RealCV/README_UK_STRATEGY.md

RealCV UK Market Strategy - Complete Package

Overview

This directory contains the complete product strategy and implementation plan for launching RealCV with a UK-only focus. The documents provide market analysis, feature prioritization, technical implementation details, and go-to-market strategy.

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Document Hierarchy

1. EXECUTIVE_SUMMARY.md ⭐ START HERE

Audience: Executives, Product Leadership, Investors Purpose: 5-minute overview of opportunity, market sizing, and financial projections Key Sections:

• Market problem (£4.2B annual cost)
• Competitive advantage (only player integrating HEDD)
• Revenue projections (£113K-226K Year 1)
• 30-day action plan

Read Time: 5 minutes

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2. UK_FEATURE_PRIORITIZATION.md

Audience: Product Managers, Engineering Leads Purpose: Detailed feature prioritization ranking detection value × implementation feasibility Key Sections:

• Fraud patterns & detection rates
• Available UK APIs & accessibility
• Ranked feature list (8 features across 3 phases)
• Implementation timeline & examples
• Success metrics per feature

Read Time: 20-30 minutes

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3. PHASE1_TECHNICAL_IMPLEMENTATION.md

Audience: Backend Engineers, QA Engineers Purpose: Complete technical specifications for Phase 1 (8-week) delivery Key Sections:

• Architecture diagrams
• 7 complete code examples (interfaces, services, models)
• Database schema updates
• Test coverage requirements
• Configuration & environment setup
• Deployment checklist

Read Time: 30-40 minutes (skim for reference)

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4. UK_MARKET_STRATEGY.md

Audience: Product Team, Marketing, Sales Purpose: Comprehensive market analysis and go-to-market strategy Key Sections:

• Market sizing (£2.8B UK screening market, £3.3M RealCV TAM)
• Competitive landscape analysis
• 3-phase product roadmap (Q1-Q3 2026)
• GTM strategy (4 sales channels)
• Customer personas (3 types)
• Unit economics & financial projections
• Long-term vision (2-3 years, international expansion)

Read Time: 30-40 minutes

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5. API_RESOURCES_AND_CONTACTS.md

Audience: Engineering + Product (implementation phase) Purpose: Practical guide to accessing UK APIs and vendor partnerships Key Sections:

• 11 detailed API integration guides (HEDD, GMC, NMC, Companies House, etc.)
• Contact information for each service
• Integration methods (API vs. scraper alternatives)
• Timeline for access approval
• Vendor recommendations (DBS, HMRC)
• Email template for API requests
• Compliance checklist

Read Time: 20-30 minutes (reference document)

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Quick Navigation

By Role

Executive / Decision-Maker:

1. Start: EXECUTIVE_SUMMARY.md (5 min)
2. Then: UK_MARKET_STRATEGY.md - Market & GTM sections (10 min)
3. Decision: Approve Phase 1 go-ahead

Product Manager:

1. Start: EXECUTIVE_SUMMARY.md (5 min)
2. Then: UK_FEATURE_PRIORITIZATION.md (full read)
3. Then: UK_MARKET_STRATEGY.md (full read)
4. Then: Reference PHASE1_TECHNICAL_IMPLEMENTATION.md & API_RESOURCES_AND_CONTACTS.md as needed

Engineering Lead:

1. Start: EXECUTIVE_SUMMARY.md (5 min for context)
2. Then: PHASE1_TECHNICAL_IMPLEMENTATION.md (full read)
3. Then: API_RESOURCES_AND_CONTACTS.md (full read)
4. Reference: UK_FEATURE_PRIORITIZATION.md for feature specs

Investor / Analyst:

1. Start: EXECUTIVE_SUMMARY.md
2. Then: UK_MARKET_STRATEGY.md - Market size & financials sections
3. Reference: UK_FEATURE_PRIORITIZATION.md for technical validation

Sales / Marketing:

1. Start: EXECUTIVE_SUMMARY.md
2. Then: UK_MARKET_STRATEGY.md (GTM + Personas)
3. Reference: UK_FEATURE_PRIORITIZATION.md for talking points

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Key Metrics at a Glance

Market Opportunity

• TAM (Total Addressable Market): £3.3M
• SAM (Serviceable Available Market): £200-300K (Year 1)
• Year 1 Revenue Target: £30-240K (conservative to growth)
• Break-even Customers: 24-30 paying customers
• Expected Timeline to Break-even: Month 6-7

Phase 1 Deliverables (8 weeks)

Feature	Impact	Effort	Timeline
HEDD Degree Verification	9.5/10	2-3 weeks	Weeks 1-3
Healthcare Register Checks	6.5/10	1 week	Weeks 2-3
Enhanced Timeline Analysis	7/10	1 week	Weeks 1-2
Company Director Verification	7.5/10	1-2 weeks	Weeks 2-4

Success Metrics

• Adoption: 500+ signups in first month
• Engagement: 10%+ weekly active check rate
• Satisfaction: 85%+ feature satisfaction (NPS >40)

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Fraud Detection Coverage

Fraud Type	Detection Rate	Phase
Fake degrees	90%+	Phase 1
Employment date falsification	80%+	Phase 1
Job title inflation	Partial (manual)	Phase 1
Exaggerated qualifications	85%+	Phase 2
Professional registration fraud	95%+	Phase 2
Directorship false claims	95%+	Phase 1

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Competitive Moat

Why no competitor offers this:

1. HEDD Integration - Only dedicated CV tool integrating degree verification API
2. UK-Specific Stack - GMC/NMC healthcare registers + Companies House directors
3. Timeline Fraud Detection - Cross-linking education/employment boundary analysis
4. Vertical Focus - Healthcare recruiting niche dominance (GMC/NMC)
5. First-Mover Advantage - Market gap unexploited until now

Defensibility:

• Deep integrations hard to replicate (HEDD, Companies House, professional bodies)
• Network effects once established (more data = better fraud detection)
• Compliance/audit trail = switching costs for enterprise customers

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Critical Path Dependencies

Week 1 Actions (Do Now)

• Email HEDD (partnerships@hedd.ac.uk) requesting API access
• Email GMC requesting verification API access
• Allocate 2 engineers to Phase 1 development
• Recruit 3-5 beta partner agencies

Week 2-3

• HEDD credential delivery (or scraper fallback)
• Companies House enhancement development starts
• Healthcare register scraper development starts
• Timeline analysis enhancement starts

Week 4-8

• Beta testing with agency partners
• Public beta launch
• Feedback iteration
• GA release

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Financial Summary

Year 1 Projections (Conservative Scenario)

50 Customers by end of year:

• 30 × Professional tier (£49/mo): £1,470/mo
• 15 × Enterprise tier (£199/mo): £2,985/mo
• 5 × API/Platform (£1,000/mo): £5,000/mo
• Total MRR (Dec 2026): £9,455
• Annualized Run Rate: £113,460

Operating Costs:

• Engineering (2 FTE): £150K/year
• Infrastructure/APIs: £20K/year
• Sales/Marketing: £30K/year
• Operations: £20K/year
• Total: £220K/year

Result: Break-even at 24 customers; profitable at 50+ customers

Year 2 Projections (Growth Scenario)

150 Customers:

• MRR: £28,000+
• Annualized: £336K+
• Gross Profit: 75% = £252K+

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Risk Mitigation

Risk	Probability	Severity	Mitigation
HEDD API access delayed	Medium	Medium	Use web portal integration fallback
GMC/NMC scraper blocked	Low	Low	Request official API proactively
Market adoption slow	Medium	High	Focus on healthcare vertical first
Regulatory gatekeeping	Low	Medium	Partner with established vendors early
Competitive response	Medium	Medium	Maintain first-mover advantage + deepen integrations

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Next Steps (30-Day Plan)

Days 1-3: Preparation

• Finalize HEDD compliance/consent workflows
• Identify recruitment agency beta partners
• Set up development environment
• Brief engineering team on Phase 1 scope

Days 4-7: API Access Requests

• Email HEDD, GMC, NMC with API access requests
• Register on beta platforms where available
• Prepare scraper fallbacks for development

Days 8-21: Development (Parallel Tracks)

• Track 1: HEDD integration (lead engineer)
• Track 2: Healthcare registers (secondary engineer)
• Track 3: Companies House enhancement (tertiary)
• Track 4: Timeline enhancement (parallel)

Days 22-28: Beta Testing

• Deploy to test environment
• Onboard beta partner agencies
• Collect feedback on UX/value
• Iterate on flag messaging

Days 29-30: Preparation for Public Launch

• Final testing & QA approval
• Marketing assets prepared
• Pricing finalized
• Customer support workflows documented

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Recommended Reading Order

For executives/investors (20 minutes total):

1. EXECUTIVE_SUMMARY.md (5 min)
2. UK_MARKET_STRATEGY.md → Market Opportunity + Financials sections (10 min)
3. UK_FEATURE_PRIORITIZATION.md → Overview + Ranked Feature List (5 min)

For product/engineering teams (90 minutes total):

1. EXECUTIVE_SUMMARY.md (5 min)
2. UK_FEATURE_PRIORITIZATION.md (30 min - full read)
3. PHASE1_TECHNICAL_IMPLEMENTATION.md (40 min - full read)
4. API_RESOURCES_AND_CONTACTS.md (15 min - reference)

For detailed implementation (3-4 hours for engineers):

1. PHASE1_TECHNICAL_IMPLEMENTATION.md (40 min - detailed read)
2. API_RESOURCES_AND_CONTACTS.md (30 min - full read)
3. Code examples in PHASE1_TECHNICAL_IMPLEMENTATION.md (60-90 min - study)
4. UK_FEATURE_PRIORITIZATION.md → Implementation Examples (30 min)

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Questions & Decision Points

For Product Leadership

1. Commitment: Can we allocate 2 engineers full-time for 8 weeks?
2. Partnerships: Will we sponsor API access requests to HEDD, GMC, NMC?
3. Revenue Model: Approve tiered pricing (Free/Pro/Enterprise)?
4. Timeline: Can we launch beta by Week 5?
5. International: After UK success, should we expand to Ireland/Australia?

For Engineering

1. Resources: Do we have backend capacity starting immediately?
2. Technical: Any concerns with HEDD/GMC/NMC integration approach?
3. Alternatives: Any preference on API vs. scraper approach for health registers?
4. Testing: Do we have QA capacity for Phase 1 scope?

For Sales/Marketing

1. Positioning: Are we confident "degree verification" is primary differentiator?
2. Channels: Should we prioritize direct sales or partnerships?
3. Pricing: Does £49/Professional tier feel right for target market?
4. Beta: Can we identify 3-5 recruitment agency beta partners by Week 2?

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Success Criteria (End of Phase 1)

Must-Haves

• ✅ HEDD integration live (real-time + manual review tracking)
• ✅ Timeline fraud detection enhanced
• ✅ Companies House director verification working
• ✅ GMC/NMC healthcare checks live
• ✅ 500+ public signups
• ✅ 10%+ weekly active check rate

Nice-to-Haves

• ✅ 85%+ user satisfaction score
• ✅ Media/analyst coverage
• ✅ 5+ paying customers (revenue: £2-5K MRR)
• ✅ Documented case studies

Failure Indicators (Red Flags)

• ❌ <100 signups after public launch
• ❌ HEDD/GMC access denied with no scraper backup
• ❌ >5% API error rate
• ❌ <50% feature adoption

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File Manifest

/mnt/d/Git/RealCV/
├── EXECUTIVE_SUMMARY.md                      (5-page exec overview)
├── UK_FEATURE_PRIORITIZATION.md              (30-page detailed prioritization)
├── PHASE1_TECHNICAL_IMPLEMENTATION.md        (60-page technical specs + code)
├── UK_MARKET_STRATEGY.md                     (40-page market + GTM strategy)
├── API_RESOURCES_AND_CONTACTS.md             (20-page API integration guide)
└── README_UK_STRATEGY.md                     (this file - navigation guide)

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Version History

v1.0 - January 2026

• Initial UK market strategy & implementation plan
• 4 comprehensive strategy documents
• Phase 1 technical specifications
• API integration guide
• Ready for Q1 2026 execution

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Contact & Support

For questions about this strategy:

• Product Lead: [Name] - Overall strategy & market analysis
• Engineering Lead: [Name] - Technical feasibility & architecture
• API Integration: [Name] - HEDD, GMC, NMC coordination

For strategy updates: These documents will be updated quarterly with:

• Market feedback from beta partners
• API integration progress
• Competitive landscape changes
• Revised financial projections
• Phase 2 feature updates

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Appendix: Key Definitions

HEDD: Higher Education Degree Datacheck - UK's official degree verification service (140+ universities)

GMC: General Medical Council - UK regulator for doctors (~250K registered)

NMC: Nursing and Midwifery Council - UK regulator for nurses/midwives (~700K registered)

Companies House: UK company registration authority - maintains register of 3.4M companies + directors

Timeline Fraud: Employment/education date inconsistencies (overlaps, gaps, sequential issues)

TAM: Total Addressable Market - theoretical maximum revenue if 100% market capture

SAM: Serviceable Available Market - realistic segment we can target

SOM: Serviceable Obtainable Market - Year 1 revenue target

CAC: Customer Acquisition Cost - avg. cost to acquire one paying customer

ARPU: Average Revenue Per User - avg. monthly/annual revenue per customer

LTV:CAC: Customer lifetime value to acquisition cost ratio (healthy SaaS: >3:1)

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License & Confidentiality

This strategy document is internal to RealCV and contains commercially sensitive information including:

• Market sizing & financial projections
• Competitive positioning
• Product roadmap
• API integration details

Distribution: Product team, engineering, leadership only

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END OF DOCUMENT

Last Updated: January 20, 2026 Next Review: April 1, 2026 (Post-Phase 1 Launch)