Guide
How to set up a Claude project as a founder
As a founder, set up one Claude project for running the company and give it three things. Instructions with your company's stage, the metrics you track, your tone with investors and one hard rule: never invent a number. Knowledge with your metrics export, last month's update and this year's plan. And a first recurring job, the monthly investor update: a short summary, the same KPIs every month with the change from last month, highlights, lowlights with cause and fix, cash, burn and runway, and one to three specific asks. You paste the month's notes and numbers; it drafts; you check every figure before sending.
Short answer
- Instructions: stage, metrics, tone, "never invent a number".
- Knowledge: metrics export, last update, the plan.
- First job: the monthly investor update.
- You check every figure before it goes out.
The investor update brief to copy
Investor update brief
"Write this month's investor update from my notes and numbers below.
Summary in two or three sentences: the most important thing, the main number, the biggest problem.
A KPI table with the same metrics as last month: this month, last month, change. Keep metrics that got worse.
Three to five highlights, each a fact with a number or a name. One to three lowlights, each with its cause and our fix.
Cash at month end, net burn, and runway in months with the formula. If runway is under six months, say so in the summary.
One to three specific asks, naming the kind of person or company. Under 400 words. Use only the numbers I give you; mark anything missing [missing].
Notes and numbers: [paste]"
A worked example
Illustration: a made-up business, round numbers. Dara runs a 9-person company that sells scheduling software to dental practices. She pastes October's notes and numbers into her project. From the draft:
From the October update
Summary: We signed our largest group so far, a 14-practice chain, and monthly revenue reached 62,000. We lost a single-practice customer to a cheaper tool, and runway is 14 months.
KPIs: monthly recurring revenue 62,000 (last month 55,000, +13%) · paying practices 124 (111, +13) · logo churn 1 (0).
Highlights: signed Crestview Dental Group, 14 practices · average setup time down from 10 days to 6 · hired our second support engineer.
Lowlight: Lost Brightway Dental (price); we're testing a lower tier for practices with one chair.
Cash: 840,000 at 31 October · net burn 60,000 (cash out 122,000 − cash in 62,000) · runway 14 months (840,000 ÷ 60,000).
Ask: an introduction to the operations lead at a dental group with 20 or more practices.
Dara checks the cash figure against the bank balance and the revenue against her billing export before sending. The update runs to 310 words.
Set yours up
- Create one project for running the company.
- Write the instructions: stage, the metrics you report, tone, and "never invent a number".
- Add the knowledge: metrics export, last month's update, the plan.
- Run the brief on this month's notes and check every figure.
- Check your data settings: on a personal plan, training on your chats is your choice; on Team and Enterprise it's off by default. See what not to paste.
Next step: bring the team in
Once the project saves you time, the next gain is the team working the same way. Running an AI pilot with your team covers picking one or two tasks, a baseline and a decision date. For what projects can and can't do, see Claude Projects explained.
Skills for this
- FinanceMonthly investor updateWrites a short, honest monthly investor update: summary, KPIs, highlights, lowlights with cause and fix, cash and runway, and specific asks.
- FinanceMonthly KPI summary for leadershipWrites a monthly KPI summary: a headline, each KPI vs last month and target with the reason, and 3 things to act on. Never invents numbers.
- FinanceBudget variance noteExplains budget vs actual variances over a threshold: favorable or unfavorable, the driver (timing, volume, price, one-off), and the forecast impact.
Questions
How can founders use Claude?
Set up one project for running the company: instructions with your stage, your metrics and the rule that it never invents a number; knowledge with your metrics export, last month's update and the plan; and recurring jobs inside it, starting with the monthly investor update.
Can Claude write an investor update?
Yes, from your notes and numbers. Ask for a two-to-three-sentence summary, the same KPIs every month with the change from last month, highlights with numbers, lowlights with cause and fix, cash, burn and runway, and one to three specific asks, under 400 words. Check every figure against your books before sending.
Is it safe to put company financials into Claude?
On a personal plan, check that model training is off for your chats. On Claude Team or Enterprise, chats aren't used for training by default. Leave out anything your investors or contracts treat as confidential beyond what the task needs.
AI skill
Have your AI write this month's investor update
Put this skill in AI Skill Pod and everyone on your team gets it in their Claude, Cursor or ChatGPT (Pro, Business, Enterprise): one invite link, free to start. Monthly investor update has your AI write the monthly investor update from your notes and numbers: a short summary, KPIs with the change from last month, highlights, lowlights with cause and fix, cash, burn and runway, and specific asks. It never invents a number.
14 days free · No card needed
Sources
- Claude Help Center: What are projects? — project instructions and a knowledge base; every plan, Free up to five projects (read 2026-11-05)
- Claude Docs: Prompting best practices — context and examples improve results (read 2026-11-05)
- Anthropic Privacy Center: Is my data used for model training? — Free, Pro and Max: used only if you allow it (read 2026-11-05)
- Anthropic Privacy Center: commercial products — not used for training by default (read 2026-11-05)