About
Our Approach
How we scope, staff, and deliver work. A clear engagement model designed for fund managers, founders, and boards who need judgement — not theatre.
The Engagement Arc
Five Phases. One Decision.
Diagnostic
Every engagement starts with a short, fixed-fee diagnostic — typically 1–3 weeks. We surface the actual question, stress-test the framing, and agree what success looks like in writing before any further commitment is made.
Engagement Design
We co-author the scope of work. Deliverables are concrete (a memo, a model, a decision document, an integration plan). Timelines are realistic. The team is named. Exit triggers — for either side — are explicit.
Execution
A partner runs the engagement and is in every working session. Analysts build the model, the data room, the integration plan. We work alongside the client team, not over them. Status is a working document, not a Friday email.
Decision
The output is a decision, not a deck. We brief the relevant committee or board, defend the recommendation under questioning, and document the dissent if one of our partners disagrees with the conclusion.
Handover
Engagements end when the problem is solved. We hand over a clean artefact (model, memo, runbook) that the client team can maintain. We do not engineer dependency.
Operating Principles
How We Show Up
No Time-and-Materials
Pricing is fixed-fee, retainer, or success-linked. Always agreed upfront. We never bill by the hour — it misaligns the incentive from the first week.
Partner-Led
A partner runs every engagement, in every session. No bait-and-switch between pitch and delivery.
Audit-Quality Work Product
Every model is reproducible. Every memo cites its sources. Every analysis traces back to its inputs. Future buyers, regulators, and LPs can interrogate the work.
Confidentiality by Design
NDA before scoping. Dedicated infrastructure per engagement. Group-level conflicts check before every mandate. We refuse work that we cannot do cleanly.
Outcomes Over Hours
We measure ourselves by whether the decision held — six months, a year, three years later. Not by hours billed or decks delivered.
Engagement Shapes
How clients commission us
Fixed-Scope Mandate
A defined deliverable on a fixed fee and timeline. Typical for due diligence, market-entry studies, and strategic reviews. 4–12 weeks.
Embedded Retainer
We operate as part of the client team for a defined period — typically 3–12 months — to drive a programme of work. Monthly retainer.
Advisory / NED
Board or advisory-board seat for longer-horizon strategic counsel. Fixed annual fee plus equity in some cases. Subject to portfolio limits.
Let's scope something
The fastest way to understand whether we can help is a 30-minute scoping call. No commitment — we will tell you honestly if we are not the right firm.