Theo Mahy - Narrative Equity Score

Théo Mahy-Ma-Somga.

Something like what we do, but probably the wrong categoryWhat we do, but not why it matters or why nowWhat we do and why it matters, but not in our languageExactly what we'd say ourselves, almost word for word

Four different stories for four different audiencesRoughly the same story, but the language shifts a lotConsistent core message, some variation in emphasisThe same architecture across every surface — depth varies, story doesn't

A competitor's. We're often described as “the alternative to X”Industry analyst language — not ours, not a competitor's eitherA mix of ours and others — we're getting thereOurs. When people describe the category, they use our terms

Each one required us to re-explain what we do from scratchThey built on each other somewhat, but we still had to provide a lot of contextThere was a clear thread, though it wasn't always explicitEach one made the previous ones more credible — the story got stronger with every telling

It doesn't, really. I talk about different things than what the company doesThere's overlap but it's not deliberate — more coincidence than architectureI try to reinforce the company story, but I haven't fully connected my personal narrative to the category thesisMy personal story is the origin story of the category we're creating. They're architecturally inseparable

They asked us to clarify what we actually doThey understood but didn't seem compelled — questions went straight to metricsThey engaged with the narrative but pushed back on parts of the positioningThey completed our sentences. They were already inside the story before we finished telling it

They struggle. They say something like “it's hard to explain, you just have to see it”They describe what the product does but not why it matters strategicallyThey describe it accurately but not in our language — they paraphrase rather than quoteThey use our language. Sometimes they sound like they work here

Honestly, we're still figuring that outWe have a differentiator but it's product-based, not narrative-based — it could be copiedWe have a clear position but I'm not sure it's truly unoccupied — someone could claim the same thingThere is a specific narrative position we own that is structurally tied to our history, our decisions, and our founder story. No competitor can claim it credibly

We haven't fully articulated this yet — we know the product is needed but not the precise narrative timingWe have an answer but it's circumstantial — market conditions rather than a deeper inevitable shiftWe have a clear “why now” but it's not yet woven into every surface of the storyThe “why now” is the backbone of our category thesis. Everything we say points back to the specific moment we're in and why we're the only credible response to it

They'll say we built a better productThey'll say we solved a problem they hadThey'll say we changed the way they approach a specific challengeThey'll say we changed the language they use to think about the entire space. They won't be able to describe the category without using our terms

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