Engineering acceleration
The total number of commits to a startup's most active public GitHub repository over a rolling 14-day window. Commit velocity measures the raw volume of engineering output, not the quality or significance of individual commits. At VC Deal Flow Signal, we track commit velocity as a baseline metric — what matters most for investors is the rate of change (see: Commit Velocity Change).
Formal signal definition
Commit Velocity is also a formal signal primitive in the VC Deal Flow Signal methodology, with a published formula, decision rule, and pitfall analysis.
Read the signal definition →Metrics, signal types, and decision rules from the methodology.
The named mechanism behind VC Deal Flow Signal.
The percentage change in commit velocity compared to the preceding 14-day window.
A sustained increase in a startup's engineering output relative to its own historical baseline.
Any data-driven indicator that helps an investor identify a promising startup before traditional deal sourcing channels surface it.
The change in the number of unique contributors to a startup's GitHub repository over time.
A signal type indicating that a startup's contributor growth rate exceeds 50% in a short window.
A signal type indicating that a startup has created three or more new public repositories in 30 days.
A signal type indicating that a startup's commit velocity has increased 150% or more versus its baseline.
This definition is published under CC BY 4.0. Cite as:
The Data Nerd. "Commit Velocity." VC Deal Flow Signal Glossary, https://signals.gitdealflow.com/define/commit-velocity.
The free Acceleration Watch turns terms like Commit Velocity into five named, accelerating startups every Sunday — translated into plain English, 21 to 47 days before the deck circulates. No code-reading, no card.