Marketplace pilot scorecard

Blank worksheet, trust/payments/KYC parallel-path checklist, filled fictional example, and AI prompt for scoring a two-sided marketplace pilot toward PO or platform agreement.

Blank worksheet

Update weekly. Bring this to midpoint and to the commercial ask. Bound scope to one category / one geo / one supply or demand cohort unless the agreement says otherwise.

Criterion	Baseline	Target	Current	Status	Owner
1. ___	___	___	___	[ ] G [ ] A [ ] R	___
2. ___	___	___	___	[ ] G [ ] A [ ] R	___
3. ___	___	___	___	[ ] G [ ] A [ ] R	___
4. ___ (optional)	___	___	___	[ ] G [ ] A [ ] R	___
5. ___ (optional)	___	___	___	[ ] G [ ] A [ ] R	___

Trust / payments / KYC parallel-path checklist

Start these in week one of serious interest, often before or alongside liquidity proof instead of after "liked the matching demo." Track them as first-class workstreams beside product proof.

Workstream	Status	Blocker	Owner	Due
Trust & safety / disputes policy	[ ] Not started [ ] In flight [ ] Cleared	___	___	___
Payments / payouts path	[ ] Not started [ ] In flight [ ] Cleared	___	___	___
KYC / KYB for supply (and demand if needed)	[ ] Not started [ ] In flight [ ] Cleared	___	___	___
SOC2 / vendor risk questionnaire	[ ] Not started [ ] In flight [ ] Cleared	___	___	___
Supply onboarding + SLA	[ ] Not started [ ] In flight [ ] Cleared	___	___	___
Demand allocation / merchandising path	[ ] Not started [ ] In flight [ ] Cleared	___	___	___
MSA / PO / platform-agreement path	[ ] Not started [ ] In flight [ ] Cleared	___	___	___

Working steps

Paste written success criteria into the scorecard before kickoff: fill rate, time-to-match, cohort GMV, take-rate integrity, cancellation / dispute rate, supply SLA. No soft "liked the matching demo" lines.

Name the supply clock and the demand clock. If one side is unpaid seeding, put it on a separate sheet and keep it out of the paid pilot scorecard.

Update status every week. Treat amber without a next action as red.

Bring finance and the ops owners for both sides (or clear proxies) to midpoint. Re-score against written criteria only.

Before the commercial ask, confirm trust / payments / KYC are cleared or waived in writing, and that phase-two category / geo / ACV intent is still in the agreement.

Filled example (fictional: HVAC / Metro Austin)

Teaching example only. Pattern-check your deal; do not cite these numbers as a real case study.

Criterion	Baseline	Target	Current (wk 7)	Status	Owner
Fill rate (HVAC Austin)	52%	≥72%	74%	Green	Nair / you
Median time-to-match	11h	≤6h	5.2h	Green	Supply ops
Cohort GMV + take-rate integrity	n/a	≥$420K; rate intact	$448K; intact	Green	You + finance
Cancellation / dispute rate	n/a	≤8%; T&S live	6.1%; live	Green	T&S
KYC/KYB + payouts	Not started	Live before ask	Live wk 6	Green	Payments

AI prompt

Paste into ChatGPT or Claude. Replace bracketed placeholders with your deal facts.

You are helping a two-sided marketplace founder run a paid pilot that must convert to a PO or platform agreement with a brand, retailer, enterprise buyer, or marketplace operator.

Company / product: [YOUR COMPANY + PRODUCT]
Buyer account: [BRAND / RETAILER / ENTERPRISE / MARKETPLACE OPERATOR + SEGMENT]
Scope in pilot: [ONE CATEGORY / ONE GEO / ONE SUPPLY OR DEMAND COHORT]
Pilot window: [START] to [END]
Target phase-two ACV / platform intent: [AMOUNT]
Marketplace / category champion: [NAME / TITLE]
Economic buyer: [NAME / TITLE, e.g. VP Marketplace / Head of Supply / CFO / procurement]
Supply ops owner: [NAME / STATUS]
Demand / merchandising owner: [NAME / STATUS]
Trust & safety: [STATUS]
Payments / KYC / KYB: [STATUS]
Unpaid seed / co-marketing (if any): [N/A / SEPARATE CLOCK / STATUS]
Compelling event: [CATEGORY LAUNCH / GEO EXPANSION / PEAK SEASON / COMPETITOR EXIT / BOARD GMV TARGET / PROCUREMENT WINDOW / OTHER]

Produce:
1) A markdown scorecard table with columns:
Criterion | Baseline | Target | Current | Status (green/amber/red) | Evidence | Owner
Include 3-5 underwritable criteria (fill rate, time-to-match, cohort GMV, take-rate integrity, cancellation/dispute rate, supply SLA). No soft "liked the matching demo" or "supply said they'd join" lines.
2) A second table: Stakeholder | Role | Attitude | Next action this week
(Roles: marketplace champion, EB, supply ops, demand/merch, T&S, payments/KYC, procurement)
3) A third table for the parallel path: Workstream | Status | Blocker | Owner | Due
(Include trust & safety, payments/payouts, KYC/KYB, SOC2/vendor risk, supply onboarding/SLA, demand allocation, MSA/PO/platform-agreement path)
4) End with 5 bullets: biggest risk, whether to ask for PO/platform agreement this week, scope-cut options (one category / one geo / one cohort; hold the take rate), one quick-win memo angle for EB + marketplace sponsor, one thing to stop doing.

Rules:
- Invent no fake metrics; use ___ when unknown.
- Every status needs a next action.
- Prefer reduce categories / geos / cohorts over discounting take-rate or platform fee.
- Marketplace / category champion is not the economic buyer.
- Unpaid seed / co-marketing is not a paid customer pilot. Keep the clocks separate; name supply vs demand clocks.
- Trust, payments, and KYC often start before or alongside the pilot instead of after the matching demo.