// Research — n = 100 // captured 2 Oct 2026
What 100 startup homepages get wrong
My studio scored 100 funded AI and SaaS homepages on the 12-question scorecard we use with clients. Here is what we found, and what I'd fix first.
// 01 — Headline numbers
Four numbers that sum it up
- Average●
14.1/ 24
average score across 100 funded AI and SaaS homepages
- No proof●
53%
show no customer logos, testimonials or case studies
- Clear in 5s●
21%
say what the product does in five seconds, on desktop and phone
- Stage gap●
+3.1
points higher at Series A+ than at seed (15.9 vs 12.8)
// 02 — Distribution
Most land in the middle
Scores run from 4 to 19 out of 24. No site reached 20. Thirteen cleared 18, and eight scored under 10.
// 03 — By stage
Later stage buys proof, not clarity
The gap between seed and Series A+ is credibility and conversion. Clarity barely moves.
- Seed (YC 2026, n = 60)
- Series A+ (a16z, n = 40)
Table view
| Pillar | Seed | Series A+ |
|---|---|---|
| Clarity | 3.38 | 3.58 |
| Credibility | 2.60 | 4.00 |
| Consistency | 3.70 | 4.40 |
| Conversion | 3.17 | 3.98 |
// 04 — Findings
What the data says
- F-01Finding
Proof is the biggest gap
Credibility is the weakest pillar at 3.16 out of 6. Among seed-stage sites, 77% show no customer proof, and more put an investor badge in the first screen (58%) than show any customer proof (23%).
- F-02Finding
Phones lose the message
35% of desktop first screens say plainly what the product does. On a 390px phone that drops to 21%.
- F-03Finding
Few name a buyer or a difference
26% name a specific role, team or industry in the first screen, and 22% state a specific difference there.
- F-04Finding
Later stage buys proof, not clarity
Series A and later sites lead on credibility (4.0 vs 2.6) and conversion (4.0 vs 3.2). Clarity barely moves (3.6 vs 3.4).
- F-05Finding
The product often isn't shown
42% show product UI, a video or a demo in the first desktop screen; 19% show no product UI anywhere on the homepage.
- F-06Finding
First screens compete with themselves
45% put three or more buttons in the first desktop screen. Only 27% have one clear primary action at the top and another at the end.
// 05 — My take
What I'd fix first
Four changes, in the order I'd make them.
- 01Put proof in the first screenA named customer with a number does more than an investor logo. Most seed sites have it backwards.
- 02Write the headline for a phone firstIf it says what you do at 390px, it says it everywhere.
- 03Name the buyer and one differenceA role or industry, and a number, an alternative or a mechanism, above the fold.
- 04Show the productA real screen or a short video beats an abstract illustration.
// 06 — Method
How we scored it
60 seed-stage companies from YC's 2026 batches and 40 Series A+ companies from the a16z portfolio, all AI or SaaS. Each homepage was captured at 1440px and 390px on 2 October 2026 and scored 0 to 2 on twelve criteria across clarity, credibility, consistency and conversion.
No company is named next to a score. The full study has every chart, the method and the aggregate data.