Risk Mapping for Startups: Legal, AI & Crypto Risk Framework (2026)

Mapping risk is how a founder turns legal uncertainty into a controlled backlog.

Table of Contents

1. Define Risk Domains
2. Scoring Matrix (Impact × Likelihood)
3. Sample Risks & Controls
4. Prioritization & Sprinting
5. Conclusion

Define Risk Domains {#define-domains}

• Legal & Regulatory (MiCA, GDPR, DORA, AML)
• Data & Privacy (GDPR, data breach exposure)
• Model Risk (AI bias, explainability)
• Financial (banking, custody, liquidity)
• Operational (vendors, availability)

Scoring Matrix (Impact × Likelihood) {#scoring-matrix}

Score each risk 1–5 for impact and likelihood. Multiply for priority.

Sample Risks & Controls {#sample-risks}

• Risk: Token classification exposes issuer to MiCA. Control: Legal token memo + whitepaper + counsel opinion.
• Risk: Training data contains PII. Control: DPIA + dataset filtering + purpose limitation.
• Risk: Vendor outage affects custody. Control: SLAs + exit plan + redundancy.

Prioritization & Sprinting {#prioritization}

Convert top 5 risks into sprint tasks (MUST / SHOULD / NICE). Assign owners and acceptance criteria.

Conclusion {#conclusion}

A living risk map keeps a startup safe and investable. Review it like product metrics.