The NEFL Score™ is an editorial framework used by Raisability™ to evaluate companies based on two observed factors: Network Effect and Founder-Led execution.
The score is used to provide context for how a company is being discussed, not to assess investment merit.
A company demonstrates network effect when its product or brand becomes more valuable as more people use it, share it, or engage with it. This can occur through user participation, social visibility, repeat usage, or cultural signaling that compounds as awareness grows.
Founder-led reflects active involvement of the founding team in the company’s vision, execution, and decision-making. This includes continued leadership, hands-on participation, and long-term alignment between the founders and the business they’re building.
Inside the Raisability newsletter, the NEFL Score™ is applied as an editorial signal, reflecting how a featured company is framed based on these two elements.
The score appears near the top of each feature to provide immediate context before the full breakdown of the raise, founder story, and Q&A.
The NEFL Score does not evaluate valuation, financial performance, risk, or investment suitability. It is not a recommendation. It is one lens used to help readers interpret the company and its dynamics as part of Raisability’s independent editorial coverage.
Not a valuation tool
Not a measure of financial performance
Not a risk assessment
Not an investment recommendation
Traditional metrics do not always capture the qualitative dynamics that influence how companies grow, gain attention, or sustain momentum over time.
The NEFL Score exists to highlight observable patterns related to how businesses compound through participation and leadership, providing readers with an additional lens for understanding founder-led companies featured inside Raisability.