Comparisons
Choose the kind of support your actual decision needs.
What kind of challenge do you need?
DIY / internal executive
- Primary value
- Fast context, low outside cash spend
- Typical deliverable to ask for
- Decision memo, quantified tests
- Likely weakness
- Confirmation bias, internal politics
- Independence check
- Whose success metric is tied to the answer?
- Best fit
- Reversible choices with clean data
Peer or accelerator mentor
- Primary value
- Pattern recognition and introductions
- Typical deliverable to ask for
- One-hour critique, 3 follow-ups
- Likely weakness
- Selection bias, no accountability
- Independence check
- Equity, investment and referral interests
- Best fit
- Early orientation
Founder executive coach
- Primary value
- Leadership behaviour, interpersonal choices
- Typical deliverable to ask for
- Coaching goals, cadence, boundaries
- Likely weakness
- May not validate market or finance hypotheses
- Independence check
- Sponsorship, confidentiality, qualifications
- Best fit
- Avoidance, conflict, judgement habits
Independent decision adviser
- Primary value
- Comparative assessment of one consequential choice
- Typical deliverable to ask for
- Written alternatives, pre-mortem and recommendations
- Likely weakness
- Process quality hard to evidence
- Independence check
- Investments, referral fees, follow-on implementation
- Best fit
- Pivot, partnership, consequential hire
Decision-science consultant
- Primary value
- Explicit framework and facilitation
- Typical deliverable to ask for
- Bias audit, decision rules, facilitated workshops
- Likely weakness
- Expense and abstraction
- Independence check
- Method validation and implementation incentives
- Best fit
- Multi-stakeholder uncertain choice
Fractional CFO
- Primary value
- Runway, unit economics, financing cases
- Typical deliverable to ask for
- Reconciled cash model and sensitivities
- Likely weakness
- Finance model alone cannot validate demand
- Independence check
- Compensation for fundraising or follow-on work
- Best fit
- Runway, hiring affordability, funding
Fractional CSO or operator
- Primary value
- Senior judgement plus continuing action
- Typical deliverable to ask for
- Plan and accountable deliverables
- Likely weakness
- Adviser may also sell execution
- Independence check
- Separate assessment fee from delivery
- Best fit
- Execution after strategy chosen
Startup lawyer
- Primary value
- Legal duties, negotiation, documents
- Typical deliverable to ask for
- Written legal issue list/redlines
- Likely weakness
- Not a general commercial strategist
- Independence check
- Representation and conflicting clients
- Best fit
- Funding terms, employment, corporate governance
AI-assisted self-review
- Primary value
- Low-cost alternatives and drafting
- Typical deliverable to ask for
- Evidence-tagged hypotheses
- Likely weakness
- Inaccurate or unverified output; data handling
- Independence check
- Training/retention, source checks, model version
- Best fit
- First-pass option generation
VC platform-funded group
- Primary value
- Peer learning at portfolio scale
- Typical deliverable to ask for
- Attendance, agreed learning outcomes
- Likely weakness
- Payer versus founder confidentiality tension
- Independence check
- Reporting rules and independent consent
- Best fit
- Repeat leadership learning
Fit depends on your actual decision, the evidence and the terms of the engagement.
Inside this section
Download the research ↓Choose the approach by the actual decision, not the provider's label
A founder buying a second opinion on a pivot has a different requirement from a founder needing a fractional leader to carry out a strategy.
Provider types, compared
Compare approach, primary value, typical deliverable to ask for, likely weakness, independence check and best fit.
Engagement structure: fixed-scope vs retainer vs equity
Compare term, fixed decision review, recurring retainer, equity-linked advice and internal / ai.
Compare decisions, not whole companies
Compare founder decision, minimum diy work, highest-value outside challenge and hard boundary.
How to trial an adviser without buying a retainer
Send an anonymised two-page case with two plausible hypotheses, one conflicting fact and a deadline.
Three traps in comparisons
Trap 1 — cheapest hourly rate wins.
Buyer brief for a comparable quotation
Specify decision, deadline, available evidence, permitted interviews, expected memo length, review meeting count, confidentiality and AI rules, excluded legal/securities work, fee type, cancellation, ownership of output, reference requirements and conflict declaration.
Editorial self-assessment
Not independently validated