BREAKPOINT AI

BREAKPOINT AI is a structured venture evaluation system for founders, operators, and investors.

It is designed to pressure test startup ideas, business models, and investment theses through a defined system:

DEFINE → CLARIFY → APPLY PRESSURE → BREAK → LEARN

This is not a chatbot.
It is not designed to validate ideas.
It is built to expose where ideas fail.

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⚠️ Before You Run This

This project requires your own OpenAI API key.

It will NOT work without it.

Create a .env.local file and add:

OPENAI_API_KEY=your_key_here
OPENAI_MODEL=gpt-5-mini
BREAKPOINT_DAILY_API_LIMIT=100

Important:

• .env.local is NOT included in this repo
• Never commit your API key
• The app will throw an error if the key is missing

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Development Note (Transparency)

This project was built using AI-assisted development tools (Codex and similar).

However:

• The product concept, system design, and evaluation framework were designed and directed by me
• AI was used as an execution accelerator, not as the source of the idea or logic
• All core flows (DEFINE → CLARIFY → PRESSURE → BREAK) were intentionally structured and iterated

This project represents:

• product thinking
• system design
• AI-assisted engineering workflows

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What It Does

The app takes a venture idea and returns a structured breakdown:

• Venture Summary
• Verdict
• Core Break Point
• Structural Weaknesses
• Failure Scenarios
• Kill Conditions
• Proof Required Before Launch
• Hidden Assumptions
• Strengthening Moves

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Stack

• Next.js App Router
• TypeScript
• Tailwind CSS
• Framer Motion
• OpenAI SDK

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Local Setup

1. Install dependencies:

npm install

2. Copy environment template:

cp .env.example .env.local

3. Add your API key inside .env.local:

OPENAI_API_KEY=your_key_here

(Optional)

OPENAI_MODEL=gpt-5-mini
BREAKPOINT_DAILY_API_LIMIT=100

4. Run the app:

npm run dev

5. Open:

http://localhost:3000

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Deploy (Recommended)

Use Render for this MVP.

Why:

• The app uses an in-memory daily API limit
• Works best on a single-instance server

Steps:

1. Push repo to GitHub
2. Create a new Render Web Service
3. Add environment variables:
   • OPENAI_API_KEY
   • OPENAI_MODEL=gpt-5-mini
   • BREAKPOINT_DAILY_API_LIMIT=100
4. Deploy

Expected URL:

https://getbreakpoint.onrender.com

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Common Issues

App does not work or shows API error
→ You did not set OPENAI_API_KEY

Works locally but not in production
→ Environment variables are missing in Render

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Notes

• No database required
• All API usage is server-side
• Daily usage is capped (default: 100 calls/day)
• This is an MVP prototype

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Disclaimer

This system is for venture evaluation only.

It does NOT provide:

• legal advice
• financial advice
• investment recommendations

Use qualified professionals where appropriate.