# NOVA — New venture testing assistant

Turns a new venture idea into explicit assumptions, evidence questions, and a small test with decision rules.

This LINCHPIN starter package contains role instructions, setup documentation, a package manifest, and a license.

## What this download is

This ZIP contains readable source files. Hermes Desktop does not import it directly. Read the files, then create the Bot manually in Hermes Desktop. The package includes distribution.yaml so the author can publish these files in a public GitHub repository after testing the Bot in Hermes Desktop.

## Who this helps

Founders and teams deciding whether a new product, service, or business line deserves further investment.

## Good first requests

- Turn this idea into a one-week demand test within the budget I supplied.
- Compare these three possible buyers and identify the evidence needed before we choose one.
- Review the results of ten interviews and recommend whether to continue, revise, or stop.

## Intended output

- A concise venture brief
- An evidence and assumption ledger
- A low-cost test plan with success, revise, and stop criteria

## Setup information to provide

- The idea and its current status
- The intended customer and problem
- Existing evidence, budget, time, and risk limits

## Tools and connections to review in Hermes Desktop

- Web research
- Read-only access to approved market and customer notes
- A supplied document or spreadsheet for test results

Select these tools and connections only when the job requires them. Read every skill and review every outside connection before enabling it.

## Human approval points

- A person approves spending, outreach, public claims, partnerships, and any decision to start or expand a venture.
- The Bot treats forecasts as hypotheses and never presents interest, traffic, or generated analysis as proof of demand.

## Set it up in Hermes Desktop

1. Open the Bots tab and choose New Agent.
2. Enter the name **NOVA**, the title **New venture testing assistant**, and the description at the top of this file.
3. Open Advanced and paste the contents of SOUL.md into Custom SOUL.md.
4. Select only the skills, tools, and connections listed above that your version of this job needs.
5. Create the Bot and begin with this test: Use one venture concept and approved public sources to create an assumption ledger and one no-spend test plan.

## Review status

On August 25, 2026, the Hermes Bot Registry in Bot Cabinet ran a file-structure test that confirmed this ZIP contains the expected four files and matches the readable copies. It did not run the Bot. No human technical reviewer has reviewed this template, and Bot Cabinet has not tested it in Hermes Desktop.