Pinpoint Fee Structure: Application, Assessment, and Success Fees

What is the rationale for introducing applicant fees?

Charging a fee is not just about revenue for us; it’s about signaling quality, filtering intent, and validating the value of the proprietary PARAGON process. We believe that investors and other stakeholders will take the resulting Pinpoint certifications more seriously if the ventures have invested in their own readiness. And gradually, we sincerely hope that as we hit new milestones, authorized PIN Investors will explicitly state: “We fast-track any startup with Pinpoint Tier 2/3 Certification.”

1. Filtering for Serious Intent (The Quality Filter)

• Reduces Noise: A small fee instantly filters out founders who are merely “testing the waters” or lack the seriousness required to allocate a minimal budget to their own preparation.
• Validates Commitment: If a startup won’t invest a reasonable sum of money into a structured assessment that directly increases its chance of raising millions, it signals a lack of founder commitment or business discipline. (Investors also pay attention to this.)

2. Valuing the Proprietary Model (The PARAGON Premium)

• PARAGON Model is IP: The PARAGON Model is valuable intellectual property of our partner, 123 Ideas Limited, derived from deep market and investment expertise. The administrative fee validates the worth of having Pinpoint apply this model to a startup’s unique context.
• Costs of Expertise: The PIA requires valuable time from Pinpoint’s analysts or certified consultants to generate the specific, actionable recommendations, which is what truly prepares the founder for the PIW.

3. Fair Allocation of Resources (Sustainability)

• The process of reviewing applications, scheduling assessments, and generating the detailed PIA reports consumes Pinpoint’s time and resources. These costs should be partially borne by the applicants benefiting from the service.

 

How does the fee structure work?

The fee structure directly aligns with the two distinct stages of value delivery: the Assessment (PIA) and the Implementation/Access (PIW).

We apply a Low-Cost Application Fee followed by a Substantive Assessment Fee.

Stage 1: Pinpoint Investment-Readiness Assessment (PIA)

The fee here is low enough not to deter serious applicants, but high enough to cover the initial screening time and signal seriousness.

Fee Type	Amount	Rationale
Initial Application/Screening Fee	$150 (Refundable)	Covers the administrative cost of processing the initial application and performing the basic document review required before allocating an analyst for the full PIA.

• Founder Benefit: For less than the cost of a few hours of expensive consulting time, the founder receives an objective, investor-focused diagnostic blueprint.
• Freemium Diagnostic: Understanding that our $150 fee may be high for the Concept stage, we offer a 10-minute Assessment for $0. If you startup or SME scores above the threshold of 65%, you will be invited to pay the $150 for the PIA. 

 

Stage 2: Pinpoint Investment-Readiness Window (PIW)

The PIW is the implementation phase leading to investor access (PIN Network). The fee here is zero, as the primary cost is shifted to a success fee/equity model for maximum incentive alignment.

Fee Type	Amount	Rationale
PIW Participation Fee	$0	Charges zero here to encourage maximum participation and completion, as Pinpoint’s true value is delivered upon completion.
PIN Network Access Fee (Success Fee)	5% of the cash raised and 1% Equity Warrant	This is the critical element. Pinpoint earns its major compensation as a success fee upon the startup successfully raising capital from the PIN Network. This aligns Pinpoint’s success with the founders’ funding success.

✅ Alignment is Key

Pinpoint’s fee model above charges for the diagnosis and blueprint (PIA) and then takes a success fee (combination of minimal cash and equity warrant) for the capital access (PIW/PIN). This structure validates the diagnostic expertise upfront while creating maximum incentive alignment—Pinpoint only wins big if the startup successfully raises money after demonstrating readiness.

💵 Tiered Fee Structure for Pinpoint Applications

At Pinpoint, we believe that applying the same fee structure across all stages (from a founder with a concept to a scalable SME) could deter the very early-stage teams while undervaluing the work done for the later-stage ones.

By introducing tiered pricing, Pinpoint maximizes accessibility while accurately reflecting the complexity and depth of the PARAGON Assessment (PIA) required for different maturity levels.

Here is our tiered-fee structure based on the stage of the applicant:

The fees are structured around the complexity of the review and the necessary time investment from Pinpoint’s analysts, ensuring the process remains fair and accessible.

Stage	Applicant Profile	PIA Assessment Fee (Refundable)	Rationale for Fee
Tier 1: Pre-Seed / Concept	Idea stage, MVP/prototype complete, minimal or no revenue, primarily seeking validation.	$350	This lower entry point encourages committed founders with great ideas to get validated. The assessment is focused primarily on Potential (P) and Agility (A). Generally, it covers the cost of the time, proprietary methodology, and expert resources needed to run the full PARAGON analysis and generate the detailed, bespoke PIA Report with actionable recommendations.
Tier 2: Seed / Early Traction	Established business model, recurring revenue (ARR < $500k), clear team, ready for first institutional check.	$750	This is the most common target. The fee reflects the necessity of reviewing actual financials, initial legal documents, and detailed unit economics (Alignment and Risk). Generally, it covers the cost of the time, proprietary methodology, and expert resources needed to run the full PARAGON analysis and generate the detailed, bespoke PIA Report with actionable recommendations.
Tier 3: Seed+	Significant revenue (ARR > $500k), established processes, seeking larger rounds or growth equity.	$1,500	The highest fee reflects the requirement for deep due diligence on Operations (O), complex legal structures, formal Governance (G), and large datasets. The PIA report generated here is equivalent to professional financial consulting. Generally, it covers the cost of the time, proprietary methodology, and expert resources needed to run the full PARAGON analysis and generate the detailed, bespoke PIA Report with actionable recommendations.

Key Strategic Considerations

1. Mandatory Initial Screening Fee: Regardless of the tier, the initial $150 Application Fee is mandatory and separate. This covers administrative costs and ensures the founder is serious before the larger PIA assessment fee is invoiced. If you get funded through our network, we refund 100% of your PIA fees.
2. PIW is a Success Gateway: The fee for the PIW (Implementation Window) is kept at $0 across all tiers. The ultimate financial return for Pinpoint comes from the Success Fee and Equity Warrant upon a successful funding round through the PIN network.
3. A “Redeemable” Option (High Value): Tier 3 fee ($1,500) is redeemable against the future success fee. And like Tiers 1 and 3, the PIA fee is credited back 100%, making the validation process essentially free for successful ventures.

By implementing this tiered structure, Pinpoint ensures that our service is fairly priced according to its delivery cost and retains its reputation as a high-quality filter for investors.