What Is Business Evaluation with Cortex AIF?
Cortex AIF is an AI-powered business analysis platform that evaluates existing businesses — not just startup ideas. Enter your business URL or a description. The platform runs 16 analytical blocks, verifies claims against live data sources, and returns one of three verdicts:
- GROWING: score 7.0 or above. Strong market position, manageable risk.
- STABLE: score 4.5–6.9. Viable business with identified friction points.
- AT_RISK: score below 4.5. Significant structural problems identified.
The verdict is computed by a mathematical formula. The thresholds are fixed. The same inputs produce the same outputs. This is not AI opinion — it is a calculated score tied to verifiable data.
Three use cases:
- Owner self-audit — understand your business from the outside in.
- Buyer pre-check — verify before you commit to an acquisition.
- Investor pre-screen — triage before deeper due diligence.
Example: Monzo Bank Analysis (Verified, May 2026)
Input: Monzo Bank (monzo.com) — UK digital bank, existing business.
Tier: Full Investor Report ($97).
Companies House registry check (live API call)
Company: MONZO BANK LIMITED
Registration: 09446231
Status: active
Incorporated: 2015-02-18
Industry: 64191 (banks), 64999
This is not a ChatGPT guess. This is a live registry call returning structured data — the same data a lawyer or investor would pull manually.
Market size, source-linked
TAM: $18.57B (source: mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/united-kingdom-fintech-market)
Revenue estimate, range-based
MRR: $252M (conservative) — $468M (high), based on public signals.
Labeled ESTIMATED — not presented as verified fact.
Honest system behavior
On one analytical dimension, the pipeline flagged:killer_question_source = rejected_fabrication
This means the system attempted to generate an analytical question, evaluated its own output, and rejected it as unreliable — using a baseline fallback instead. The system tells you when it doesn't trust itself. Most AI tools don't.
Final verdict
GROWING — score 8.27/10
Logic: 8.27 ≥ 7.0 threshold → GROWING. Formula, not opinion.
Analysis time: 25 minutes. Price paid: $97.
How the Verdict Is Calculated
The Cortex AIF scoring formula processes 16 analytical blocks. Each block returns a score (0–10) weighted by relevance to the business type and age.
Blocks include: market sizing, competitive landscape, financial health signals, team and execution indicators, legal and compliance signals, technology assessment, channel analysis, risk factors, and exit potential.
Every claim across all blocks is tagged:
- VERIFIED — confirmed against a live data source
- ESTIMATED — derived from proxies and industry benchmarks
- CONTRADICTED — the data source contradicts the claim
- UNVERIFIED — no data source found to confirm or deny
The final score aggregates weighted block scores. The verdict threshold is fixed in the formula: GROWING ≥ 7.0 / STABLE 4.5–6.9 / AT_RISK < 4.5.
You receive the verdict, the score, the block breakdown, and the claim tags. Nothing is hidden.
Who Uses Business Evaluation
Business Owners — Self-Audit
You built this business. You know it from the inside. Cortex AIF analyzes it from the outside — the way a buyer, investor, or bank would see it.
What you get: an unbiased GROWING/STABLE/AT_RISK verdict, identification of the specific blocks pulling your score down, and a break-even recalibration against current market data.
Owner Self-Audit → coming soon
Buyers — Pre-Acquisition Due Diligence
Before you commit to buying a business, run Cortex AIF. The platform verifies registration status, checks domain age and history, flags contradictions between claimed and verified financials, and identifies red flags in the market position.
$97 for a verified pre-screen before a purchase that may cost $50,000 or $500,000.
Buyer Due Diligence → coming soon
Investors — Pre-Investment Screening
Triage a portfolio of candidates before committing analyst hours. Cortex AIF runs in 20–30 minutes per business, returns a standardized GROWING/STABLE/AT_RISK verdict, and flags the specific risk factors worth investigating further.
Investor Pre-Screen → coming soon
What This Analysis Does Not Cover
Honest scope definition matters. Cortex AIF does not:
- Access private financial records, tax filings, or internal systems. All financial analysis is based on public signals and verified benchmarks.
- Replace legal due diligence. Regulatory status, contract review, IP ownership, and liability assessment require qualified legal counsel.
- Replace accountant review. The financial block uses public signals and industry benchmarks — not audited statements.
- Guarantee outcomes. A GROWING verdict reflects current signals and their trajectory. Markets change. The verdict is a snapshot, not a guarantee.
What Cortex AIF does: surfaces the signals that are publicly verifiable, scores them by formula, and tells you where the risks and strengths are — in under 30 minutes, for $97.
How This Compares to Alternatives
| Method | Time | Cost | Verdict type | Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cortex AIF Investor | 20–30 min | $97 | GROWING/STABLE/AT_RISK (formula) | Live data, tagged claims |
| Business broker assessment | 2–4 weeks | $500–$2,000 | Professional opinion | Manual, quality varies |
| Accounting due diligence | 4–8 weeks | $5,000–$20,000 | Financial health opinion | Deep, but only financials |
| Full M&A due diligence | 3–6 months | $20,000–$100,000+ | Comprehensive | Complete, all dimensions |
| ChatGPT analysis | Seconds | $0–$20/mo | AI-generated text | None — no live data |
Cortex AIF sits between self-assessment and professional due diligence. It is faster and cheaper than any professional alternative, and more rigorous than any AI chat tool.
Use Cortex AIF for the pre-screen. Use professionals for the deep dive after the pre-screen says the business is worth investigating.
Frequently Asked Questions
What verdict does Cortex AIF return for an existing business?
GROWING (score ≥ 7.0), STABLE (score 4.5–6.9), or AT_RISK (below 4.5). The verdict is calculated by formula across 16 analytical blocks, not generated as AI opinion.
How does Cortex AIF verify an existing business?
Live data sources including Companies House (UK), domain registration records, Wayback Machine, current pricing pages, and social signals. Every claim is tagged: verified, estimated, contradicted, or unverified.
What is the difference between GROWING, STABLE, and AT_RISK?
GROWING = score 7.0+, strong signals across analytical dimensions. STABLE = 4.5–6.9, viable with identified friction points. AT_RISK = below 4.5, significant structural problems. Thresholds are fixed in the formula — not adjusted per case.
How long does existing business analysis take?
Investor tier ($97): 20–30 minutes. Hypothesis tier ($19): 8–10 minutes with a subset of blocks.
Who uses this?
Business owners running a self-audit; buyers running pre-acquisition due diligence; investors screening portfolio candidates before committing analyst time.
Does Cortex AIF access private financial records?
No. All analysis is based on publicly available signals and verified industry benchmarks. Private financials, tax filings, and internal systems are not accessible and not part of the analysis.