WE DON'T JUST
ADVISE.
WE CO-OWN IT.
Our venture studio takes minority equity positions in founder-led ventures and growing firms. We join as your CTO & AI Officer at a reduced fee, build the product with you, and only do well if you do.
A handful of ventures at a time · Terms agreed before any work starts
CO-FOUNDER. PRODUCT.
GROWTH.
Three stages, one partner. We stay in the seat from the first decision to the next stage of growth.
We take the CTO & AI Officer seat in your leadership team. Technology and AI decisions are ours to make, and ours to answer for.
We build the smallest version customers will pay for and ship it fast. Everything else waits until the market tells us it matters.
With paying customers, the conversation changes. We scale the product, build the team and back you in front of investors or the board.
FOUNDERS AND
GROWING FIRMS.
We take on only a handful of ventures at a time, because each one gets senior CTO-level attention. The founder matters more to us than the sector.
FOUNDERS
You have a validated opportunity and the commercial drive to sell it. You don't have a technical co-founder.
- / FUNDING RAISED, OR A COMMITTED BUDGET
- / A CREDIBLE PATH TO PAYING CUSTOMERS
- / A PRODUCT WITH TECHNOLOGY OR AI AT ITS CORE
- / OR A PRODUCT THAT HAS STALLED AND NEEDS A RESET
GROWING FIRMS
You have customers, domain knowledge and distribution. You want to launch a new product, platform or spin-out without building a tech team first.
- / A NEW PRODUCT OR REVENUE LINE
- / A SPIN-OUT OR JOINT VENTURE
- / AI THAT COULD BECOME A PRODUCT IN ITS OWN RIGHT
- / A COMMERCIAL LEAD WHO WILL OWN IT
A CTO WITH
SKIN IN THE GAME.
Not a supplier billing hours. A senior partner whose reward depends on the same thing yours does.
YOUR CTO & AI OFFICER
Architecture, AI, security and every technical decision, owned by someone at your top table.
A BUILD TEAM AT REDUCED RATES
Our bench of vetted contractors, scaled to what the product needs right now.
PRODUCT STRATEGY
What to build first, what to leave out, and how to get to paying customers on the money you have.
BOARD & INVESTOR SUPPORT
Technical due diligence, roadmaps and the tech story for your next raise or board meeting.
FOUNDER EXPERIENCE
We founded OnCourt AI and are CTO and equity partner in Forge Ideas, exactly the model our venture studio offers. We know both sides of the table.
YOU OWN EVERYTHING
Code, designs, data and documentation live in your company's accounts from day one.
FIVE STEPS.
TERMS FIRST.
We look at the market, the progress so far, the runway and the team. If it's a no, we'll say so quickly and tell you why.
A minority stake in exchange for a reduced fee, with vesting and milestones, signed in a shareholders' agreement before any work starts.
A 12-month plan: the milestones that matter for the business and the build needed to hit them.
A focused MVP in weeks, with weekly releases and full visibility of spend.
We sit on or observe the board, track the numbers and, when the time is right, hire and hand over to a permanent CTO.
THE STUDIO, EXPLAINED.
DO YOU INVEST CASH?
No. Our investment is senior time and a build team at a reduced rate. You still pay a fee, just a smaller one, and the difference is reflected in the equity.
HOW MUCH EQUITY DO YOU TAKE?
Always a minority stake. The size depends on how much we're building, how far your cash needs to go and how much the fee is reduced. It's agreed and documented before any work starts, never mid-project.
WHO OWNS THE CODE AND IP?
You do. Code, designs, data and documentation sit in your company's own accounts and repositories from day one.
WHAT IF THE PRODUCT DOESN'T WORK?
That's why we ship small and early. If customers won't pay, we'll know quickly, while there's still cash to change direction, and we'll be straight with you about whether to pivot or stop.
DO YOU REPLACE OUR EXISTING TEAM?
No. We work alongside your people and fill the technical and AI gaps until a permanent hire makes sense. Then we help you hire them.
WHAT IF WE'D RATHER JUST PAY?
Most clients do. You can retain or hire us as your CTO & AI Officer on a normal fee with no equity involved. See the CTO & AI Officer role →