Specter’s Talent Signal Scoring feature is a powerful tool designed to help users quickly identify and prioritise the best talents. Each signal is assigned a score from 1 to 10, indicating how compelling that individual may be from a venture perspective.
A score of 10 means "this is a world-class founder with proven exits and significant funding" while a score of 1 means "this person has no relevant startup/venture signals."
How the score is calculated
The score is built around five key areas: Funding, Building, Exit, Background, and Fit.
It looks at total funding raised as a founder, how many stages a person has progressed through while building companies, and their exit track record. It also considers background quality and how well their experience fits what they are currently doing.
Each area is scored and combined into a final score from 1 to 10.
These areas are weighted differently depending on the signal type (e.g. New Company, New Role, Searching).
New Company signals weight Exit and Funding more heavily, while Searching signals weight Background more. This keeps the score relevant to the context of the signal.
Example
Below are two New Company signals with different Signal Scores.
Alex (10/10) represents a world-class founder with proven exits and significant funding, showing a strong track record across Exit, Funding, and Building, along with strong Background and Fit.
Patrick (5/10) reflects a solid profile with relevant experience, but without proven exits, funding history, or depth across these areas.
As shown above, Alex’s profile includes signals like Prior Exit, Serial Founder, and VC-backed experience, which indicate stronger outcomes and track record.
Patrick’s profile shows Strong Technical Background, but does not include signals related to being a founder, having an exit or funding rounds.
The difference in score reflects the strength and consistency across the five key areas: Funding, Building, Exit, Background, and Fit.
Important note
The Signal Score is designed to reflect the context of each signal, not just the profile.
Different signal types (such as New Company, New Role, Promotion, and Searching) use different weightings of Funding, Building, Exit, Background, and Fit.
For example, New Company signals place more emphasis on Exit and Funding, while Searching signals place more emphasis on Background.
The score is also adjusted in certain cases to maintain consistency. For example, New Company signals identified as agencies receive a lower score, profiles with multiple active positions may be slightly reduced, and lower seniority or advisory-type roles in New Role signals are scored lower.
If you’d like to learn more about how the model works in detail, feel free to reach out to the team here