An agent skill that turns your AI coding agent into a startup pivot advisor using the Pivot Pyramid framework — a strategic framework for knowing what to change, when to change it, and how to execute without destroying what works.
Works with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, and 18+ other agents.
Created by Selcuk Atli (YC W14, 500 Startups Venture Partner).
When you describe your startup or ask about pivoting, the plugin activates a guided diagnostic interview that:
- Maps your startup onto the five layers of the Pivot Pyramid (Customers → Problem → Solution → Technology → Growth)
- Scores each layer (1-5) based on evidence strength and health signals
- Identifies the broken layer — traces symptoms to root causes, not surface problems
- Recommends action — persist, optimize, or pivot — with the right playbook, cascade analysis, and real-world case studies
- Helps plan the pivot with templates for planning, success criteria, and stakeholder communication
The Pivot Pyramid breaks every startup into five layers:
┌─────────┐
│ Growth │ ← Changes most frequently, zero cascade
├─────────┤
│Technology│
├──────────┤
│ Solution │
├───────────┤
│ Problem │
├────────────┤
│ Customers │ ← Foundation, changes cascade through everything
└─────────────┘
Lower layers are more fundamental. A Customer pivot affects all four layers above. A Growth pivot affects nothing below. Most startup failures come from either over-pivoting (changing everything) or under-pivoting (tweaking the surface while the foundation is broken).
Works with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, and 18+ other agents:
npx skills add Selcukatli/pivotpyramid-pluginStep 1: Add the marketplace:
/plugin marketplace add Selcukatli/pivotpyramid-plugin
Step 2: Install the plugin:
/plugin install pivot-pyramid@pivotpyramid-plugin
claude --plugin-dir /path/to/pivotpyramid-pluginJust describe your situation naturally. The skill triggers automatically when you say things like:
- "Diagnose my startup"
- "Should I pivot?"
- "We can't retain users"
- "Our CAC is too high"
- "Why aren't we growing?"
- "What layer is broken?"
- "Should we change direction?"
The plugin remembers your startup profile across sessions (saved to .pivot-pyramid/startup-profile.md), so you can pick up where you left off.
skills/pivot-advisor/
├── SKILL.md # Core diagnostic flow
└── references/
├── five-layers.md # Layer definitions + validation questions
├── cascade-rules.md # How changes ripple through layers
├── diagnostic-scorecard.md # Scoring framework + interview guide
├── case-studies.md # 20+ real pivots (Slack, Instagram, Netflix...)
├── pivot-playbooks.md # Step-by-step execution per pivot type
├── planning-templates.md # 8 practical tools and templates
└── common-traps.md # Over-pivot, under-pivot, when NOT to pivot
~10,000 words of framework knowledge with progressive disclosure — the core skill stays lean, detailed references load only when relevant.
This plugin is based on The Pivot Pyramid: A Founder's Complete Guide to Strategic Startup Experimentation by Selcuk Atli.
The book is the complete guide to the framework — 14 chapters covering diagnosis, execution playbooks for each pivot type, multi-layer pivots, building pivot-ready culture, and a full toolkit with templates and case studies. It includes 20+ real-world pivot breakdowns from companies like Slack, Instagram, Netflix, Dropbox, Shopify, and YouTube.
Get the book at pivotpyramid.com
Selcuk Atli is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and startup advisor who has raised over $50M in venture capital across four companies, completed multiple exits, and been granted five U.S. patents. He is the co-founder and CEO of Bunch (10M+ players, $28M raised from General Catalyst and EA), and previously founded Manifest (acquired by Rakuten) and Boostable (YC W14, acquired by Metric Collective). As a Y Combinator alum, Fulbright Scholar, Endeavor Entrepreneur, and Venture Partner at 500 Startups, he developed the Pivot Pyramid framework after seeing hundreds of pivots from both sides of the table.
- Website: selcukatli.com
- Framework: pivotpyramid.com
- Twitter: @selcukatli
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/selcukatli
MIT