The short answer: Startup Commons describes a startup's development phases, used by many accelerators and incubators. The Traction Canvas maps directly onto them and adds the sales steps founders complete in each phase.
| Startup Commons | Traction Canvas | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Programs classifying founders by stage and planning support. | Founder-led B2B sales, from first customer to $1M in ARR. |
| Not designed for | The sales steps founders complete inside each stage. | Revenue models, cost planning, or life after $1M. |
Where they overlap and where they differ
Left: covered by Startup Commons only. Middle: covered by both. Right: covered by the Traction Canvas only.
Box by box
How much Startup Commons covers each Traction Canvas box. Full circle: a core focus. Empty: not covered. This is our own assessment; see all models compared.
What Startup Commons does well
Startup Commons defines three development phases (Formation, Validation and Growth) and stages within them: Ideating, Concepting, Committing, Validating, Scaling and Establishing. Many ecosystem builders, accelerators and incubators use it to classify startups and plan support.
- It gives the whole ecosystem shared language for a startup's stage.
- It helps support organizations match programs to founders.
- It covers the full journey, from idea to established company.
How Startup Commons maps to the Traction Canvas
The Traction Canvas has ten boxes in three zones, completed in order: Learn (Boxes 1 to 5), Earn (Boxes 6 to 9) and Scale (Box 10). Here is how Startup Commons lines up with it.
Where Startup Commons lands on the Traction Canvas. Faded boxes are not covered. The table below has the details.
| Startup Commons | Traction Canvas | How it connects |
|---|---|---|
| Ideating | Box 1: Problems Learn zone | Problems finds a problem worth solving now. |
| Concepting | Box 2: Bifurcation Box 3: Competition Box 4: Seven Second Sale Learn zone | Bifurcation, Competition and the Seven Second Sale shape the concept around real buyers. |
| Committing | Box 5: Enrolling Learn zone | Enrolling secures meetings with ideal customers before building. |
| Validating | Box 6: Trigger Events Box 7: Disqualifying Box 8: Emotional Favourite Box 9: Won Sales Analysis Earn zone | The Earn zone builds repeatable, qualified wins. |
| Scaling | Box 10: Marketing Moat Scale zone | The Marketing Moat drives growth through word of mouth. |
| Establishing | Beyond the canvas | Happens after $1M in ARR, beyond the canvas. |
The gap Startup Commons leaves
How far each canvas takes a founder on the road to $1M in ARR and a Series A. Bar strength shows how much of each zone is covered, using the box-by-box ratings above.
Startup Commons puts building the MVP in the Committing stage. The Traction Canvas has founders enroll customers first, in Box 5, so they build what buyers have already asked for. Startup Commons also describes stages rather than the sales steps inside them.
When to use Startup Commons, and when to use the Traction Canvas
Use Startup Commons when you are running a program and need to classify founders by stage or plan support. Use the Traction Canvas as the playbook founders follow inside each stage, especially Validating.
Frequently asked questions
Can accelerators use the Traction Canvas with Startup Commons?
Yes. The canvas maps onto Startup Commons stages, so programs can keep their stage framework and add the canvas as the founder playbook.
Where does the Traction Canvas end on Startup Commons?
At Scaling. Establishing comes after $1M in ARR.
Find out which box you’re stuck on
Every founder under $1M in revenue is stuck on one of the ten boxes. The free Traction Readiness Diagnostic shows you which one, and where to start.
Take the free Traction Readiness Diagnostic
See how the Traction Canvas compares with other startup models