Getting Started with IdeaFuel

Getting started with IdeaFuel is the process of creating an account, describing your business idea, completing a structured interview, and receiving an AI-generated validation report that tells you whether your concept has real market potential.

Sign up, create a project, answer a few questions about your idea, and IdeaFuel handles the rest — market research, competitive analysis, and financial viability scoring delivered in a structured report. You can go from zero to your first validated idea in under 15 minutes.

This guide walks you through every step using a running example: an AI-powered tutoring app for college students.

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How do I create my account?#

You have two ways to sign up for IdeaFuel. Pick whichever is fastest for you.

1. Go to ideafuel.app/signup.
2. Choose Sign in with Google for one-click setup, or select Email & Password to create credentials manually.
3. Confirm your email address if you chose the email option — check your inbox for a verification link.
4. You land on your dashboard, ready to create your first project.

Tip: Google OAuth is the fastest path. Your Google profile name and email are used to pre-fill your account details, so you can skip straight to creating a project.

Every new account starts on the FREE plan. You get one financial model and access to standard AI quality — enough to explore the platform before deciding whether to upgrade.

See also: Subscription Plans

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How do I create my first project?#

A project is a container for one business idea. It holds your interviews, reports, financial models, and AI advisor conversations all in one place.

1. From your dashboard, click New Project.
2. Enter a Project Name — keep it short and recognizable. For our example: AI Tutoring App.
3. Write a Description that explains what your idea does, who it serves, and how it makes money.

For our tutoring app, a strong description looks like this:

"An AI-powered mobile app that provides personalized tutoring for college students in STEM subjects. Students subscribe monthly ($19.99/mo) to get on-demand homework help, concept explanations, and exam prep powered by adaptive AI. Revenue comes from student subscriptions and university site licenses."

1. Click Create Project.

Tip: Your description is the single most important input you provide. The AI uses it to shape every interview question and research direction. Include your target customer, the core value proposition, and your intended revenue model. Vague descriptions produce vague reports.

Note: On the FREE plan you can create projects but you have 0 validation reports available. Upgrade to PRO or ENTERPRISE to generate reports. You do get 1 financial model to explore that feature.

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How do I choose an interview mode?#

After creating your project, IdeaFuel asks you to choose an interview mode. Each mode trades depth for speed — pick the one that matches how much time you have and how much detail you need.

For our AI tutoring app example, start with a SPARK interview to quickly test whether the concept has legs. If the results look promising, follow up with a LIGHT or IN_DEPTH interview to get the full picture.

1. Select your preferred interview mode from the options presented.
2. Click Start Interview.

Pro Feature: LIGHT and IN_DEPTH interview modes are available on PRO and ENTERPRISE plans. FREE plan users do not have access to any interview modes.

See also: Interview Modes

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How do I complete the interview?#

The interview is a guided conversation where IdeaFuel asks you targeted questions about your idea. Your answers directly shape the quality of your validation report.

1. Read each question carefully — they build on each other.
2. Type your answer in the text field and click Submit or press Enter.
3. Continue until the interview is complete. A progress bar shows how many questions remain.

For our tutoring app example, you might see questions like:

• "Who is your primary customer and what problem are you solving for them?"
• "How does your solution differ from existing tutoring services like Chegg or Khan Academy?"
• "What is your pricing model and how did you arrive at that price point?"

Tip: Longer, more specific answers produce better reports. Instead of "college students need help studying," try "STEM undergraduates at large universities who struggle with courses like Organic Chemistry and Linear Algebra and currently rely on expensive human tutors ($40-60/hr) or generic YouTube videos."

Note: You can pause and resume an interview at any time. Your progress is saved automatically, so you can close the tab and come back later without losing anything.

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What happens while I wait for research?#

After you submit your final answer, IdeaFuel's AI engine gets to work. Here is what happens behind the scenes.

1. The AI analyzes your interview responses and extracts key business parameters.
2. It conducts market research — sizing the addressable market, identifying competitors, and spotting industry trends.
3. It generates a structured validation report with scores, insights, and recommendations.

How long does it take? SPARK reports typically arrive in 1-3 minutes. LIGHT reports take 3-7 minutes. IN_DEPTH reports can take 10-20 minutes due to the breadth of analysis.

You can check the status of your report at any time:

1. Go to your Dashboard.
2. Find your project card — it shows the current status: Researching, Generating Report, or Complete.
3. You will also receive an email notification when your report is ready.

Tip: You do not need to keep the browser open. IdeaFuel processes everything server-side, so feel free to close the tab and come back when you get the email.

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Where do I find and explore my reports?#

Your completed reports live inside your project. Each report contains structured sections you can read in any order, but there is a recommended path.

1. Open your project from the Dashboard.
2. Click on the Reports tab to see all generated reports.
3. Click any report to open the full analysis.

Which report section should you read first? Start with the Executive Summary for the big picture, then move to Market Analysis to understand the opportunity size. Check the Competitive Landscape to see who else is solving this problem, and finish with Recommendations for concrete next steps.

For our tutoring app, you might learn that the U.S. online tutoring market is projected to reach $20B by 2028, that your $19.99 price point undercuts human tutors significantly, but that AI-native competitors like Khanmigo are already well-funded.

Note: The detail level of your report depends on your plan tier. FREE plans do not include validation reports. PRO plans generate BASIC and PRO tier reports. ENTERPRISE plans unlock FULL reports with the deepest analysis.

See also: Validation Reports

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What should I do next?#

You have your first validation report in hand. Here is where to go from here.

Build a financial model

Translate your idea into numbers. Create revenue projections, estimate costs, and calculate when you would break even. FREE plan users get 1 financial model. PRO users get 10, and ENTERPRISE users get 50.

See also: Financial Modeling

Talk to your AI Business Advisor

Open a conversation with an AI agent that has read your entire project — interviews, reports, and financials. Ask it questions like "What is the biggest risk to this idea?" or "How should I price for university site licenses?"

See also: AI Business Advisor

Export a Business Plan PDF

When you are ready to pitch, export a professionally formatted business plan that combines your validation report, financial model, and strategic recommendations into one document.

See also: Business Plan PDF

Run another interview

If your SPARK results were promising, run a LIGHT or IN_DEPTH interview on the same project to get deeper validation. You can also create new projects to test variations of your idea or entirely different concepts.

Tip: The most successful IdeaFuel users iterate. They run a quick SPARK interview, read the results, refine their description based on the feedback, and then run a deeper interview. Each pass produces sharper insights.

See also: Subscription Plans | Interview Modes