AI-powered franchise opportunity scoring for independent consultants and candidates. FOE, FCR, FRA — three products on one engine, covering any brand with a public FDD.
Enterprise group tools serve the large broker networks. Independent franchise consultants — working outside IFPG or FranChoice structures — have no equivalent structured evaluation framework.
Layer8 fills that gap. The same AI engine that scores brands in our public portfolio scores any franchise on request — network-affiliated or not.
Layer8 evaluates franchises regardless of network affiliation — from Anytime Fitness to a brand your network tools have never heard of.
250+ TCX-affiliated and network-independent brands that enterprise tools miss — evaluated on the same 8-domain, 40-criterion framework.
Every report delivered with your firm name. Professional output that reinforces your expertise with every candidate engagement.
Every product runs on the same scoring framework — 8 domains, 40 criteria, FDD-sourced data. The analysis is consistent; the output is tailored to your use case.
Full scored analysis of a single franchise brand across 8 domains and 40 criteria. Item 19 quality rating, litigation taxonomy, FDD currency flag, red flags, and investment scenario modeling.
Side-by-side scoring of 2–3 franchise opportunities on the same 8-domain framework. Overall winner identified, domain-by-domain comparison, and a clear recommendation narrative.
Candidate scoring across 6 domains — financial capacity, operational experience, territory fit, lifestyle fit, growth ambition, and compliance background. With franchise match recommendations.
Upload a raw FDD PDF and the parser extracts all 23 items into structured data — fees, investment ranges, Item 19 financials, unit counts, litigation, and more.
Most evaluation tools treat Item 19 as present or absent. Layer8 uses a 5-level disclosure quality taxonomy — because a fully audited FULL disclosure with quartile data is not the same as a revenue-only disclosure with 28 units.
Revenue, expenses, and net income with quartile breakdown. Independently audited. Best possible disclosure.
Complete revenue and profit data. Not quartile-broken or audited. Still strong.
Gross sales only, or partial expense disclosure. Supplement with franchisee interviews.
No Item 19 provided. Franchisor has not disclosed financial performance. Mandatory franchisee interviews required.
Layer8 integrates FranchiseGrade, FBR/FSI, FRANdata, and Franchise Update rankings as reference data in every FOE report — and surfaces divergences when our scoring differs materially from external grades.
| FranchiseGrade | FBR / FSI | FRANdata | Layer8 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Format | A+ to F letter grade | Stars + NPS score | Proprietary lender score | 1–10 numeric score |
| Methodology | FDD-based analysis | Franchisee surveys | SBA lender data | FDD + taxonomy + trends |
| Access | Summary free | Summary free | Subscription / lenders | Per-report |
| Litigation weighting | Standard | Not primary | Not primary | Categorized 2.0×–2.5× |
| FDD currency | Not flagged | Not flagged | Not flagged | CURRENT / AGING / OUTDATED |
| TCX coverage | Partial | Partial | Limited | Full — any brand with FDD |
12 franchise brands evaluated in the public demo portfolio — FOE, FCR, FRA, and version comparison reports. TCX and independent brands included.
Independent consultants: apply for Founding Partner status →