You already own the problem.
Operating partners at lower-middle-market firms, holdco principals, and the CEOs and CFOs running the companies underneath them. The deal is done. The plan is written. What is missing is the operating layer that would let you see whether the plan is working.
The common factor is not size or sector. It is that you are accountable for numbers you cannot produce quickly and cannot fully defend, and the next board meeting is already in the calendar.
Most operators arrive with the same four symptoms.
Most sub-institutional PE-backed companies operate below L0. It usually looks like this:
- →Monthly board reporting takes 3+ days of manual spreadsheet aggregation and PowerPoint tinkering
- →Dashboards live in individual siloed tools, or are non-existent
- →Every portfolio company runs different KPIs and different definitions of the same KPI
- →Operating partners spend more time wrangling data than driving decisions
The first instinct is usually to hire an analyst. But the problem is the data underneath, not the person on top of it. An analyst inherits the same three-day rebuild, every month, forever.
Sometimes you don't need a build.
A build is the wrong move when the real problem is one KPI definition nobody has agreed, or a single report that needs rebuilding once. That is a conversation, not an architecture, and you should not pay for an architecture to get it.
A build earns its keep when the same reconciliation happens every month, when each company in the platform defines the same driver differently, when the reporting cannot survive an add-on, or when you are being asked to defend a number by the next board meeting and are not certain you can. If you do not need one yet, you will hear that on the call.
Three ways in, in order.
Most operators start with the Assessment, because a Build Sprint scoped without one is a guess. Each stage stands on its own and you are never obliged to buy the next.
Architecture Assessment
A fixed-scope diagnostic. We map the operating reality, identify where the highest-leverage Level move is, and deliver a roadmap with specific recommendations, effort estimates, and the path to your target Level.
What you walk away with- ✓A complete operational assessment
- ✓A priority-ranked roadmap
- ✓A Build Sprint proposal, yours to execute with us or anyone else
Build Sprint
We design and deploy the architecture that moves your portfolio company or holdco from its current Level to the target Level. Modern data stack. AI infrastructure layered in where it actually changes outcomes. Built to last past the engagement.
What gets built- ✓Data architecture and reporting spine
- ✓AI-augmented decision support where it changes outcomes
- ✓Workflow automation
- ✓Training and documentation so your team owns the system
Strategic Retainer
Long-term advisory and ongoing build for operators we've already taken to L2. We extend the system, add capabilities as the team is ready, and run the operating cadence with you. This is where L2 → L3, and eventually L3 → L4, happen.
What it includes- ✓Monthly sprint of improvements and additions
- ✓Dedicated support channel
- ✓Quarterly operating review
- ✓Priority access for Build Sprint expansion work
The build is measured in Levels, not deliverables.
A Build Sprint takes most companies from manual operations to L0 and L1: a working datalake, pipelines, dashboards, and a standardized reporting spine. Companies that already have clean, structured data can reach L2 inside one sprint. L3 and above depend on the operating cadence holding, which is why they sit in the retainer.
Modern datalake, pipelines, and dashboards in place. No more three‑day manual aggregation.
The same numbers, the same way, every month, without analyst rebuilding.
AI surfaces patterns and recommendations on top of the spine.
AI in the loop for recurring decisions and handoffs.
Autonomous workflows where humans handle exceptions only.
What this is not.
The offer is narrow on purpose. This engagement does not include:
- —Staff augmentation. We are not renting you analysts.
- —Marketing websites.
- —Eighteen-month enterprise rollouts.
We work with a select number of operators per quarter. Selective by design.
Before you book the call
01Do I have to start with the Assessment?
It is the usual entry point, because a Build Sprint scoped without it is a guess. The Assessment is fixed-scope and the Build Sprint proposal it produces is yours to execute with us or anyone else.
02What if I do not need a build yet?
Then you will hear that. Some operators need one definition agreed and one report rebuilt, not an architecture. Thirty minutes is usually enough to tell which one you are.
03Who owns what you build?
You do. It runs on a modern data stack, it is documented, and your team is trained on it. It is built to last past the engagement, not to keep us in the building.
04How far can one Build Sprint take us?
From manual operations to L0 and L1 — a working datalake, pipelines, dashboards, and a standardized reporting spine. Up to L2 for companies that already have clean, structured data. L3 and above is retainer territory, because it depends on the operating cadence sticking.
05Can you work across a whole portfolio?
Yes, and the standardization is usually the point — the same drivers, defined the same way, reported on the same cadence across companies. We work with a select number of operators per quarter, so portfolio-wide work is sequenced rather than run all at once.