How it works
Exactly how this works, start to finish.
No mystery process and no discovery call that turns out to be a sales call. Here is the sequence we run with every company, how long each part takes, and what is expected on both sides.
- Phase 0145 minutes
The first conversation
No deck required and no application form to fill out. We want to understand what you are building, what you believe that most people do not, and what is actually blocking you this month. If we are not the right partner we will say so on the call and, where we can, point you somewhere better.
- One call with the people who would actually work with you
- No NDA required to have a first conversation
- A straight answer on fit before you leave the call
- Introductions elsewhere if we are not the right fit
- Phase 02Two weeks
The diagnostic
If there is mutual interest, we run a short paid diagnostic. We talk to your team, read the code or the model, look at the pipeline and the numbers, and map how decisions currently move through the company. You get a written assessment at the end whether or not we work together after it.
- Structured interviews across your team
- Technical, financial, and go-to-market review
- A written assessment with prioritized recommendations
- Fully credited against a subsequent engagement
- Phase 03One to two weeks
Terms and structure
We put a specific proposal in front of you: what we would do, who would do it, over what period, and what it costs in fees, equity, or a combination. If investment is part of it, the instrument and valuation are on the same page. Everything is priced before work begins.
- A single written proposal with defined scope
- Named team members, not role titles
- Fee, equity, or blended structure agreed up front
- Investment terms included where applicable
- Phase 0490 days
The first ninety days
This is where most of the value lands. We set a small number of outcomes worth being measured against, install the operating cadence to pursue them, and put our people alongside yours. At day ninety there is a review with your board or your investors, using evidence rather than narrative.
- Three to five outcomes defined in week one
- Weekly working sessions and a visible plan
- Embedded engineers or operators where scoped
- A day-90 review against the original definition
- Phase 05Ongoing
What comes after
Some engagements end at ninety days, having done what they were meant to do. Others continue into a longer advisory relationship, a follow-on investment, or a second build sprint. Portfolio companies keep access to the startup services bench for as long as the relationship lasts.
- Continued advisory at a reduced cadence
- Follow-on and bridge investment consideration
- Ongoing access to the startup services bench
- Documented handoff if we step away entirely
The working agreement
Both sides of the arrangement, written down.
Engagements go wrong when expectations are implicit. These are ours, stated plainly before anything is signed.
What we ask of you
- Direct access to the founders, not a designated liaison
- Honesty about the numbers, including the unflattering ones
- A decision-maker present in the working sessions
- Willingness to change the plan when the evidence changes
What you can expect from us
- A straight answer within one business day, always
- Named senior people who stay on your account
- Written reasoning behind every material recommendation
- A clean exit and full handoff whenever you want one
Questions & answers
The questions founders actually ask.
If yours is not here, ask it directly — we answer email from founders ourselves.
Anywhere from pre-incorporation to Series A. The common thread is not stage but tractability: we need a problem where senior attention over a defined period can meaningfully change the outcome. We have started companies from a single conversation and we have joined companies with forty people and real revenue.
Start with the 45-minute conversation.
No deck, no application, no NDA. Just tell us what you are building and what is in the way.
Prefer email? Write to hello@metacogni.com