Let's chat

For founders

See your business the way an investor will, before you're in the room.

Overview

In the first hour of a meeting an investor works out how far to trust your numbers. When the answer is no, you usually get the no without the reasons.

We look at your business the way an investor will, then help you fix what they would find. Then we decide with you whether to raise now, in a few months, or not this year.

We help you become investable and prepare for the raise.

You've probably been offered introductions already. If you're not ready, the intro uses up the one meeting you get with that fund. We'd rather you walk in once, prepared.

Let's chat

What we do

Our scope

  1. Business dynamics
  2. Investability test
  3. Positioning
  4. Brand story
  5. Fundraising path
  6. Narrative building

We find what an investor would find, rank it by what would cost you the round, and stay with you while it gets fixed.

How it works

Everything before the scope call is free.

  1. Let's chat

    Seven short questions, then book your first call straight away. If we're not the right fit, you get the reason in writing.

  2. First call

    We tell you exactly what we need to see, and send the list in writing.

  3. Review

    We rebuild your numbers from raw data and score them against our written rubric, the way a fund's analyst would.

  4. Findings call

    The diagnostic note is yours whether or not you work with us.

  5. Scope call

    We discuss scope, fee and duration.

  6. Work begins

We take a handful of engagements a year, never more than three at once, so every client gets both partners.

Raising capital

When the business is ready, we help you raise.

Capital raising is a separate engagement. We build the investor list for your stage and category, prepare the materials, introduce you to funds where the fit is real, and stay with you through the conversations until the round closes.

If we've run your venture diagnostics

The raise starts after a cooling-off period of one quarter. That gives the fixes time to show up in your numbers before an investor sees them.

If we haven't worked together before

We start right away, after our own investability review. We only take on raises we believe in.

Talk to us about your raise

Is this for you

Who we work with, and who we don't

We work with founders who are

  • Building a D2C brand in India in beauty, wellness, food or daily-life products
  • At seed stage and already selling
  • Planning to raise within nine months (if it's further out, we start with the business work)
  • Willing to share real numbers before we talk about scope

We'll say no if

  • You haven't made your first sale yet
  • You need cash inside eight weeks
  • A banker is already running your round
  • You want introductions without letting us review the business
  • You sell supplements without certification, or make claims your label can't back
  • You sell skincare on a promise the formula can't keep
  • You're looking for a guaranteed raise

Every no comes in writing with the reason, and with a name if we know someone better placed to help.

Questions

Straight answers.

Do you raise money for us?

Yes, once the business is ready and if it needs capital. We diagnose it first, fix what an investor would find, then raise with you. We aren't a fund.

Why pay you if I might not raise?

The fee pays for the diagnosis and the fixes, and those are useful whether you raise in three months or in eighteen. Some founders will hear that waiting is the better call. We'd rather tell you than have you find out from a fund.

How is this different from a fundraising consultant?

A fundraising consultant is usually paid when you raise, so their reason to exist is getting you in front of investors. We're paid the same whether you raise or not, so we will tell you what those investors will think.

What does it cost?

Everything before the scope call is free, and we do not charge for the diagnostic note. After that, a fee sized to the work, which we share on the scope call. Before then we haven't seen enough of the business to price it honestly.

Does either of you come from finance?

Yes. Vannan studied Business and Management at LSE, ran B2B business operations, then became a Partner at a venture capital advisory firm, working on valuations, diligence and live raises across the UK, Europe, LATAM and the US. Ananya never studied finance. She taught herself, joined an equity research firm as an analyst and was made Chief Research Officer within two months, on the strength of her work. One of us was trained in how the numbers should work. The other had to prove every one of them from scratch. Between us, nothing gets taken on trust, which is why our method is written down. A rubric, unit economics rebuilt from raw data, and reviews we each score alone before comparing.

Will you introduce us to investors?

Only if you're fit to raise capital after our review, and only when the fit with a specific fund is real. We tell the investor in the first message that you're a paid client. That's why they read what we send.

What do you need from me?

Real numbers, on time, and one person who makes decisions. Messy data is fine. Withheld data ends the engagement.

Our data is a mess. Should we wait?

No. We love messy books, they are one of the things we look at. If they're missing entirely we'll tell you on the first call what to sort out before a review is worth doing.

Everything before the scope call is free.

Seven short questions about the business. Then you pick a time for your first call.