Competitor intel

Competitor Intel#

Purpose#

Provide data-backed competitive intelligence by researching real signals across the web—no assumptions, no made-up numbers.

Execution Logic#

Check $ARGUMENTS first to determine execution mode:

If $ARGUMENTS is empty or not provided:#

Respond with: "competitor-intel loaded, proceed with competitor name and any context (website, industry, etc.)"

Then wait for the user to provide their requirements in the next message.

If $ARGUMENTS contains content:#

Proceed immediately to Task Execution (skip the "loaded" message).

Task Execution#

When user requirements are available (either from initial $ARGUMENTS or follow-up message):

1. Check for Business Context (Optional)#

Check if FOUNDER_CONTEXT.md exists in the project root.

• If it exists: Read it to understand your company's positioning, strengths, and goals—this informs the leverage strategies.
• If it doesn't exist: Proceed with analysis focused purely on competitor weaknesses.

2. Extract Input#

From the user's requirements, extract:

• Competitor name (required)
• Competitor website (if provided)
• Industry/vertical (if provided)
• Specific areas of interest (if provided)

3. Research Phase — MANDATORY WEB SEARCH#

This skill REQUIRES web search. Do not proceed without searching.

Execute web searches across these sources:

Business Metrics Research#

Search for verified data only. Query patterns:

• "[Competitor]" revenue OR MRR OR ARR site:crunchbase.com
• "[Competitor]" funding raised valuation site:crunchbase.com
• "[Competitor]" employees headcount site:linkedin.com
• "[Competitor]" revenue growth OR metrics
• "[Competitor]" pricing customers
• "[Competitor]" CEO OR founder interview revenue
• "[Competitor]" Series A OR Series B OR funding

Traffic & SEO Research#

Search for web traffic and search presence signals:

• "[Competitor]" site:similarweb.com (traffic estimates, top pages, traffic sources)
• "[Competitor]" site:ahrefs.com (backlinks, domain rating, organic keywords)
• "[Competitor]" site:semrush.com (traffic, keyword rankings, ad spend)
• "[Competitor]" site:trends.google.com (search interest over time)
• [Competitor website domain] site:builtwith.com (tech stack, tools used)

Technical & Product Research#

Search for product and development signals:

• "[Competitor]" site:github.com (open source activity, tech stack, hiring signals)
• [Competitor GitHub org] (commit frequency, contributors, project activity)
• "[Competitor]" API OR integration OR developer

Advertising Research#

Search for ad strategy and spend signals:

• Search Meta Ads Library: https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/ for [Competitor]
• "[Competitor]" ads site:facebook.com/ads/library
• "[Competitor]" advertising spend OR ad budget
• "[Competitor]" marketing campaign

Weakness & Sentiment Research#

Search for complaints, issues, and struggles:

• "[Competitor]" reviews site:g2.com
• "[Competitor]" reviews site:capterra.com
• "[Competitor]" reviews site:trustpilot.com
• "[Competitor]" complaints OR issues OR problems
• "[Competitor]" "doesn't work" OR "broken" OR "terrible"
• "[Competitor]" layoffs OR firing OR cuts
• "[Competitor]" lawsuit OR sued

Signal Research (for predictions)#

Search for hiring, product, and strategic signals:

• "[Competitor]" hiring site:linkedin.com
• "[Competitor]" job openings
• "[Competitor]" new feature OR launch OR release
• "[Competitor]" roadmap OR upcoming
• "[Competitor]" partnership OR integration
• "[Competitor]" site:twitter.com OR site:x.com (founder/company posts)

4. Compile Verified Metrics#

From research, extract ONLY verified numbers with sources:

• MRR/ARR (if disclosed)
• Funding raised (total and rounds)
• Valuation (if known)
• Employee count
• Customer count
• Churn rate (if disclosed)
• Growth rate (if disclosed)
• Pricing tiers

CRITICAL RULE: If a metric cannot be found with a source, mark it as "Not publicly available" — DO NOT estimate or assume.

5. Identify Leverage Opportunities#

Analyze collected data to find 3 actionable weak spots:

Look for patterns in:

• Product gaps: Features users complain about, missing integrations
• Service failures: Support complaints, response times, bugs
• Pricing friction: Users complaining about cost, hidden fees, poor value
• Trust issues: Security concerns, data breaches, broken promises
• Operational struggles: Layoffs, leadership changes, funding difficulties
• Marketing weaknesses: Poor ad execution, weak positioning, low engagement

For each weakness, formulate an actionable strategy your company can execute.

6. Predict Next Moves#

Based on all signals, predict what the competitor will likely do next:

Signals to interpret:

• Hiring patterns: Engineering = product push, Sales = growth mode, Support = scaling issues
• Job postings: Reveal technology bets, market expansion, new products
• Funding status: Recent raise = aggressive expansion, No raise in 2+ years = potential trouble
• Content/PR: Topics they're pushing indicate strategic focus
• Partnership announcements: Reveal market positioning and gaps
• Founder activity: Where they speak, what they post, who they meet

7. Format Output#

Structure findings according to Output Format section.

Writing Rules#

Hard constraints. No interpretation.

Core Rules#

• Every metric MUST include a source link or be marked "Not publicly available"
• No estimations, assumptions, or "likely" numbers for metrics
• Strategies must be actionable (specific steps, not vague advice)
• Predictions must cite the signals that support them
• Use neutral, analytical tone—not competitive trash talk
• Date all findings (data freshness matters)

Source Rules#

• Prioritize primary sources (company announcements, founder interviews, SEC filings)
• Crunchbase, LinkedIn, G2, Capterra are acceptable secondary sources
• News articles are acceptable if they cite primary sources
• Avoid unverified Twitter/X claims unless from official company accounts

Strategy Rules#

• Each strategy must exploit a verified weakness
• Each strategy must include concrete next steps
• Strategies should be achievable within 30-90 days
• Avoid strategies that require significant capital unless user has it

Output Format#

# Competitor Intel: [Competitor Name]
**Generated:** [Date]
**Sources searched:** [Count] sources across Crunchbase, LinkedIn, G2, Capterra, news, social

---

## 1. Verified Business Metrics

| Metric | Value | Source | Date |
|--------|-------|--------|------|
| Funding Raised | $X | [Source](url) | [Date] |
| Valuation | $X | [Source](url) | [Date] |
| Employee Count | X | [Source](url) | [Date] |
| MRR/ARR | Not publicly available | — | — |
| Customer Count | ~X | [Source](url) | [Date] |
| Churn Rate | Not publicly available | — | — |

**Key Observations:**
- [Insight about their financial health]
- [Insight about their growth trajectory]

---

## 2. Leverage Strategies

### Strategy 1: [Name]
**Weakness exploited:** [What you found]
**Evidence:** [Quote or data point with source]

**Action steps:**
1. [Specific action]
2. [Specific action]
3. [Specific action]

**Expected outcome:** [What this achieves]

---

### Strategy 2: [Name]
**Weakness exploited:** [What you found]
**Evidence:** [Quote or data point with source]

**Action steps:**
1. [Specific action]
2. [Specific action]
3. [Specific action]

**Expected outcome:** [What this achieves]

---

### Strategy 3: [Name]
**Weakness exploited:** [What you found]
**Evidence:** [Quote or data point with source]

**Action steps:**
1. [Specific action]
2. [Specific action]
3. [Specific action]

**Expected outcome:** [What this achieves]

---

## 3. Predicted Next Moves

### Prediction 1: [What they'll likely do]
**Confidence:** High/Medium/Low
**Supporting signals:**
- [Signal 1 with source]
- [Signal 2 with source]

**Implication for you:** [How to prepare/respond]

### Prediction 2: [What they'll likely do]
**Confidence:** High/Medium/Low
**Supporting signals:**
- [Signal 1 with source]
- [Signal 2 with source]

**Implication for you:** [How to prepare/respond]

---

## 4. Information Gaps
Metrics and data that could not be verified:
- [Item 1]
- [Item 2]

**Suggested next steps to fill gaps:**
- [How to find this information]

Quality Checklist (Self-Verification)#

Before finalizing, verify ALL of the following:

Research Check#

• I performed web searches (did not rely on training data alone)
• I searched Crunchbase, LinkedIn, G2/Capterra, and news sources
• I searched traffic/SEO sources (Similarweb, Ahrefs, Semrush, Google Trends)
• I checked BuiltWith for tech stack and GitHub for development signals
• I searched Meta Ads Library for advertising activity
• I searched for both positive and negative signals

Metrics Check#

• Every metric has a source URL or is marked "Not publicly available"
• No numbers are estimated or assumed
• Dates are included for data freshness

Strategy Check#

• All 3 strategies exploit verified weaknesses (not assumptions)
• Each strategy has concrete, actionable steps
• Strategies are realistic for a startup to execute

Prediction Check#

• Each prediction cites specific signals
• Confidence levels are honest (not all "High")
• Implications are actionable

Output Check#

• Output matches the Output Format exactly
• Tone is analytical, not inflammatory
• Information gaps are acknowledged

If ANY check fails → revise before presenting.

Defaults & Assumptions#

Use these unless overridden:

• Assume user is a startup founder analyzing a direct competitor
• Focus on actionable intelligence (not academic analysis)
• Prioritize recent data (< 12 months old)
• Default confidence for predictions: Medium (unless strong signals exist)
• If industry unknown, infer from competitor's website/positioning

Document any assumptions made in the output.