SaaS. 1-2 years as BDR, 2-4+ years as AE. Enterprise sales only: cycles over 6 months, deals over €50K ARR. 6+ years hiring and scaling sales teams. Startup context, not corporates.
You score ≥4 on most criteria, ≥5 on 3-4 core dimensions. You've built 0→1, made real refusals, taken real losses, made scaling decisions with consequences.
The Bar (CTO Track)
Technical judgment, product engineering, scaling systems, hiring, company-level ownership. Founder-level profile capable of building to Series B.
The Numbers
63% of OSS founders are second-time founders. 37 of 38 current founders recommend OSS. Even 16 of 18 who left recommend it.
From validation to $500K ARR averages 40 weeks. Series A rounds see 3+ term sheets in 13 of 14 cases.
Not For You If
You're looking for linear progress. You want validation without chaos. You expect the journey to be easier because of process and resources.