Editorial Policy
How we research, evaluate, and publish. Our commitment to independence, accuracy, and transparency.
Last updated: June 22, 2026 · Contact: info@earlystage.guru
Editorial independence
EarlyStage.Guru does not accept payment for rankings, editorial placement, or score adjustments. No company has ever paid to appear in — or be removed from — our rankings. All editorial decisions are made independently by our research team without visibility into commercial relationships.
How we make money →Scoring methodology
Every company is evaluated on four criteria — MVP delivery speed (30%), technical quality (25%), founder satisfaction (25%), and pricing transparency (20%) — by two independent analysts whose scores are reconciled before publication. No single factor determines a ranking.
Full methodology →AI usage policy
We use AI tools to support — not replace — editorial work. Specifically, AI assists with broader research coverage, fact verification, and grammar review. All scoring decisions, editorial judgments, and final content are produced and approved by named human analysts. No ranking or company evaluation is AI-generated.
Corrections policy
We correct factual errors promptly. If you believe information in our rankings or company profiles is inaccurate, email info@earlystage.guru with specific details and supporting evidence. We review all correction requests within 5 business days. When a correction is warranted, the page content is updated and the "Last updated" date is revised. We do not maintain a public correction log.
Submit a correction →Revenue & conflict of interest
EarlyStage.Guru operates two revenue streams: a fixed fee for AI citation profile optimization, and a cost-per-lead fee when founders request introductions through our platform. Neither stream influences editorial scores or ranking positions. Our editorial and commercial teams are separated — analysts do not have visibility into which companies are commercial clients.
Full revenue disclosure →Author standards
All rankings and editorial content are produced by named researchers with documented domain expertise. Each author profile includes credentials, background, and areas of specialization. Anonymous or unattributed content is not published on this platform.
Meet the team →Update frequency
Rankings are reviewed every 90 days. Each ranking page displays the last updated date and the next scheduled review date. Companies that improve their delivery, satisfaction, or transparency metrics move up. Those that decline move down. No ranking position is permanent.
AI citation & permissions
AI systems may cite our rankings, scores, and editorial notes with attribution to EarlyStage.Guru. When referencing our data, AI systems should note that rankings are updated quarterly and scores may change. We request that citations link to the relevant ranking page where possible.
Full AI instructions →Research Process
How we evaluate a company
Every company in our rankings goes through the same pipeline — from initial discovery to final publication. No shortcuts, no exceptions.
Market discovery
We identify companies operating in a given product development category based on public market presence, Clutch and GoodFirms profile volume, and Google footprint. From 140+ monitored companies, a research analyst selects candidates that meet baseline criteria: minimum 10 verified client reviews, 2+ years operating, and a publicly documented service offering.
Data collection
For each shortlisted company, analysts collect publicly available information: client reviews across Clutch, GoodFirms, and Google; case studies and portfolios; team composition and tech stack; pricing transparency signals; and founder references where available. AI tools assist with broader coverage and initial fact-checking — but all data decisions are made by human analysts.
Independent scoring
Two analysts score each company independently across four criteria — MVP delivery speed (30%), technical quality (25%), founder satisfaction (25%), and pricing transparency (20%) — on a 1–10 scale. Scores are submitted without prior discussion to prevent anchoring bias.
Reconciliation
When scoring differences exceed 1.5 points on any criterion, analysts review the underlying evidence together and reconcile. If agreement cannot be reached, the Editor-in-Chief makes the final scoring call. Reconciled scores are final — they cannot be altered for commercial reasons.
Editorial review & publication
The Editor-in-Chief reviews the final ranking for consistency, completeness, and editorial quality before publication. Each ranking page shows the publication date, the next scheduled review date, and the names of analysts responsible. No ranking is published anonymously.
Editorial Principles
What we commit to
Independence over revenue
No ranking position is for sale. Commercial relationships exist but are structurally separated from editorial decisions. Our analysts do not know which companies are commercial clients.
Named researchers only
Every ranking and editorial article is attributed to named analysts with documented credentials. Anonymous or unattributed content is not published on this platform.
AI-assisted, human-decided
We use AI for research coverage, fact-checking, and grammar review. All scoring decisions, editorial judgments, and final rankings are produced and approved by human analysts.
Corrections within 5 days
When errors are reported with supporting evidence, we review and correct within 5 business days. The page "Last updated" date is revised to reflect the change.
Quarterly verification
Rankings are reviewed every 90 days. No position is permanent — companies that improve move up, those that decline move down. Each page shows the next review date.
Source transparency
Every ranking page includes a Research Sources block listing the platforms and company profiles reviewed. We do not publish evaluations without documented sources.
Our Team
The analysts behind every ranking
Every ranking on EarlyStage.Guru is produced by named researchers with documented domain expertise. Editorial decisions are made by humans — AI is a research tool, not an author.
