# Crypto Necessity Test

Run this before scoring any idea. If the idea fails, redirect it instead of polishing it.

## Kill Question

Ask:

`What gets worse if I remove the blockchain?`

If the answer is vague, aesthetic, or purely marketing-driven, the idea is weak.

## Strong Reasons Crypto Matters

Pass candidates where crypto is central to one or more of these:

- settlement without a trusted intermediary
- programmable money or programmable ownership
- open participation in a shared network
- composability with existing onchain assets or protocols
- censorship resistance that users actually care about
- verifiable state, identity, or coordination across parties

## Weak Reasons Crypto Matters

Reject or redirect ideas where crypto is only:

- a token reward bolted onto a normal product
- an NFT badge with no economic or coordination value
- a "decentralized version" of something users do not care to decentralize
- a fundraising gimmick
- a vague promise of future interoperability

## Redirection Rules

Do not stop at "this is bad." Propose a stronger crypto angle.

Examples:

- weak: decentralized CDN
  - better angle: bandwidth marketplace only if open supply, pricing, and settlement are the core wedge
- weak: AI wrapper with a token
  - better angle: agent payments, usage metering, or onchain coordination between specialized agents
- weak: stablecoin clone
  - better angle: a vertical product where stablecoins solve a real workflow pain like cross-border treasury, instant settlement, or embedded yield

## Incumbent Check

Ask:

- Why hasn't Stripe, Plaid, AWS, Shopify, or Coinbase already built this?
- If they did, what would still make the startup matter?

If there is no defensible answer, downgrade or kill the idea.