How Applications Are Reviewed
Every application submitted through Narrative Intelligence is automatically processed by the platform’s review engine before a human reviewer ever opens it. This page explains what happens, what it produces, and what the scores mean.
The review pipeline
Section titled “The review pipeline”After a founder submits their application, it moves through a processing pipeline. You can see the current status of any submission on the submissions list.
Pending → Processing → Complete| Status | What’s happening |
|---|---|
| Pending | The application has been received and is queued for processing |
| Processing | The platform is actively analysing the submission |
| Complete | The analysis is done. A full report is now available. |
| Failed | Something went wrong during analysis. An admin can retry the submission. |
Most submissions move from Pending to Complete within a few minutes. During busy periods it may take a little longer.
What the platform analyses
Section titled “What the platform analyses”The review engine reads the applicant’s answers and produces an analysis across three dimensions:
1. Clarity
Section titled “1. Clarity”Clarity measures how well-articulated the business idea is. A high clarity score doesn’t mean the idea is good — it means the founder has expressed it clearly enough for the platform to understand it deeply.
Specifically, it looks at whether the application gives a clear picture of:
- The problem being solved
- The proposed solution
- The target customer
- The market being addressed
- Any early traction or validation
- The team behind it
- The business model
A founder with a clear, specific, well-evidenced application scores higher on clarity than one whose answers are vague or contradictory — regardless of how ambitious the idea is.
2. Programme fit
Section titled “2. Programme fit”Fit measures how well the founder and their idea match what your programme is actually looking for.
This is calibrated directly from your Programme Ethos and the fit criteria you set on your form. The platform scores each applicant across your stated dimensions (e.g. “Founder-Market Fit,” “Social Impact Potential,” “Market Size”) and combines them into an overall fit score using the weights you assigned.
A high fit score means this founder is a strong candidate for your specific programme — not necessarily the strongest business idea, but the best match for what you offer and who you’re looking for.
3. Idea strength
Section titled “3. Idea strength”Strength is a broader assessment of the business idea’s quality — independent of your specific programme. It covers factors like market opportunity, competitive differentiation, defensibility, and execution realism.
Guard rail flags
Section titled “Guard rail flags”In addition to scoring, the platform checks each submission against the guard rails configured on your form. A flag appears on any submission where an answer fails one of these checks.
Flags don’t automatically disqualify an applicant — they’re a signal for your team to look more carefully. Common flags:
- Location outside your target geography
- Business not registered when registration is required
- Age outside your stated range
- Sector not in your allowed list
The industry classification
Section titled “The industry classification”The platform automatically classifies each submission into an industry sector (e.g. “AgriTech,” “HealthTech,” “EdTech”). This is used to:
- Match applicants with mentors who have relevant expertise
- Filter and sort the submissions list by sector
- Show sector breakdowns in your cohort overview
What if a submission fails?
Section titled “What if a submission fails?”If a submission shows a Failed status, it means the platform encountered a problem during analysis. This doesn’t mean anything is wrong with the application itself.
An admin can retry any failed submission from the submission detail page. Click Retry and the platform will attempt the analysis again.
What comes after analysis
Section titled “What comes after analysis”Once a submission reaches Complete status, your reviewers can open the full report and make an approval or rejection decision. See Reviewing Applications for how that works.