We give advice. If you need us to, we can help implement it. Sometimes we even take on functional roles for a time, if the management team needs augmenting.
Our approach involves a blend of analysis, strategic advisory services, and hands-on execution — and is uniquely tailored for each engagement to help accomplish a specific, agreed upon, business objective.
We work with large and small organizations, and have a variety of different engagement models ranging from long term, occasional, behind the scenes advice to intensive, hands-on interventions.
Below you can see examples of the types of problems we help solve, the types of organizations we work with, and the reasons people decide it makes sense to bring in helpers like us.
What Problems Do We Help Solve?
We can help with challenges like how to grow faster; or how to improve the chance of success of a new venture or growth initiative; or how to make an accelerator or incubator program more effective.
For Accelerators, Incubators, Research Organizations:
- Design education systems, and acceleration programs, and metrics to help increase the number of successful ventures that emerge from a program.
- Broaden the Lean Methodology to include the concept of “Science Risk” for Deep Tech ventures.
- Decide on the right path for commercializing a novel technology (See “Technology Commercialization Bridge“).
For New Ventures:
- Get “Been There, Done That” Advice from Industry Experts. Avoid the “Common Errors”.
- Maximize valuation at various “deal points” by focusing on the right Value Milestones. [See the Resources section if you are not sure what we mean by this term].
- Cross the finish line faster, with less investment (the right Milestones in the right order).
- Complete key milestones, for which your team may lack bandwidth, or skills (e.g. Customer Development / exploring Product-Market fit).
- What to do if you have both Science Risk and Market Risk (eg Science / Deep Tech ventures)?
For Established Businesses:
- Improve the ROI of growth initiatives.
- Increase enterprise value faster than the core business is growing.
- Complete key milestones, for which your team may lack bandwidth, or skills (e.g. Customer Development / exploring Product-Market fit).
- Improve the outcome of an M&A initiative.
Why Get Help?
Some clients face challenging problems they are not sure how to solve. Some have incomplete management teams, and need to outsource specific functions. Some need vital strategic inputs, but need them only intermittently. Some want an objective independent assessment of a situation. Others know what to do, and how to do it, but lack bandwidth. We have helped in each of these situations.
Who Do We Work With?
We work with startups; large, established companies; and research organizations — in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.
Most of our clients are focused on growth: through new ventures, new products, new markets, new business initiatives, or acquisitions. Innovative science or technology of some type is often at the heart of their business.
Fields we have worked in include agetech, digital health, medical devices, life sciences, communications, cleantech, homeland security, and applications of photonics & small-tech.
Contact Us About Your Challenges
We are happy to have a discussion about your business or project. Reach out if you would like to engage.
Contact Us for a Discussion of Whether We Can Help You.
Learn More
Most of our clients have their own unique challenges, and no two projects are alike. However, there are a few situations that we see time and time again, and we have collected some ideas and approaches to help you see how we tackle these situations.
See the links below for more detail.
- Venture Catalyst: For startups, focusing on the right Value Milestones, in the right order and optimizing time and capital on the path to “success” — The Optimal Value Path).
- Technology Commercialization Bridge: “To increase the chance that a promising piece of technology will make it to market, and generate substantial value for its creators, you need a bridge — between technology commercialization and business creation“