Positioning Within Category

Where the project sits within its competitive landscape and whether the category is recognized.

Methodology

What We Look For

Evaluation Criteria:

• Inclusion on official ecosystem pages
• Recognition in industry reports and ecosystem maps
• Clear differentiation from competitors
• Category awareness and definition

Data Sources:

Source Type	Examples
Primary	Ecosystem maps, official L1/L2 ecosystem pages, industry reports
Secondary	VC theses mapping the category, conference panels featuring the project

Positioning Factors

• Category Recognition: Is your category well-defined and recognized?
• Competitive Position: Where do you rank within your category?
• Ecosystem Inclusion: Are you featured on official ecosystem pages?
• Industry Awareness: Do industry reports mention you?

Guide

Finding Information

Step 1: Define Your Category

Clearly articulate your category:

• What type of product/service are you? (e.g., "DEX aggregator", "Lending protocol", "L2 bridge")
• Who are your direct competitors?
• Is this category recognized in the industry?

Step 2: Check Ecosystem Listings

Look for your project on:

• Official L1/L2 ecosystem pages (Ethereum.org, Arbitrum, Optimism, etc.)
• DeFiLlama protocol list
• Electric Capital developer reports
• Messari research pages
• CoinGecko/CoinMarketCap categories

Step 3: Review Industry Reports

Search for mentions in:

• VC firm market maps
• Messari quarterly reports
• Dune Analytics dashboards
• a16z crypto reports
• Galaxy Digital research

Step 4: Assess Competitive Position

Within your category:

• Rank by TVL, users, or volume
• Compare to direct competitors
• Identify your unique positioning

Submitting Evidence

When submitting positioning evidence:

1. Category Definition:

   • Clear category name
   • List of direct competitors
   • Evidence category is recognized

2. Ecosystem Presence:

   • Links to ecosystem pages featuring you
   • DeFiLlama listing
   • Protocol directories

3. Industry Recognition:

   • Links to industry reports mentioning you
   • VC market maps including you
   • Conference appearances

4. Competitive Position:

   • Your rank in category (by TVL, users, etc.)
   • Comparison data from DeFiLlama, Dune, etc.
   • Unique differentiators