an investor needs a second opinion. a board wants the architecture read. an acquirer wants the data room read out. we write the working paper, hand it over, leave.
a second pair of eyes, written down
cadenceintensive read-out no embedded posture
term2–4 weeks short block
deliverableworking paper signed, footnoted
posturearms-length we read; we leave
the work, named.
a board needs the architecture read before the next round. an investor needs a second opinion before the term sheet. an acquirer needs the data room read out before closing. we read, we write, we hand over. no embedded posture, no follow-on engagement.
what we read.
the data layer — schema, lineage, ownership, gaps.
the platform — stack, hosting, sovereignty posture, technical debt.
the compliance surface — popia, audit, sector-specific regulator posture.
the team — size, seniority, key-person risk, hiring posture.
the roadmap — what is built, what is half-built, what is on a whiteboard.
the financials, only as they bear on engineering spend.
what we do not do.
we do not write the term sheet. we read; counsel signs.
we do not stay on as cto after the read. that is the fractional surface.
we do not run the rfp. we name the surfaces; you run the process.
we do not negotiate price on your behalf. we hand you the working paper.
we do not write a buy / no-buy. we write findings; you decide.
§ posturean advisory engagement is a read, not a relationship. the working paper is the artefact. once it is signed, we are an email away — that is all we should be.
how it runs.
three weeks of reading. one working paper at the end. signed, footnoted, defensible.
cadence
scopew. 01
readw. 02–03
hand-overw. 04
D.01 · scope
one week. one signed sow.
we agree what is in scope, what is out, who we talk to, what data we get. we do not start until the sow is signed and ndas are in place.
D.02 · read
two weeks. on-site where it matters.
we read the system, the team, the artefacts. we interview the technical leadership. we do not interrupt the build.
D.03 · hand-over
one week. one working paper.
we draft, you review, we sign. the paper is footnoted to source. you hold the canonical copy. we destroy our working files on close.
this is for you if…
signals.
a term sheet is two weeks away and your investor wants a second opinion.
your board is asking why engineering velocity is what it is.
an acquirer is in diligence and the data room needs a read.
a major architectural decision is on the table and you want it stress-tested.
you are exiting and the buyer asked for technical due diligence.
not for you if…
you want a marketing-tone "audit report" with a logo. we do not write those.
you want a buy / no-buy from us. that is yours; we give you findings.
you want us to stay on after. we will not — that is a different surface.
you want a one-day read. it is at minimum two weeks.
commercial shape.
fixed sow scoped to surface. priced in zar plus vat. fifty percent on sow signature; fifty percent on signed working paper.
investor read · 2 wksecond opinion on a series-a / b technical posture. signed working paper.r 240kfixed scope
board read · 3 wkarchitecture, team, roadmap. on-site interviews. signed working paper.r 360kfixed scope
acquirer diligence · 4 wkfull technical due diligence for an acquisition. data room signed.r 560kfixed scope
example · a series-b read for an offshore investor.
a london-based growth investor evaluating a south african logistics platform pre series-b. three-week board-read, two on-site, one writing. signed working paper handed to investor counsel; the round closed two months later.
w. 01
scope.
mutual nda. data access agreement signed. eight named interviewees on the calendar.
w. 02–03
read.
on-site two weeks. read the platform, the audit trail, the team. interviewed leadership and two engineers.
w. 04
hand-over.
thirty-six-page signed working paper. footnoted to source. investor counsel held the canonical copy.