Frequently Asked Questions

What is Sova?

Sova is an AI-powered startup assessment tool for Australian founders. It evaluates your business across 9 elements (Governance, Purpose, Strategy, Marketing, People, Performance, Process, Finance, Technology) and 4 stages (Discovery, Validation, Efficiency, Scale) to identify gaps before they become failures.

Unlike generic business advice scattered across blogs, podcasts, and consultants, Sova consolidates evidence-based guidance from 172 failure case studies, 58 proven methodologies, and 162 Australian-specific resources into a single tool. Holistic, comprehensive and curated for your specific situation.

Who is Sova for?

Sova is designed for Australian startup founders and scaleup teams at any stage. Whether you're validating an idea (Discovery), testing market fit (Validation), building repeatable systems (Efficiency), or preparing to scale (Scale), Sova helps you assess maturity and identify interconnected gaps.

Solo founders or Teams get targeted recommendations showing how weak areas in one element (e.g., Strategy) create downstream problems in others (e.g., Marketing, Finance).

How does Sova work?

Sova works in two ways:

1. Assessment Tool: In a choose-your-own-adventure format, answer 2-3 questions across any business element, or all 9 elements to receive an instant maturity score with actionable recommendations, global best practice tools used widely by consultants and businesses, and Australian support resources like local accountants, accelerator and startup networks.

2. AI Chatbot: Ask Sova any business question. The chatbot diagnoses root causes, challenges assumptions, and recommends evidence-based solutions grounded in startup research.

Both use the same 1.7 MB knowledge base of research, failure patterns, and Australian ecosystem data.

How long does the Sova assessment take?

The Sova assessment takes 3-30 minutes depending on your choice of adventure. You'll answer questions across either 1 or all 9 business elements and receive an instant maturity score with actionable recommendations, relevant tools, and Australian resources tailored to your stage.

The assessment is self-paced. You can complete it in one sitting, work on 1 element at a time, retest as you wish, save progress and come back.

Questions by element and stage:

What do I get at the end of the assessment?

At the end of the assessment, you receive:

• Maturity score for the element you've tested at the Stage appropriate to you

• Stage-specific recommendations (Discovery, Validation, Efficiency, Scale)

• Interconnection insights showing how weak elements impact others

• Curated tools and methodologies from leading, global, evidence-based resources

• Australian resources (grants, accelerators, programs) filtered by your state, stage, and identity

• Action plan prioritising what to fix first.

What makes Sova different from other startup tools?

Most startup tools focus on one thing: business model design (Business Model Canvas), idea validation (Lean Canvas), or task management (Trello, Asana). Sova assesses your business maturity across all 9 interconnected elements.

Key differences:

• Australian-specific: 162 local resources (grants, accelerators, programs)

• Evidence-based: Built on 172 failure case studies from CB Insights, Harvard Business Review, McKinsey

• Interconnected: Shows how weak Governance creates Strategy problems, which create Marketing failures, and so on

• AI-powered: Chatbot diagnoses root causes, not symptoms.

What tools do Australian startups need?

Australian startups need tools across 9 elements, not just project management or accounting software. Based on CB Insights research, 42% of startups fail from "no market need" (a Strategy problem), 29% run out of cash (a Finance problem), and 23% have the wrong team (a People problem).

Sova's knowledge base includes hundreds of evidence-based tools and methodologies. Examples include:

• Governance: Founders' Agreement, Decision-Making Matrix

• Purpose: Golden Circle (Simon Sinek), Value Proposition Canvas

• Strategy: Lean Canvas, TAM/SAM/SOM Analysis

• Marketing: Customer Persona Framework, NPS Tracking

How do I assess my startup's maturity?

Assess your startup's maturity using Sova's 9 Elements Framework:

1. Take the assessment: Answer questions across one or all business elements - Governance, Purpose, Strategy, Marketing, People, Performance, Process, Finance, and Technology.

2. Review your scores (instant): See which elements are strong, developing or weak.

3. Identify interconnections: Understand how weak areas in one element create problems in others.

4. Follow recommendations: Implement stage-specific actions, tools, and resources.

Alternative: Ask Sova's chatbot to diagnose a specific problem and explore upstream or downstream causes.

Does Sova replace business consultants?

No. Sova doesn't replace consultants, but it helps you identify which problems require expert help and which you can solve with existing tools and frameworks.

Use Sova first to:

• Diagnose root causes (not symptoms)

• Identify knowledge gaps

• Access evidence-based tools and methodologies

• Find free or low-cost Australian resources.

Then hire a consultant when:

• You need specialised expertise (legal, finance, IP)

• The problem is complex and contextual

• You've tried recommended tools but need custom solutions.

Sova helps you avoid expensive consultants for problems you can solve yourself.

Is Sova only for tech startups?

No. Sova's 9 Elements Framework applies to all startups regardless of industry. Whether you're building a SaaS product, launching a cafe, starting a consulting firm, or creating a physical product, you need Governance, Purpose, Strategy, Marketing, People, Performance, Process, Finance, and Technology.

The research Sova uses (CB Insights, Harvard Business Review, McKinsey) analysed failures across industries. The patterns are consistent: weak foundations create predictable failures.

Australian-specific resources in Sova's directory cover tech, retail, hospitality, manufacturing, services, and more. Global tools and methodologies in Sova's database are used across the world by consultants and businesses in all industries to solve many different problems.

How accurate is Sova's AI chatbot?

Sova's AI chatbot is grounded in a 1.7 MB knowledge base of startup research, failure case studies, and Australian resources. It only recommends tools and methodologies from its knowledge base and cites sources when sharing statistics.

What Sova does well:

• Diagnose root causes using the 9 Elements Framework

• Recommend evidence-based tools and Australian resources

• Cite research from CB Insights, Harvard Business Review, McKinsey, Failory

What Sova doesn't do:

• Provide financial, legal, or medical advice

• Hallucinate tools or statistics

• Replace domain experts (accountants, lawyers, industry specialists).

If Sova doesn't know something, it says it.

Can I use Sova if I'm pre-revenue?

Yes. Sova is designed for all startup stages, including pre-revenue Discovery and Validation stages.

Pre-revenue founders can access Australian grants, accelerators, and programs specifically designed for early-stage startups.

What if I disagree with Sova's recommendations?

That's expected. Sova provides evidence-based guidance, but every startup is contextual. Use Sova's recommendations as a starting point, not a prescription.

When you disagree:

• Ask Sova's chatbot "why" it recommends something

• Review the research sources cited (CB Insights, HBR, etc.)

• Adapt tools to your specific context

• Focus on principles, not rigid frameworks.

Sova's goal is to consolidate expert knowledge, not replace your judgement. You know your business better than any tool.

How often should I reassess my startup?

This depends on the adventure of your choice. If you choose to focus on one element at a time, you can reassess after completing the recommendations for that element. Otherwise, every 3-6 months or whenever you experience a major change:

• Raised funding → Reassess to identify new risks (scaling too fast, over-hiring)

• Launched product → Reassess Strategy and Marketing maturity

• Hit revenue milestone → Reassess Finance and Performance tracking

• Added co-founders/team members → Reassess Governance and People structures.

Think of Sova as a regular health check, not a one-time diagnosis. Weaknesses that didn't matter at Discovery stage become critical at Scale stage.

Can teams use Sova together?

Yes. Teams can complete the assessment together, discussing each question and aligning on scores. This collaborative approach often reveals misaligned expectations and hidden assumptions.

Team assessment benefits:

• Surfaces disagreements about current maturity (e.g., "Do we have clear decision-making frameworks?")

• Identifies knowledge gaps ("I thought you were tracking that metric")

• Creates shared understanding of priorities

• Documents baseline for future reassessments.

Solo founders get targeted recommendations for one-person operations. Teams see how weak elements impact collaboration and accountability.

Where does Sova's research come from?

Sova's knowledge base is built from:

• Nearly 200 startup failure and best practice insights and articles from CB Insights, Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur Magazine and many more.

• Hundreds of tools and methodologies (Lean Canvas, Business Model Canvas, OKRs, NPS, etc.)

• 162 Australian resources (grants, accelerators, programs, networks)

All sources are cited. You can verify every statistic and recommendation Sova provides.

How do I create an account?

You can create a Sova account using your email address and a password, or sign up instantly with your Google account. After signing up, you'll receive a confirmation email to verify your address.

Your account gives you access to saved assessments, progress tracking, and personalised recommendations.

Is my data stored in Australia?

Yes. Sova uses Supabase with servers located in Sydney (ap-southeast-2) for Australian data residency. Your account information, assessment responses, and chat history are stored in Australia.

The only data that leaves Australia is when you use the AI chatbot, which uses Claude (Anthropic) for responses and OpenAI for semantic search. These AI services are US-based, but they process your messages in real-time and do not store your conversations permanently.

How is my assessment progress saved?

When you're logged in, your assessment progress saves automatically to the cloud after each answer. You can close your browser, switch devices, and pick up exactly where you left off.

If you're not logged in, your progress saves to your browser's local storage. This is device-specific and can be lost if you clear your browser data. We recommend creating an account to ensure your work is never lost.

What payment methods do you accept?

Sova uses Stripe for secure payment processing. We accept all major credit and debit cards including Visa, Mastercard, and American Express.

All payments are processed in Australian dollars (AUD) and include GST where applicable. Stripe handles all payment security and we never see or store your card details.

What is your refund policy?

All purchases are final. We do not offer refunds for subscriptions or one-time element purchases. This is due to the digital nature of the service and is clearly stated before purchase.

For subscriptions, you can cancel at any time and your access will continue until the end of your current billing period. We recommend using the free tier to explore Sova before purchasing.

How is Sova hosted?

Sova is hosted on Netlify (frontend and serverless functions) with Supabase (authentication and database) in Sydney for Australian data residency. Payments are processed through Stripe (Australian entity).

This modern stack ensures fast load times, reliable uptime, and secure data handling.

What data does Sova collect?

Sova collects your email address and name when you create an account. When you use the assessment, we store your responses, scores, and completion status. Chatbot conversations are stored so you can continue where you left off.

We use PostHog for privacy-focused product analytics to improve Sova. We do not sell your data to third parties or use advertising technologies. Full details are in our Privacy Policy.

Can I delete my account and data?

Yes. You can delete your account at any time from your account settings. Upon deletion:

• Your account is immediately deactivated

• Your data is retained for 12 months (in case you want to reactivate), then permanently deleted

• Payment records are retained as required by Australian tax law (7 years)

If you need immediate permanent deletion, contact us at jane.korneyko@gmail.com.