The existing benchmarking service is free, but Mr. Marmer plans to introduce a premium model and is looking into a lead-generation service, both of which would charge users.
Mr. Marmer found that "70% of start-ups exhibited some form of premature scaling, " which he defines as companies hiring too quickly or building a product without taking proper signals from the market that they aren't getting traction.
Steve Blank, adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at the University of California at Berkeley, who invested in Startup Compass in May and is an adviser to Mr. Marmer, says the service is valuable for entrepreneurs who are just starting out.