add conversion gates, 80/20 localization formula and fundraising playbook notes

README.md

@@ -268,6 +268,48 @@ AI 제품/SaaS 기업의 글로벌 진출 전 주기 SOP. 경쟁사 조사, 포
 
 ---
 
+## 🆕 What's New (July 2026): Conversion Gates, the 80/20 Localization Formula, and a Fundraising Playbook
+
+This update folds a new round of firsthand founder evidence into the SOP. Five upgrades:
+
+### 1. A conversion gate before you scale
+
+Do not pour budget into acquisition until signup-to-paid conversion clears the bar: **ToC AI products >= 1.5%** (good products reach 6-8%), **ToB 10-15%+**. Of the 100-200+ teams taught this framework, fewer than 10 fully executed it — and those teams reached 4-8%+ conversion and raised their next round more smoothly. Proof case: one team held off on scaling for six quiet months, then hit ~$5,000 MRR on ~10K signups once the funnel converted.
+
+### 2. Going global is subtraction, not addition
+
+The working formula is **80% standardized SOP + 20% local adaptation**. The 20% is not translation — it means:
+
+- **Integrate the local ecosystem** — plug into the tools, marketplaces, and communities users already live in
+- **Align with local holidays** — campaign calendars follow the market's rhythm, not headquarters'
+- **Adapt to culture** — messaging, support tone, and pricing psychology all localize
+
+Also calibrate your assumptions *down*: digital maturity in Southeast Asia — and even in the US/EU — is often lower than teams expect. A guaranteed 24-hour response time is itself a competitive weapon.
+
+### 3. Charge from day 0
+
+Even a $1 price plants the expectation that the product is not free — and paying users give you higher-quality feedback than free users ever will. Delaying monetization does not "protect growth"; it trains your funnel to attract the wrong users.
+
+### 4. The org ladder: revenue before headcount 8
+
+Team-scaling checkpoints observed across the interview set:
+
+| Headcount | What changes |
+|:---|:---|
+| ~3 people | One decision maker; everyone ships |
+| 6-8 people | Full product-eng squad forms |
+| 10-12 people | A leader layer becomes necessary |
+
+Rule of thumb: get to revenue before you hit headcount 8. Lean benchmarks recalled in the interviews: Notion ran on roughly 4-8 people at million-user scale; ClickUp reached $1M ARR with about 24 people.
+
+### 5. Fundraising, firsthand
+
+Two data points from the same founder journey: the angel round took **~400 investor meetings over ~12 months**, while the **$8M Pre-A locked in about one month** after open-source traction landed (founder-reported; ~$10M total across 3 rounds). Traction compresses fundraising timelines more than any deck edit. The update also adds a narrative pivot framework — how to reframe the same company for different investor theses — plus one tactical rule: practice your pitch on low-priority investors first. The skill now ships a full fundraising playbook reference (`references/fundraising-playbook.md`).
+
+*Distilled from 12 founder podcast interviews (2024-2026), figures self-reported.*
+
+---
+
 ## 🚀 Installation
 
 ```bash