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grants/FOUNDER_CHECKLIST.md
gdegelas a05331128b Atlas Green Morocco — grant strategy platform 
- Full grant strategy framework for renewable energy & green hydrogen
- AI-powered grant studio, partner outreach, financial modeling
- Umami analytics with data-performance tracking
- Live Degelas metrics connected to solar.degelas.be
- Trilingual (EN/FR/AR) with i18n support
- Dockerized with Nginx frontend + Express API proxy
2026-06-01 09:44:03 +00:00

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Atlas Green Morocco — Founder's Daily & Weekly Checklist

Keep yourself accountable with this tactical execution tracker.

PHASE 0: Foundation & Strategy (Weeks 1–4)

Week 1: Choose Your Model & Start Validation

  • Day 1: Review 5 business models. Pick your top 2.
  • Day 1–2: Write 1-page thesis for why you chose this model.
  • Day 2: Create interview template (5 questions max about their pain).
  • Day 3: Identify 20 potential customers to interview (renewable operators, industrial zones, EU buyers).
  • Day 3: Schedule first 3 customer interviews.
  • Day 4–7: Conduct 5+ customer interviews. Document every pain point.

Week 2: Validate & Assemble Team

  • Day 8–10: Interview 5 more customers. Refine your problem understanding.
  • Day 8: Identify your technical co-founder or CTO candidate.
  • Day 8: Identify your BD/operations co-founder or early hire.
  • Day 10: Contact 5 potential advisors with Morocco + green energy expertise.
  • Day 10: Meet with potential co-founders. Ensure aligned vision.
  • Day 10–14: Finalize core team (you + 1–2 others) committed.

Week 3: Regulatory & Planning

  • Day 15–17: Research Morocco free zones. Choose top 3: Tangier, Kenitra, Casablanca.
  • Day 15: Download SARL/SAS templates and understand incorporation process.
  • Day 18–21: Research tax jurisdictions for holding company (UAE, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Estonia).
  • Day 19: Draft 1-page lean canvas on business model.

Week 4: Finalize Strategy & Business Plan

  • Day 22–28: Draft 15–20 page business plan covering problem, solution, market, go-to-market, team, financials.
  • Day 26: Finalize core team with written agreements on equity/roles.
  • Day 28: Hold first board/advisor meeting. Lock in 3+ advisors.
  • Day 28: Finalize business model choice + validate with advisors.

End of Phase 0 Checkpoint

  • Model chosen + written thesis
  • 10+ customer interviews completed
  • 2–3 co-founders/early hires committed
  • 3+ advisors signed (verbal or MOU)
  • 15–20 page business plan written
  • Free zone + tax jurisdiction selected

PHASE 1: Legal & Incorporation (Weeks 4–8)

Week 5: Find Lawyers & Start Incorporation

  • Day 29–31: Find & interview 3 Morocco law firms (in Tangier, Casablanca, or Kenitra).
  • Day 31: Hire local lawyer. Budget: €2K–€5K for incorporation.
  • Day 31: Submit SARL/SAS incorporation documents.
  • Day 32–35: Simultaneously: Research free-zone application requirements.

Week 6: Banking & Holding Company

  • Day 36–39: Free-zone application submitted (Tangier Med, Kenitra Atlantic, or Casablanca).
  • Day 38: Receive tax ID (IF) from Morocco.
  • Day 38–40: Open corporate bank account in Morocco.
  • Day 40: Hire international lawyer (Netherlands/UAE/Luxembourg/Estonia) for holding company.
  • Day 40: Submit holding company incorporation documents.

Week 7: Financial Infrastructure

  • Day 43–44: Set up accounting software (Xero or Wave). Budget: €500/year.
  • Day 44: Establish financial controls: approval workflows, expense tracking.
  • Day 44–46: Create cap table spreadsheet (Pulley or Google Sheets).
  • Day 46–48: Draft founder agreements (roles, equity splits, vesting).

Week 8: IP & Finalization

  • Day 49–52: Draft IP assignment agreements (assign to holding company).
  • Day 50: Finalize advisor equity terms in writing.
  • Day 52: Deposit initial capital (€5K–€10K) into Morocco corporate account.
  • Day 52: Record first accounting entries.

End of Phase 1 Checkpoint

  • Morocco SARL/SAS officially registered + tax ID issued
  • Corporate bank account active with initial capital
  • Free-zone application approved (or standard commercial registration confirmed)
  • Foreign holding company incorporated
  • Founder + advisor equity agreements signed
  • Accounting system operational (first transactions recorded)

PHASE 2: Product MVP & Validation (Weeks 8–20)

Week 9: Product Definition

  • Day 57–60: Define MVP scope: List 3–5 core features only.
  • Day 60: Create product requirements document (PRD).
  • Day 60: Design basic user flows for MVP features.
  • Day 61: Create development roadmap: 8-week sprint plan.

Week 10: Team Assembly

  • Day 63–67: Post job ads: 1 product manager, 1 designer, 2–3 junior/mid-level developers.
  • Day 67: Identify freelance / contract developers (Upwork, Toptal, or local Morocco).
  • Day 70: Hire product manager (full-time or part-time).
  • Day 70: Hire designer (contract or full-time).

Week 11–12: Development Begins

  • Day 71: Development team onboarded + set up GitHub/GitLab + Jira.
  • Day 71–84: Sprint 1 (2 weeks): Core feature 1 built.
  • Day 84–98: Sprint 2: Core feature 2 + basic infrastructure.
  • Day 98–112: Sprint 3: Core feature 3 + polish + bug fixes.

Week 13–20: Build, Test, Beta Launch

  • Day 99: Testing plan finalized.
  • Day 99–112: Continuous integration + automated testing set up.
  • Day 113: Deploy to staging environment.
  • Day 113–119: Internal testing + bug fixes.
  • Day 119–126: Onboard 3–5 pilot customers (free/discounted access).
  • Day 126–168: Weekly updates + customer feedback loops.
  • Day 168: Retrospective: What worked? What didn't? Iterate.

Mid-Phase Checkpoint (Week 14)

  • Working prototype deployed to staging
  • 0–1 critical bugs remaining
  • 3–5 pilot customers actively using

End of Phase 2 Checkpoint

  • MVP feature set locked + delivered
  • 3–5 pilots using product weekly
  • Weekly product updates shipped
  • Quantified feedback collected (feature usage, NPS, pain points)
  • Product roadmap for Phase 3 planned

PHASE 3: Revenue & Customer Traction (Weeks 20–32)

Week 21: Pricing & Sales

  • Day 169–175: Test 2–3 pricing models with pilot customers.
  • Day 175: Finalize pricing strategy (SaaS/usage-based/services).
  • Day 175: Set up payment processor (Stripe, 2Checkout).
  • Day 176–182: Move pilots from free to paid (offer 30% discount for year 1).

Week 22–24: Sales Process & Outbound

  • Day 183–189: Document sales playbook step-by-step.
  • Day 189: Set up CRM (Pipedrive, HubSpot free tier, or Salesforce).
  • Day 189–196: Create outbound email templates + LinkedIn outreach script.
  • Day 196–210: Start outbound campaign to 50–100 qualified leads.
  • Day 210: Target: 50+ leads in CRM pipeline.

Week 25–28: Customer Success & Marketing

  • Day 211–217: Create onboarding documentation + video tutorials.
  • Day 217: Set up customer support ticketing system (Zendesk free or Helpdesk).
  • Day 217–224: Interview 2–3 pilot customers for case studies.
  • Day 224–231: Publish 1–2 case studies with ROI metrics.
  • Day 231: Create customer testimonial video (recruit 1–2 pilots to participate).

Week 29–32: Scale & Metrics

  • Day 232–252: Continue outbound sales + weekly prospect meetings.
  • Day 252: First paid contracts signed (target: 3–5+ paying customers).
  • Day 252: Track first revenue received.
  • Day 252: Set up monthly metrics dashboard: ARR, churn, CAC, NPS.

End of Phase 3 Checkpoint

  • Pricing locked + payment processor working
  • 3–5 pilots converted to paying customers
  • Sales playbook documented + repeatable
  • €50K–€150K ARR achieved
  • 50+ leads in pipeline
  • Customer Success process established
  • 2–3 case studies published

PHASE 4: Scale & Market Expansion (Weeks 32–52)

Week 33–36: Team & Marketing Expansion

  • Day 253–273: Hire 1–2 full-time sales reps.
  • Day 273: Hire 1 marketing person.
  • Day 273: Set up blog (Medium, Ghost, or custom).
  • Day 280–294: Publish first 2–3 technical blogs (founder + team).
  • Day 294: Record first product demo video.

Week 37–44: EU Expansion & Partnerships

  • Day 295–310: Research EU market + identify 20 target customers.
  • Day 310: Find 2–3 EU conferences to target (RE+, ESEF, Intersolar).
  • Day 310–330: Secure booth / sponsorship for 1–2 conferences.
  • Day 330: Identify 3–5 potential partner companies (integrators, resellers).
  • Day 337–350: Negotiate partnership agreements + co-marketing plans.

Week 45–52: Fundraising Prep

  • Day 351–365: Update financial projections (3-year model).
  • Day 365: Create investor pitch deck (15–20 slides).
  • Day 365: Organize data room (contracts, financials, cap table, tech architecture).
  • Day 365–378: Build list of 50 target investors.
  • Day 378: Reach out to advisors/board for investor warm intros.

End of Phase 4 Checkpoint

  • 1–2 dedicated sales reps + 1 marketing person hired
  • 10–20 paying customers acquired
  • €250K–€500K ARR trajectory
  • 2+ EU partnerships active
  • Seed round materials ready (pitch deck, data room, cap table)
  • 30+ investor intros lined up

PHASE 5: Seed Funding (Weeks 48–72, Parallel to Phase 4)

Week 40–44: Pitch Deck & Materials

  • Day 281–294: Draft investor pitch deck.
  • Day 294: Design + finalize pitch deck (hire designer if needed, budget €1K–€3K).
  • Day 301: Practice pitch 10+ times in front of advisors/board.
  • Day 308: Record pitch deck on video (optional but helpful).

Week 45–56: Investor Research & Outreach

  • Day 315–329: Research 50 target investors (VCs, corporate VCs, impact funds).
  • Day 329: Create investor tracking spreadsheet.
  • Day 329–343: Get warm intros from advisors/board to target VCs.
  • Day 343: Aim for 20–30 investor warm intro meetings scheduled.

Week 57–68: Pitch & Due Diligence

  • Day 344–378: Pitch to investors (2–3 per week).
  • Day 378: Address investor questions + provide data room access.
  • Day 378–455: Navigate due diligence process (6–8 weeks typical).
  • Day 455: Receive term sheet from lead investor.

Week 69–72: Close Round

  • Day 456–462: Negotiate term sheet with lawyer.
  • Day 462–476: Legal docs finalized + signed.
  • Day 476: Capital wired to bank account.
  • Day 476: Announce seed round (optional but great for PR).

End of Phase 5 Checkpoint

  • Professional pitch deck finalized
  • Data room organized
  • €500K–€2M seed round raised
  • Cash in bank for 12–18 months runway
  • Strong investor board added

PHASE 6 & 7: Scale & Market Dominance (Months 6–36)

Ongoing Weekly Habits

Every Monday:

  • Review previous week's metrics (ARR, customer count, churn, NPS).
  • Update pipeline in CRM.
  • Review roadmap + prioritize this week's work.

Every Wednesday:

  • Customer check-in call (pick 2–3 customers, 15 min each).
  • Sales team sync (if you have a team).
  • Product/engineering standup.

Every Friday:

  • Weekly email to team + investors (1-page update on wins, blockers, metrics).
  • Retrospective (what went well? What didn't?).
  • Plan next week's priorities.

Monthly (Every 4 weeks):

  • Board/advisor meeting (1 hour).
  • Financial review + forecast update.
  • All-hands team meeting.
  • Customer advisory board meeting (if you have one).

Quarterly:

  • Comprehensive strategic review + roadmap adjustment.
  • Advisor feedback session.
  • Investor update email (if you've raised).

Key Metrics to Track (Daily/Weekly/Monthly)

Critical (Track Daily)

  • ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue)
  • MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue)
  • Customer count (paying)
  • Pipeline value ($)
  • Week-over-week growth rate

Important (Track Weekly)

  • CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)
  • LTV (Lifetime Value)
  • Churn rate (monthly %)
  • NPS (Net Promoter Score)
  • Sales conversion rate

Contextual (Track Monthly)

  • Gross margin %
  • Burn rate (monthly spend)
  • Runway (months of cash remaining)
  • Product adoption metrics (feature usage)
  • Customer satisfaction (support tickets, response time)

How to Use This Checklist

  1. Print this out and keep it on your desk.
  2. Check off items daily as you complete them.
  3. Review weekly — every Friday, look back. Did you hit your targets?
  4. Adjust as needed — business changes fast. Reprioritize based on what you learn.
  5. Share with your co-founders — transparency builds accountability.

Pro Tips for Founders

✅ Do:

  • Start every day with your 3 most important tasks.
  • Spend 50% of your time on revenue (sales, product, customers).
  • Talk to customers every single week.
  • Track metrics religiously.
  • Move fast. Iterate. Learn.

❌ Don't:

  • Build perfect products. Ship imperfect products fast.
  • Hire before you have product-market fit.
  • Spend weeks in legal/fundraising before validating demand.
  • Ignore churn. It's the silent killer.
  • Forget why you started. Mission matters.

Founder Self-Care Reminders

Building a startup is a marathon, not a sprint. Protect yourself:

  • Sleep 7–8 hours per night (no exceptions).
  • Exercise 3–4x per week (clears your mind).
  • One day per week completely offline (Sunday).
  • Monthly dinner with non-startup friends (reality check).
  • Quarterly vacation (even if just 3 days, fully unplugged).

Remember: Execution beats ideas. Start now. Learn by doing. Iterate relentlessly.

Last Updated: January 2026