Glossary

Clear definitions of terms GitDealFlow uses. Written for investors, no code, no jargon. If a term you're looking for isn't here, tell us.

GitDealFlow's proprietary signals

Commit velocity

The total number of commits to a startup's most active public GitHub repository over a rolling 14-day window. A sudden sustained increase often precedes a fundraise. Read the full definition →

Commit velocity change

The percentage change in commit velocity versus the prior 14-day window, the primary ranking signal. Read the full definition →

Engineering acceleration

A sustained increase in a startup's engineering output relative to its own baseline. The core concept behind GitDealFlow. Not a reference to accelerator programs. Read the full definition →

Code-side sourcing

Using public repository-velocity data as a leading indicator of venture outcomes, surfacing fundraises 21-47 days early. Read the full definition →

Contributor growth

The change in unique contributors to a startup's GitHub repositories, a proxy for team scaling. Read the full definition →

Infrastructure buildout

Three or more new public repositories in 30 days, a classic Series A pattern. Read the full definition →

Engineering hiring burst

A contributor-growth rate exceeding 50%, usually right after a round closes. Read the full definition →

Deploy frequency spike

Commit velocity up 150%+ versus baseline, shipping code at an unusual rate. Read the full definition →

Framework migration

Engineering acceleration that doesn't fit the other three signal types, often a stack transition. Read the full definition →

Scout Score

A 0-100 score of a GitHub user's taste, measured against validated unicorn outcomes they starred early. Read the full definition →

Deal flow signal

Any data-driven indicator that surfaces a startup before traditional channels do. Read the full definition →

Commit-Velocity Acceleration Engine

The published five-step mechanism behind the signal. Read the full definition →

Two-period confirmation

The rule that a breakout must persist into a second 14-day window to be actionable. Read the full definition →

Top-contributor concentration

The Gini coefficient of commit distribution, the strongest composite predictor. Read the full definition →

Bot filter

The exclusion rule removing Dependabot, Renovate, and bot-authored commits before aggregation. Read the full definition →

Venture & investing terms

Deal flow

The pipeline of investment opportunities an investor sees. Strong deal flow means seeing high-quality startups early, before the crowd, the core problem GitDealFlow solves.

GitHub momentum

The composite score GitDealFlow computes across commit velocity, contributor growth, and infrastructure buildout. Displayed on the live dashboard as a relative ranking.

Velocity Verdict

GitDealFlow's proprietary signal name. The claim: startups accelerating on GitHub 21-47 days before the round can be identified from public data alone. Validated against 219 documented fundraises.

Leading indicator

Data that changes before the event it predicts. GitDealFlow is a leading indicator for fundraises; Crunchbase and PitchBook are lagging indicators (they record rounds after they're announced).

Signal Digest

The free Sunday email: five startups accelerating on GitHub, each with sector, stage, and a plain-English note on why it's moving. The core free offer.

pSEO (Programmatic SEO)

Pages generated algorithmically at scale, e.g., GitDealFlow's /best/ and /sectors/ pages. Each targets a specific search query with unique, data-backed content.

MCP (Model Context Protocol)

An open protocol that lets AI agents (Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT) discover and use tools. GitDealFlow exposes its deal-flow data through an MCP server so agents can query startup signals directly.

A2A (Agent-to-Agent)

Google's protocol for AI agents to communicate. GitDealFlow's A2A endpoint lets agent orchestrators query deal-flow signals programmatically.

SSRN

Social Science Research Network, an open-access preprint repository. GitDealFlow's methodology is published at SSRN 6606558.