TRUTHSCOREApril 10, 2025 · 5 min read

What Is TruthScore? How TruthDeck Rates Startup Credibility

TruthScore is a number between 0 and 100 that represents how credible a startup is based on verifiable public data. Here's exactly how it's calculated — no black box.

The three tiers

Verified

75–100

Strong public presence, verifiable funding, clean registry.

Suspicious

45–74

Some signals missing or inconsistent. Proceed with caution.

Unverified

0–44

Limited verifiable data or active red flags detected.

What we check

TruthScore is calculated by aggregating signals from 6 independent public data sources. Each source contributes a maximum number of points:

25 pts

Crunchbase presence & funding

Is the startup listed? Are funding rounds verifiable with named investors?

20 pts

News & press coverage

Volume and quality of coverage. Negative press (fraud, lawsuits) reduces score.

15 pts

MCA registry status

Is the company legally registered and active in India?

15 pts

App Store / Play Store

Existence, download count, and review sentiment for consumer startups.

10 pts

Website & domain signals

Domain age, HTTPS, professional presence, no copy-paste content.

10 pts

Wikipedia / public knowledge

Does the startup have independent public documentation beyond self-promotion?

5 pts

Data source integrity

How complete and consistent is our data across sources?

What TruthScore is not

TruthScore is a credibility signal, not an investment recommendation. A high TruthScore means the startup has verifiable public presence and consistent claims. It does not mean the business model is sound, the team is capable, or that the company will succeed.

Similarly, a low TruthScore can mean a legitimate early-stage startup with no press coverage — not necessarily fraud. Context matters.

How often scores update

TruthScores are recalculated when new data becomes available — a funding announcement, a news article, an MCA filing change. For monitored startups (Terminal plan), you get an alert when a score changes by more than 5 points.

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