# RealCV UK Strategy - Quick Reference Card **Print this page for desk reference during planning & execution** --- ## Market Opportunity (The Why) ``` UK CV Fraud Cost: £4.2B annually Candidates Lying: 1 in 5 (20%) Failed Verifications: 24% of CVs Current Verification Time: 5-10 DAYS RealCV Solution Time: 5 SECONDS ⚡ Market Addressable: £3.3M (UK) Year 1 Target Revenue: £30-240K Break-even Customers: 24-30 Expected Profitability: Month 6-7 ``` --- ## Competitive Advantage (Why Now) ``` FEATURE RealCV Workable Deel Checkr ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────── HEDD Degree Verification ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌ GMC/NMC Healthcare ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌ Timeline Fraud Detection ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌ Director Verification ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌ Companies House API ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌ CONCLUSION: Only player with integrated UK CV verification ``` --- ## Phase 1 Roadmap (Q1 2026 - 8 Weeks) ``` Week 1-2: SETUP ├─ Secure API access (HEDD, GMC, NMC) ├─ Allocate 2 engineers └─ Recruit 3-5 beta partners Week 2-4: DEVELOPMENT (Parallel Tracks) ├─ HEDD integration (Lead eng: 2-3 weeks) ├─ Healthcare registers (Sec eng: 1 week) ├─ Companies House enhancement (Sec eng: 1-2 weeks) └─ Timeline analysis (Tertiary: 1 week) Week 5-7: BETA TESTING ├─ Deploy to test environment ├─ Onboard beta agencies ├─ Collect feedback └─ Iterate on UX/flags Week 8: PUBLIC LAUNCH ├─ GA release ├─ Marketing campaign ├─ Press/analyst outreach └─ Sales outreach begins ``` --- ## Features Ranked by Impact × Feasibility ``` HIGH IMPACT + EASY ─────────────┬─ HIGH IMPACT + HARD │ 1. HEDD Verification (9.5/10) │ 8. DBS Integration (Q3) 2. Timeline Analysis (7/10) │ 5. HMRC Payroll (Q3) 3. GMC/NMC Checks (6.5/10) │ 6. Professional Bodies 4. Director Verify (7.5/10) │ │ MEDIUM IMPACT + EASY ───────────┼─ MEDIUM IMPACT + HARD │ 7. GOV.UK Registry (5/10) │ │ ``` --- ## API Integration Status | Service | Type | Access | Effort | Timeline | |---|---|---|---|---| | **HEDD** | API/Portal | REQUEST | 3 wks | Weeks 1-3 | | **GMC** | API/Scraper | REQUEST | 1 wk | Weeks 2-3 | | **NMC** | API/Scraper | REQUEST | 1 wk | Weeks 2-3 | | **Companies House** | ✅ API | READY | 2 wks | Weeks 2-4 | | **GOV.UK** | ✅ API | PUBLIC | 3 days | Week 2 | | **ICAEW** | API/Scraper | REQUEST | 2-3 wks | Q2 | | **SRA** | API/Scraper | REQUEST | 2-3 wks | Q2 | | **DBS** | Partner API | VENDOR | 8 wks | Q3 | --- ## Pricing Strategy ``` TIER PRICE/MO CUSTOMERS MRR CONTRIB ───────────────────────────────────────────────────── Free £0 30% £0 Professional £49/mo 40% 1,470 (30 cust) Enterprise £199/mo 20% 2,985 (15 cust) API/Platform £1,000/mo 5% 5,000 (5 cust) TOTAL MRR TARGET: £9,455 (50 customers) ANNUALIZED: £113K Break-even MRR: £1,833 (24 customers) ``` --- ## Success Metrics - Phase 1 | Metric | Target | Owner | Measurement | |---|---|---|---| | Signups | 500+ month 1 | Growth | User registrations | | Active Rate | 10%+ weekly | Product | Weekly check rate | | HEDD Accuracy | >98% | QA | Match rate vs. actual | | Timeline Detection | 85%+ | QA | Gaps/overlaps caught | | Feature Satisfaction | 85%+ | Support | NPS feedback | | Infrastructure Uptime | 99.9% | DevOps | Monitoring alerts | --- ## Fraud Detection Coverage ``` FRAUD TYPE DETECTION RATE PHASE ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── Fake Degrees 90%+ Phase 1 ⭐ Job Title Inflation Partial Phase 1 Employment Date Lies 80%+ Phase 1 ⭐ Directorship False Claims 95%+ Phase 1 ⭐ Professional Cert Fraud 95%+ Phase 2 Timeline Gaps/Overlaps 85%+ Phase 1 ⭐ Medical Register Fraud 95%+ Phase 1 ⭐ PHASE 1 COVERAGE: ~80% of common fraud patterns ``` --- ## Financial Projections ### Year 1 (Conservative) ``` Customers: 50 MRR: £9,455 Annual Revenue: £113,460 Gross Margin: 75% (£85K) Operating Costs: £220K Result: BREAK-EVEN ``` ### Year 1 (Growth) ``` Customers: 100 MRR: £18,910 Annual Revenue: £226,920 Gross Margin: 75% (£170K) Operating Costs: £220K Result: PROFITABLE (+£20K margin) ``` ### CAC Payback ``` Customer Acquisition Cost: £150-300 Average Revenue Per User: £60-120/mo Payback Period: 2-4 MONTHS (healthy) LTV:CAC Ratio: 4:1+ (excellent) ``` --- ## 30-Day Action Plan ### NOW (This Week) ``` Priority 1: Email HEDD (partnerships@hedd.ac.uk) ↳ Request API access or partnership discussion ↳ Mention CV verification for UK recruiters ↳ Expect response: 5-10 business days Priority 2: Email GMC (digital@gmc-uk.org) ↳ Same request structure ↳ Fallback: scraper development if denied Priority 3: Allocate Engineering Resources ↳ 2 FTE engineers full-time for 8 weeks ↳ 1 QA engineer (weeks 2-3) ↳ 1 PM for coordination Priority 4: Recruit Beta Partners ↳ Target 3-5 recruitment agencies ↳ Offer free access in exchange for feedback ↳ Aim: 5+ interviews by end of week 2 ``` ### WEEK 2-3 (Development Starts) ``` ✅ HEDD credentials received (or scraper ready) ✅ Development environment configured ✅ Companies House enhancement code started ✅ Timeline analysis enhancements begun ✅ Healthcare register scrapers drafted ``` ### WEEK 4-8 (Beta & Launch) ``` ✅ Features completed & tested ✅ Beta deployment & testing ✅ Public launch announcement ✅ First 100 signups targeted ``` --- ## Team Requirements ### Phase 1 (Q1) ``` Backend Engineer (Lead): Full-time (8 weeks) - HEDD integration Backend Engineer (Secondary): Full-time (8 weeks) - Healthcare + Timeline QA Engineer: Part-time (weeks 2-3) Product Manager: Full-time (coordination) Marketing Lead: Part-time (50%) - Content & outreach ``` ### Phase 2 Addition (Q2) ``` + Full-Stack Engineer (vertical expansion) + Sales/BD Lead (partnership development) ``` ### Phase 3 Addition (Q3) ``` + Customer Success Manager + Data Analyst (metrics/LTV) ``` --- ## Risk Dashboard ``` RISK PROB SEVERITY MITIGATION ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── HEDD API Access Delayed 🟡 🟡 Scraper fallback GMC Blocks Scraping 🟢 🟡 Request official API Market Adoption Slow 🟡 🔴 Focus healthcare 1st Regulatory Gatekeeping 🟢 🟡 Partner early Competitor Response 🟡 🟡 First-mover advantage 🟢 LOW (20%) 🟡 MEDIUM (50%) 🔴 HIGH (80%) ``` --- ## Customer Personas ### Persona 1: Agency Owner (Mid-Market) ``` Name: Sarah, 48 years old Company: Recruitment agency (80 staff) Problem: Wasting 2-3 hrs/hire verifying degrees Budget: £3K-8K/year on screening Buying Signal: "Can you reduce verification from 5 days to 5 min?" Target Tier: PROFESSIONAL (£49/mo) ``` ### Persona 2: Corporate HR Manager ``` Name: James, 35 years old Company: Financial services (200 employees) Problem: Regulatory liability + reputational risk Budget: £20K-50K/year on compliance Buying Signal: "We need proof every hire is verified" Target Tier: ENTERPRISE (£199/mo) ``` ### Persona 3: Healthcare Recruiter ``` Name: Dr. Lisa, 42 years old Company: Healthcare recruiter (20 staff) Problem: Need instant GMC/NMC verification Budget: £2K-5K/year (cost-sensitive) Buying Signal: "If you verify healthcare pros instantly, we're in" Target Tier: PROFESSIONAL (£49/mo) ``` --- ## Sales Channels ``` 1. DIRECT SALES (Primary) └─ Target agency owners + HR directors └─ LinkedIn outreach + cold calls └─ Expected conversion: 5-8% └─ Sales cycle: 2-4 weeks 2. PARTNERSHIPS (Secondary) └─ ATS integrations (Workable, Bullhorn, Lever) └─ White-label for background check providers └─ Marketplace listings (Zapier, Make) └─ Expected impact: +30% acquisition 3. CONTENT & SEO (Tertiary) └─ Blog posts: "UK CV Fraud Patterns" └─ Case studies: "How we caught 18 fake degrees" └─ Webinars for HR professionals └─ Expected impact: +20% organic 4. VERTICAL SPECIALISTS (Niche) └─ Healthcare recruiting (GMC/NMC entry) └─ Financial services (ICAEW/compliance) └─ Legal recruiting (SRA verification) └─ Expected impact: +25% high-value ``` --- ## Decision Framework ### Go-Ahead Criteria - ✅ 2 engineers available full-time for 8 weeks - ✅ HEDD partnership or web portal access confirmed - ✅ 3+ beta partner recruitment agencies identified - ✅ Budget approved for Phase 1 (£40-50K estimated) - ✅ Product & GTM strategy aligned with leadership ### Red Flags (Stop & Reassess) - ❌ HEDD access denied AND scraper approach infeasible - ❌ <3 beta partners willing to participate - ❌ Engineering capacity not available - ❌ Market research shows insufficient demand - ❌ Competitive threat emerges --- ## Key Contacts | Role | Contact | Email | Notes | |---|---|---|---| | **HEDD Partnership** | Prospects Ltd | partnerships@hedd.ac.uk | START HERE | | **GMC Verification** | GMC Digital Team | digital@gmc-uk.org | Request API access | | **NMC Verification** | NMC Tech Team | [Check website] | Parallel request | | **Companies House** | Already have API | [API Docs available] | No action needed | | **DBS Vendors** | Verifile / DDC | [See API guide] | Q3 partnership | --- ## Next Document to Read Based on your role: - **Executive:** Read UK_MARKET_STRATEGY.md → Market Opportunity section - **Product:** Read UK_FEATURE_PRIORITIZATION.md (full) - **Engineering:** Read PHASE1_TECHNICAL_IMPLEMENTATION.md (full) - **Everyone:** Read README_UK_STRATEGY.md for navigation --- ## One-Liner Summary > **RealCV is the only UK CV verification tool that catches 90% of fake degrees + employment fraud in seconds, leveraging HEDD, GMC/NMC, and Companies House APIs to dominate a £3.3M untapped recruitment market.** --- **Last Updated:** January 20, 2026 **Status:** Ready for Q1 2026 Execution **Next Review:** Post-Phase 1 Launch (Week 8)