Researching Industry Landscape (Phase 1A)

Target: $ARGUMENTS

Phase 1A of the GTM pipeline. Runs in parallel with Phase 0. Produces competitive intelligence that feeds Phase 1B (researching-market).

Mode Awareness

Read config/mode.md before starting:

• concise — Top 5 competitors, one-line summary per player, key whitespace only
• detailed — Full competitor profiles, market map, trend analysis
• conservative — Focus on established market leaders and proven segments
• ambitious — Identify emerging players, disruption vectors, underserved niches

Inputs

• config/targets.md — Target markets to scope the competitive search
• config/comments_research.md — Research constraints (geography, verticals, depth)
• config/mode.md — Style and approach settings

Workflow

1. Define search scope from config/targets.md and config/comments_research.md
2. Identify competitors — Direct, adjacent, and indirect players (target 6-10)
3. Profile each competitor — Positioning, pricing, target segment, key features
4. Assess competitive dynamics — Who wins and why? Who is losing ground?
5. Map whitespace — Where are underserved segments or capability gaps?
6. Identify trends — Regulatory, technological, or behavioral shifts shaping the landscape
7. Validate against criteria — Check config/validation_criteria.md Phase 1A gates

Output

Write to results/phase-1a/:

competitor-map.md

# Industry Landscape

## Competitor Profiles

### [Competitor Name]
- URL: [url]
- Positioning: [one-liner]
- Target segment: [segment]
- Pricing tier: [free/freemium/paid/enterprise]
- Strengths: [list]
- Weaknesses: [list]
- Source: [URL cited]

## Competitive Dynamics
[Who leads, who is disrupting, key battlegrounds]

## Whitespace Opportunities
1. [Opportunity] — Evidence: [sources]

## Trends Shaping the Landscape
- [Trend] — Impact: [High/Medium/Low]

Rules

• Use public sources only; cite every claim with URL
• Cover direct competitors before adjacent ones
• Whitespace must be specific — not "SMB market" but "SMB fintech compliance tooling"
• Cross-reference competitor weaknesses against Phase 0 capabilities once available