Six to eight weeks for a thorough pass. Two weeks for landscape research, two for customer interviews, two for an unregulated MVP, and two for compliance scoping with a specialist lawyer. Anything shorter skips the lawyer step, which is where most fintech plans die.
What scoring threshold matters for fintech?
A 70+ Preuve AI viability score lines up with ideas that survive compliance review. Below 55, the path to a regulated product is rarely viable without a co-founder who has shipped a fintech before. Between 55 and 70, the wedge usually needs sharpening before the lawyer review.
Do I need a banking license to launch?
Not at the prototype stage. Banking-as-a-service partners cover the regulated layer for the first 12 months. Renegotiate or in-house once volume justifies it, and budget for the transition before you hit it. Plans that ignore the BaaS exit cliff score lower than plans that name the date.
How big a TAM does fintech need?
Median fintech TAM across the 571 scans is $2 billion. Below $500M, unit economics rarely work because compliance fixed costs dilute margins. Verticals like SMB invoicing, freelance benefits, or expat banking can still meet the bar with a sharper ICP.
When should I pivot away from fintech?
If your scan shows compliance burden as the dominant risk and you have no co-founder with regulated experience, pivot toward an unregulated workflow tool that solves an adjacent pain. Land the audience first, layer the rails later once you have evidence and a war chest.
Keep exploring
Other niche benchmarks
Honest viability data from each pilot niche. New niches added once we cross 500 scans.
