Concept · Startup & Growth Frameworks
ICE Scoring
Origin: Sean Ellis
Biological Parallel
Foraging animals use ICE scoring instinctively: Impact (caloric value of prey), Confidence (probability of capture), and Ease (energy required to hunt). A lion evaluating a wildebeest herd performs rapid ICE calculations—young calves score high on ease and confidence but low on impact; adult males score high on impact but low on confidence and ease. Optimal foragers prioritize targets that maximize the ICE composite score, and they update their scoring model continuously based on success rates.