The Vector9 blueprint: a tried and trusted blueprint for building fundable technology businesses
Vector9 comprises a nine-stage process for turning market and value evidence into clear strategic decisions.
It is designed to be used before committing to IP, regulatory, and development pathways — and revisited at key points as evidence, funding, and ambition grow.
Why a blueprint is needed
Technology businesses repeatedly fail for the same reasons:
assumptions about customers go untested
value propositions are poorly evidenced
markets are chosen too broadly or too late
strategy is implied, not explicit
Despite this, early money is often spent on patents, regulatory planning, and development.
Vector9 changes the order.
It ensures that strategy is built on evidence, and that later decisions are made with intent.
The nine stages
1. Definition
Clarifying what the product or service actually is — and what it is not.
2. Context
Understanding the system the technology sits within, including market forces, policy, regulation, economics, and competition.
3. Value
Identifying where value is created, for whom, and who ultimately pays.
4. Market
Determining which markets and segments are viable, and which should be deprioritised.
5. Model
Establishing how value could realistically be captured through a sustainable business model.
6. Strategy
Making explicit choices about focus, positioning, trade-offs, and risk.
7. Validation
Defining the assumptions that matter most and the questions that must be answered.
8. Evidence
Gathering high-quality input from customers, stakeholders, and experts to test those assumptions.
9. Plan
Translating insight into a costed, timelined plan that informs next steps, including IP and regulatory activity.
How it is used
Vector9 can be applied end-to-end to establish initial direction.
It is also designed to be revisited — often focusing on Value, Market, Model, Strategy, and Evidence — when:
preparing for grants or investment
refining pricing or routes to traction
entering new markets
reassessing strategy post-funding
The process remains the same. The evidence improves.
What this delivers
By completing the Vector9 process, organisations gain:
credible market and value evidence
a clear, defensible strategy
better-informed IP and regulatory decisions
stronger grant and investment propositions
faster progress with fewer wrong turns
This is why Vector9 is used by startups, accelerators, funders, angels, and VCs.