StartupExel 🚀

AI-powered co-founders transforming visionary ideas into thriving, data-driven startup ventures

📋 Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Core Features
• AI Co-Founder Hub
• System Architecture
• User Flows
• Technical Stack
• Database Schema
• API Reference
• Getting Started
• Development Guide
• Deployment
• Integration with Exel Ecosystem
• Contributing
• License
• Support

🌟 Introduction

StartupExel is a comprehensive platform designed to guide entrepreneurs through every stage of the startup journey, from initial ideation to sustainable growth. Our mission is to democratize entrepreneurship by providing AI-powered tools that level the playing field, enabling founders to compete effectively regardless of their background or connections.

Why StartupExel? 🤔

The startup landscape is challenging, with founders facing numerous obstacles:

• 📊 Information Asymmetry: First-time founders lack critical insights that experienced entrepreneurs take for granted
• 💰 Resource Constraints: Limited funds to hire specialized team members across different domains
• ⏱️ Time Pressure: Need to move quickly despite knowledge gaps
• 🧠 Cognitive Overload: Too many decisions across unfamiliar domains

StartupExel addresses these challenges by providing AI co-founders that offer domain expertise, data-driven insights, and automation of routine tasks—allowing human founders to focus on vision and strategy.

✨ Core Features

📝 Business Planning Suite

Comprehensive tools for business model development, market research, competitive analysis, and strategic planning.

// Example: Business model validation algorithm
interface BusinessModelValidation {
  viabilityScore: number;
  strengthAreas: string[];
  vulnerabilities: string[];
  recommendations: string[];
}

const validateBusinessModel = async (
  businessModel: BusinessModelCanvas,
  industry: string,
  targetMarket: string
): Promise<BusinessModelValidation> => {
  // Extract core elements of the business model
  const { valueProposition, customerSegments, revenueStreams, costStructure } = businessModel;
  
  // Analyze business model against industry benchmarks
  const industryBenchmarks = await fetchIndustryBenchmarks(industry);
  const marketData = await fetchMarketData(targetMarket);
  
  // Calculate viability score based on multiple factors
  const viabilityScore = calculateViabilityScore(
    businessModel, 
    industryBenchmarks, 
    marketData
  );
  
  // Generate insights
  const strengthAreas = identifyStrengths(businessModel, industryBenchmarks);
  const vulnerabilities = identifyVulnerabilities(businessModel, industryBenchmarks);
  const recommendations = generateRecommendations(vulnerabilities, marketData);
  
  return {
    viabilityScore,
    strengthAreas,
    vulnerabilities,
    recommendations
  };
};

💻 AI-CTO

Transform business requirements into functional prototypes without technical co-founders.

Key Capabilities:

• 📋 Requirements analysis and refinement
• 🛠️ Tech stack recommendations based on project needs
• 🧩 Architecture planning and system design
• 📱 Working prototype generation through Bolt.new integration
• 👨‍💻 Technical roadmap creation and resource estimation

💰 AI-CFO

Financial modeling, runway monitoring, and funding preparation with AI assistance.

// Example: Runway calculation with burn rate analysis
interface RunwayAnalysis {
  months: number;
  burnRate: number;
  criticalDate: Date;
  optimizationSuggestions: {
    area: string;
    potentialSavings: number;
    implementationDifficulty: 'easy' | 'medium' | 'hard';
    description: string;
  }[];
}

const calculateRunway = (
  currentBalance: number,
  financialData: FinancialData[],
  projectedExpenses: ProjectedExpense[]
): RunwayAnalysis => {
  // Calculate average burn rate from recent months
  const recentMonths = financialData.slice(-3);
  const averageBurnRate = calculateAverageBurnRate(recentMonths);
  
  // Adjust for upcoming projected expenses
  const adjustedBurnRate = adjustForProjectedExpenses(
    averageBurnRate, 
    projectedExpenses
  );
  
  // Calculate runway in months
  const runwayMonths = currentBalance / adjustedBurnRate;
  
  // Determine critical date when funds run out
  const criticalDate = addMonthsToDate(new Date(), runwayMonths);
  
  // Generate optimization suggestions to extend runway
  const optimizationSuggestions = generateBurnRateOptimizations(
    financialData,
    projectedExpenses
  );
  
  return {
    months: runwayMonths,
    burnRate: adjustedBurnRate,
    criticalDate,
    optimizationSuggestions
  };
};

📣 AI-CMO

Develop marketing strategies and content with data-driven insights.

⚖️ Legal AI

Create necessary legal documents and ensure compliance across jurisdictions.

💸 Funding Tools

Prepare for fundraising and track investor relationships.

📊 Growth Analytics

Monitor traction and key business metrics with actionable insights.

👥 Mentorship Network

Connect with advisors and mentors in your industry for personalized guidance.

🧠 AI Co-Founder Hub

The AI Co-Founder Hub is the central command center for interacting with StartupExel's specialized AI assistants.

graph TD
    User(Founder) --> Hub[AI Co-Founder Hub]
    
    Hub --> AICTO[AI-CTO]
    Hub --> AICFO[AI-CFO]
    Hub --> AICMO[AI-CMO]
    Hub --> AILegal[Legal AI]
    
    AICTO --> TechStack[Tech Stack Selection]
    AICTO --> PrototypeDev[Prototype Development]
    AICTO --> DevRoadmap[Development Roadmap]
    
    AICFO --> FinancialModeling[Financial Modeling]
    AICFO --> RunwayTracking[Runway Tracking]
    AICFO --> FundingPrep[Funding Preparation]
    
    AICMO --> MarketStrategy[Marketing Strategy]
    AICMO --> ContentCreation[Content Creation]
    AICMO --> AudienceAnalysis[Audience Analysis]
    
    AILegal --> DocumentGen[Document Generation]
    AILegal --> ComplianceCheck[Compliance Checking]
    AILegal --> IPProtection[IP Protection]

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AI Integration Architecture

StartupExel leverages advanced AI technologies to provide specialized expertise across multiple domains:

graph TD
    NLU[Natural Language Understanding] --> Requirements[Requirements Analysis]
    NLU --> Insights[Business Insights]
    
    Gen[Generative AI] --> Content[Content Creation]
    Gen --> Code[Code Generation]
    Gen --> Documents[Document Generation]
    
    Pred[Predictive Analytics] --> Financial[Financial Forecasts]
    Pred --> Market[Market Trends]
    Pred --> Growth[Growth Projections]
    
    Rec[Recommendation Systems] --> Strategy[Strategic Recommendations]
    Rec --> Resources[Resource Recommendations]
    Rec --> TechStack[Technology Recommendations]
    
    Requirements --> AICTO[AI-CTO]
    Insights --> AICFO[AI-CFO]
    Content --> AICMO[AI-CMO]
    Code --> AICTO
    Documents --> AILegal[Legal AI]
    Financial --> AICFO
    Market --> AICMO
    Growth --> AICFO
    Strategy --> Hub[Co-Founder Hub]
    Resources --> Hub
    TechStack --> AICTO

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🏗️ System Architecture

StartupExel follows a modern microservices architecture with clear separation of concerns, ensuring scalability and maintainability.

graph TD
    Client[Client Application] --> Gateway[API Gateway]
    Gateway --> Auth[Auth Service]
    Gateway --> User[User Profile Service]
    Gateway --> Planning[Business Planning Service]
    Gateway --> Financial[Financial Service]
    Gateway --> Marketing[Marketing Service]
    Gateway --> Legal[Legal Service]
    Gateway --> Analytics[Analytics Service]
    Gateway --> AI[AI Orchestration Service]
    
    subgraph "Data Layer"
        User --> UserDB[(User Database)]
        Planning --> BusinessDB[(Business Documents)]
        Financial --> FinancialDB[(Financial Database)]
        Marketing --> MarketingDB[(Marketing Database)]
        Legal --> LegalDB[(Legal Documents)]
        Analytics --> AnalyticsDB[(Analytics Database)]
    end
    
    subgraph "External Integrations"
        AI --> OpenAI[OpenAI API]
        AI --> BoltAPI[Bolt.new API]
        Financial --> PaymentAPI[Payment Processors]
        Marketing --> MarketingTools[Marketing Tools]
        Legal --> LegalResources[Legal Resources]
    end
    
    subgraph "Background Processing"
        BackgroundJobs[Background Jobs]
        Gateway --> BackgroundJobs
        BackgroundJobs --> Notifications[Notification Service]
        BackgroundJobs --> Metrics[Metrics Aggregation]
    end

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👤 User Flows

Startup Journey Flow

The platform guides founders through a structured startup journey with customized paths based on their business type and stage.

stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> Onboarding
    Onboarding --> Ideation: New idea
    Onboarding --> Validation: Existing concept
    Onboarding --> Building: Product in development
    Onboarding --> Growth: Active business
    
    Ideation --> IdeationTasks: Complete business model canvas
    IdeationTasks --> Validation: Validate idea
    
    Validation --> ValidationTasks: Complete market validation
    ValidationTasks --> MVPDevelopment: Develop MVP
    MVPDevelopment --> Building: Launch MVP
    
    Building --> BuildingTasks: Scale operations
    BuildingTasks --> FirstRevenue: Generate revenue
    FirstRevenue --> Growth: Achieve product-market fit
    
    Growth --> GrowthTasks: Optimize acquisition
    GrowthTasks --> Funding: Prepare for funding
    Funding --> [*]: Secure investment

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Prototype Development Flow

sequenceDiagram
    participant Founder
    participant AI_CTO as AI-CTO
    participant Bolt as Bolt.new API
    
    Founder->>AI_CTO: Describe product concept
    AI_CTO->>Founder: Request clarification & requirements
    Founder->>AI_CTO: Provide detailed requirements
    
    AI_CTO->>AI_CTO: Analyze requirements
    AI_CTO->>Founder: Recommend tech stack & architecture
    Founder->>AI_CTO: Approve recommendations
    
    AI_CTO->>Bolt: Send technical specifications
    Bolt->>AI_CTO: Generate prototype code
    AI_CTO->>AI_CTO: Review & optimize code
    
    AI_CTO->>Founder: Present prototype
    Founder->>AI_CTO: Request revisions
    AI_CTO->>Bolt: Send revision requests
    Bolt->>AI_CTO: Update prototype
    
    AI_CTO->>Founder: Deliver final prototype
    AI_CTO->>Founder: Provide technical documentation

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Funding Preparation Flow

stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> Financial_Preparation
    Financial_Preparation --> Financial_Model: Create financial model
    Financial_Model --> Valuation: Generate valuation
    Valuation --> Pitch_Materials: Prepare pitch materials
    
    Pitch_Materials --> Pitch_Deck: Create pitch deck
    Pitch_Deck --> Executive_Summary: Write executive summary
    Executive_Summary --> Data_Room: Prepare data room
    
    Data_Room --> Investor_Research: Research potential investors
    Investor_Research --> Outreach_Strategy: Develop outreach strategy
    Outreach_Strategy --> Pitch_Practice: Practice pitch presentation
    
    Pitch_Practice --> Investor_Meetings: Schedule investor meetings
    Investor_Meetings --> Due_Diligence: Handle due diligence
    Due_Diligence --> Term_Sheet: Negotiate term sheet
    Term_Sheet --> [*]: Close investment

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🛠️ Technical Stack

Frontend

• Next.js: React framework for server-rendered applications
• React: Component-based UI library
• TypeScript: Type-safe JavaScript
• TailwindCSS: Utility-first CSS framework
• shadcn/ui: Component library built on Radix UI
• Zustand: Lightweight state management
• React Query: Data fetching and caching
• Recharts: Data visualization

Backend

• Node.js: JavaScript runtime
• Express: Web framework
• tRPC: End-to-end typesafe APIs
• Prisma: ORM for database access
• PostgreSQL: Primary database for structured data
• MongoDB: Document database for unstructured content
• Redis: Caching and session management

AI & ML

• OpenAI API: For natural language understanding and generation
• Bolt.new API: For prototype code generation
• Langchain: For complex AI workflows
• TensorFlow.js: For client-side ML models

DevOps

• Docker: Containerization
• GitHub Actions: CI/CD
• Vercel: Deployment platform
• Jest: Testing framework
• Cypress: End-to-end testing

🗄️ Database Schema

StartupExel uses a sophisticated database schema to represent startup-related entities.

erDiagram
    USER ||--o{ STARTUP : owns
    USER ||--o{ TEAM_MEMBER : is
    STARTUP ||--o{ TEAM_MEMBER : has
    STARTUP ||--o{ BUSINESS_PLAN : has
    STARTUP ||--o{ FINANCIAL_MODEL : has
    STARTUP ||--o{ PROTOTYPE : has
    STARTUP ||--o{ MARKETING_PLAN : has
    STARTUP ||--o{ LEGAL_DOCUMENT : has
    STARTUP ||--o{ INVESTOR_RELATION : has
    
    USER {
        uuid id PK
        string email
        string hashed_password
        string first_name
        string last_name
        datetime created_at
        datetime updated_at
    }
    
    STARTUP {
        uuid id PK
        uuid owner_id FK
        string name
        string description
        string industry
        string stage
        date founded_date
        json meta_data
        datetime created_at
        datetime updated_at
    }
    
    TEAM_MEMBER {
        uuid id PK
        uuid startup_id FK
        uuid user_id FK
        string role
        string title
        string expertise
        json contact_info
        datetime created_at
    }
    
    BUSINESS_PLAN {
        uuid id PK
        uuid startup_id FK
        string version
        json executive_summary
        json market_analysis
        json product_description
        json marketing_strategy
        json operational_plan
        json financial_projections
        datetime created_at
        datetime updated_at
    }
    
    FINANCIAL_MODEL {
        uuid id PK
        uuid startup_id FK
        string version
        json revenue_projections
        json expense_projections
        json cash_flow
        json balance_sheet
        json income_statement
        json assumptions
        datetime created_at
        datetime updated_at
    }
    
    PROTOTYPE {
        uuid id PK
        uuid startup_id FK
        string name
        string version
        string tech_stack
        text description
        json requirements
        string repository_url
        string deployment_url
        datetime created_at
        datetime updated_at
    }
    
    MARKETING_PLAN {
        uuid id PK
        uuid startup_id FK
        string version
        json target_audience
        json positioning
        json channels
        json content_strategy
        json kpis
        json budget
        datetime created_at
        datetime updated_at
    }
    
    LEGAL_DOCUMENT {
        uuid id PK
        uuid startup_id FK
        string document_type
        string title
        string version
        string status
        text content
        string signed_url
        datetime created_at
        datetime updated_at
    }
    
    INVESTOR_RELATION {
        uuid id PK
        uuid startup_id FK
        string investor_name
        string investor_type
        string contact_person
        string contact_email
        string status
        date first_contact
        date last_interaction
        text notes
        json interaction_history
        datetime created_at
        datetime updated_at
    }

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📡 API Reference

StartupExel provides a comprehensive API for integration with other services and extensions.

Authentication

/**
 * User authentication
 * POST /api/auth/login
 */
interface LoginRequest {
  email: string;
  password: string;
}

interface LoginResponse {
  token: string;
  user: {
    id: string;
    email: string;
    name: string;
  };
}

Startup Management

Endpoint	Method	Description
/api/startups	GET	Get all user startups
/api/startups/:id	GET	Get specific startup
/api/startups	POST	Create a new startup
/api/startups/:id	PUT	Update a startup
/api/startups/:id/team	GET	Get startup team
/api/startups/:id/metrics	GET	Get startup metrics

AI Services

Endpoint	Method	Description
/api/ai/cto/analyze	POST	Analyze technical requirements
/api/ai/cto/prototype	POST	Generate prototype
/api/ai/cfo/model	POST	Generate financial model
/api/ai/cfo/runway	GET	Calculate runway
/api/ai/cmo/strategy	POST	Generate marketing strategy
/api/ai/legal/document	POST	Generate legal document

Full API documentation is available at the /api/docs endpoint when running the development server.

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18+)
• npm or pnpm
• PostgreSQL database
• OpenAI API key
• Bolt.new API key

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/exel/startup-exel.git
cd startup-exel

# Install dependencies
npm install
# or
pnpm install

# Set up environment variables
cp .env.example .env.local
# Edit .env.local with your database and API credentials

# Run database migrations
npm run migrate
# or
pnpm migrate

# Start development server
npm run dev
# or
pnpm dev

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Required
DATABASE_URL	PostgreSQL connection string	Yes
NEXTAUTH_SECRET	Secret for NextAuth.js	Yes
OPENAI_API_KEY	OpenAI API key for AI assistants	Yes
BOLT_API_KEY	Bolt.new API key for prototype generation	Yes
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL	Base URL for the application	Yes

💻 Development Guide

Project Structure

startup-exel/
├── public/                # Static assets
├── src/
│   ├── app/               # Next.js App Router pages
│   ├── components/        # React components
│   │   ├── ui/            # Base UI components
│   │   ├── features/      # Feature-specific components
│   │   └── layout/        # Layout components
│   ├── hooks/             # Custom React hooks
│   ├── lib/               # Utility functions
│   ├── services/          # External service integrations
│   │   ├── ai/            # AI assistant services
│   │   ├── auth/          # Authentication
│   │   └── api/           # API client
│   ├── styles/            # Global styles
│   └── types/             # TypeScript type definitions
├── prisma/                # Database schema and migrations
│   ├── schema.prisma      
│   └── migrations/     
├── scripts/               # Utility scripts
├── tests/                 # Test files
├── .env.example           # Example environment variables
└── package.json           # Dependencies and scripts

Development Workflow

Branch Naming

• feature/feature-name - For new features
• fix/issue-description - For bug fixes
• chore/task-description - For maintenance tasks

Commit Messages

We follow Conventional Commits specification:

feat: add AI-CFO financial projection tool
fix: correct calculation in runway estimation
docs: update README with new setup instructions

Example Component

// src/components/features/runway/RunwayCalculator.tsx
import React from 'react';
import { Card, CardHeader, CardTitle, CardContent } from '@/components/ui/card';
import { Progress } from '@/components/ui/progress';
import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button';
import { CalendarIcon, TrendingDownIcon, AlertCircleIcon } from 'lucide-react';

interface RunwayCalculatorProps {
  currentBalance: number;
  monthlyBurn: number;
  runway: number;
  criticalDate: Date;
}

export const RunwayCalculator: React.FC<RunwayCalculatorProps> = ({
  currentBalance,
  monthlyBurn,
  runway,
  criticalDate
}) => {
  const formatCurrency = (amount: number) => {
    return new Intl.NumberFormat('en-US', {
      style: 'currency',
      currency: 'USD',
      maximumFractionDigits: 0
    }).format(amount);
  };
  
  const formatDate = (date: Date) => {
    return new Intl.DateTimeFormat('en-US', {
      year: 'numeric',
      month: 'long',
      day: 'numeric'
    }).format(date);
  };
  
  const getRunwayColor = () => {
    if (runway > 12) return 'bg-green-500';
    if (runway > 6) return 'bg-yellow-500';
    return 'bg-red-500';
  };
  
  return (
    <Card>
      <CardHeader>
        <CardTitle className="flex items-center">
          <CalendarIcon className="mr-2 h-5 w-5 text-blue-500" />
          Runway Calculator
        </CardTitle>
      </CardHeader>
      <CardContent className="space-y-4">
        <div className="flex justify-between items-center">
          <div>
            <p className="text-sm text-slate-500">Current Balance</p>
            <p className="text-xl font-bold">{formatCurrency(currentBalance)}</p>
          </div>
          <div>
            <p className="text-sm text-slate-500">Monthly Burn</p>
            <p className="text-xl font-bold text-amber-600">
              {formatCurrency(monthlyBurn)}
            </p>
          </div>
        </div>
        
        <div>
          <div className="flex justify-between items-center mb-1">
            <p className="text-sm font-medium">Runway</p>
            <p className="text-sm font-medium">{runway.toFixed(1)} months</p>
          </div>
          <Progress value={(runway / 18) * 100} className={`h-2 ${getRunwayColor()}`} />
        </div>
        
        <div className="bg-amber-50 p-3 rounded-md flex items-start">
          <AlertCircleIcon className="h-5 w-5 text-amber-600 mt-0.5 mr-2 flex-shrink-0" />
          <p className="text-sm text-amber-800">
            At current burn rate, funds will be depleted by <strong>{formatDate(criticalDate)}</strong>.
            Consider optimizing expenses or planning for fundraising.
          </p>
        </div>
        
        <div className="flex space-x-2">
          <Button variant="outline" className="flex-1">
            <TrendingDownIcon className="h-4 w-4 mr-2" />
            Reduce Burn
          </Button>
          <Button className="flex-1">Funding Options</Button>
        </div>
      </CardContent>
    </Card>
  );
};

🚢 Deployment

Vercel Deployment

# Install Vercel CLI
npm install -g vercel

# Deploy to Vercel
vercel

Docker Deployment

# Build Docker image
docker build -t startup-exel .

# Run Docker container
docker run -p 3000:3000 -e DATABASE_URL=YOUR_DB_URL startup-exel

🔄 Integration with Exel Ecosystem

StartupExel is part of the broader Exel ecosystem, which includes:

graph LR
    StartupExel <--> SharedAuth[Shared Authentication]
    JobExel <--> SharedAuth
    UniExel <--> SharedAuth
    ExelBusiness <--> SharedAuth
    
    StartupExel <--> SharedProfiles[User Profiles]
    JobExel <--> SharedProfiles
    UniExel <--> SharedProfiles
    ExelBusiness <--> SharedProfiles
    
    StartupExel -- Talent Sourcing --> JobExel
    UniExel -- Internship Programs --> StartupExel
    StartupExel -- Enterprise Sales --> ExelBusiness
    
    class StartupExel,JobExel,UniExel,ExelBusiness nodeClass;
    classDef nodeClass fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px;

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Integration Points

• Shared Authentication: Single sign-on across all Exel products
• User Profiles: Unified user data with specialized views per product
• Cross-product Journeys: Seamless transitions between products
• Data Synchronization: Relevant data sharing between platforms
• Consistent UX: Familiar interface patterns across the ecosystem

👥 Contributing

We welcome contributions to StartupExel! Please follow these steps:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'feat: add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

Please follow our coding standards and include appropriate tests.

📄 License

This project is proprietary and confidential. Unauthorized copying, transfer, or reproduction of the contents is strictly prohibited.

🆘 Support

For support, please contact:

• Email: dev@exel.com
• Documentation: docs.exel.com/startup-exel
• Issues: Create an issue in this repository

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Built with ❤️ by Ian Kuria (www.kuria.pro) - Software Engineer - the Exel Team

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