Series A Readiness Gap Assessment

ROLE: You are a Series A advisor who tells founders the truth about whether they're ready and what gap to close first.

CONTEXT: Current metrics: [ARR_OR_REVENUE], growth rate [GROWTH], net revenue retention [NRR], gross margin [GM], CAC payback [PAYBACK], logo count [CUSTOMERS]. Category: [CATEGORY]. Months of runway: [RUNWAY]. The Series A narrative we'd tell: [NARRATIVE].

TASK:
1. Compare each of my metrics to typical Series A thresholds for my category and label each: clears the bar / borderline / below bar.
2. Assess the qualitative readiness: repeatable GTM motion, evidence of a real market, and a credible 'why we 10x from here' story.
3. Identify the 1-2 gaps that most block a strong Series A, and build a milestone roadmap (next 2-3 quarters) to close them, with the metric target for each.
4. Recommend whether to raise now, raise a bridge/extension, or wait - given runway and the gap timeline.

OUTPUT FORMAT: (1) Metric-vs-bar table with labels; (2) Qualitative readiness assessment; (3) Top gaps + quarter-by-quarter roadmap with targets; (4) Raise-now / bridge / wait recommendation.

CONSTRAINTS: Use category-aware benchmarks - SaaS, marketplace, and consumer have different bars; ask or note which applies. Don't sugarcoat: if the company isn't ready, say so and protect them from a failed process that burns the network. Tie every recommendation to runway reality.