Commercial Quotient™
Seven Domains. One Framework.
The Commercial Quotient™ framework evaluates value, risk, and exit potential.
Founders need to know it, investors trust it, strategics act on it.
Using it is how founders engage, investors commit, and strategics decide.
7 Domains of Commercial Quotient™
Commercial Viability (CV) is the outcome—the answer to whether a technology is investable or acquirable. Commercial Quotient (CQ)™ is the framework—a cross-functional assessment across seven domains that collectively define commercial viability.
Each domain carries weight, but only when considered together—the way Strategics evaluate them—can you define the exit: a clear, compelling pathway to acquisition or investment.
Market Size & Growth
The scale of opportunity — defined by market size, growth trajectory, unmet need, and competitive intensity.
Portfolio Fit
Strategic alignment — how an innovation reinforces acquirer priorities, leverages existing channels and call points, and strengthens commercial efficiency within the portfolio.
Portfolio Leverage / Pull-Through
The multiplier effect — ability to drive adoption of other portfolio products, shift share, and strengthen competitive position.
Adoption Dynamics
Ease of adoption — clarity of the clinical call point, defined decision-maker, and workflow or preference advantages that drive uptake.
Evidence & Economics
Proof that matters — clinical outcomes that support regulatory claims while demonstrating efficiency, reimbursement, and provider/payer value.
Manufacturability & Supply Chain
Promise must scale — Design-for-manufacture, disciplined cost structure, and a resilient supply chain ensure reliable production at volume.
Market Defensibility
Long-term value depends on barriers to entry — IP strength, freedom to operate, and regulatory or competitive moats preserve differentiation and sustain relevance.
Why All Seven Matter Together
Acquirers never evaluate domains in isolation. A market need can set the price, but reimbursement must justify it. Adoption may hinge on workflow, but reliability depends on manufacturing. Strong IP is meaningless if the product doesn’t fit a buyer’s strategy.
This interdependence is exactly what the Commercial Viability Council replicates—and why CQ™ is more than a checklist. It is the integrated lens through which investors and acquirers define value, risk, and ultimately—the exit.
RQR assesses commercial viability through its Commercial Quotient™ framework at all stages of product development: Proof of Concept, Preclinical, First in Human Clinical Trial, Regulatory Pathway/Approval, and Acquisition or Commercialization.