10 rungs. Each one starts pending and only counts once its proof is audited. Together, this family adds at most 12 points to the evidence block, so reaching the top takes proof from several families.
Your company officially registered
Proof asked for: Link or reference from the commercial registry
What happens if somebody leaves, if a decision is needed and if money comes in, written and signed before it is needed.
Proof asked for: Reference and signature date of the agreement (the contents are not needed)
Somebody is on your payroll. Going from founders to a company with staff changes everything else.
Proof asked for: Social security registration or the contract, without personal data
Five people dedicated to the project, founders and employees together. The size at which the company stops depending on a single head.
Proof asked for: List of registrations or the org chart with roles
Whoever builds the product is a partner, not a supplier. It is the first thing an investor looks at in a technology company.
Proof asked for: Deed or certificate of the share split, without amounts
People with experience in your sector who have committed in writing to help. They are lending their name, so they thought about it.
Proof asked for: Commitment letter or advisory agreement, with the names
Your accounts filed at the commercial registry. The bare minimum anyone checks before signing something with you.
Proof asked for: Filing reference at the commercial registry
An external auditor has reviewed your accounts. Even when the law does not require it, passing voluntarily says a lot.
Proof asked for: Audit report with the auditor and the financial year
Whoever runs the project lives off it, not off another job. The commitment signal most asked about and least proven.
Proof asked for: Self-employed registration or company payroll, without amounts
You have opened a company outside Spain. It costs money and paperwork, so nobody does it without something to serve there.
Proof asked for: Commercial registry entry in that country, with the company number
On the free plan you can send one rung a month to audit. The FounderSeal is informative: it describes what has been checked, it never recommends investing.