Be ready before you raise.
TDA STARTS is a selective advisory engagement for pre-Series A founders who want to strengthen the company before fundraising becomes the center of attention. The work spans product, market, positioning, operations, diligence, visibility, network, and founder readiness.
STARTS creates evidence that the founders have done the work across the company before investors, customers, hires, and partners begin testing the story in earnest.
Nine dimensions of readiness.
The framework looks beyond pitch polish. It asks whether the company can support the story it plans to tell.
Can the company responsibly own what it built?
Architecture, technical debt, AI-assisted development, security, dependencies, continuity, and software ownership.
Does the team understand the buyer?
Customer discovery, problem evidence, segment clarity, competitive context, use cases, buying behavior, and route to revenue.
Can the company explain itself clearly?
Positioning, messaging, founder story, website, demo, deck, and consistency across audiences.
Is the raise tied to a credible plan?
Use of funds, milestones, investor targeting, data room readiness, financial narrative, and diligence preparation.
Can the team execute without improvising everything?
Roles, decisions, documentation, governance, hiring, internal systems, and execution discipline.
Can attention help rather than expose the company?
Press, founder visibility, thought leadership, launch planning, references, and external credibility.
Does the team know how to build leverage through relationships?
Customers, partners, advisors, investors, talent, media, connectors, and relationship discipline.
Can the founders lead the next version of the company?
Integrity, self-awareness, inclusion, conflict, psychological safety, sustainable practice, and judgment.
Will the team keep going after the novelty wears off?
Persistence, adaptability, realistic expectations, recovery after setbacks, and disciplined endurance.
A working advisory relationship, not a curriculum.
The engagement is built around the company in front of us, with the work shaped around its actual milestones, risks, and fundraising timeline.
Technical and product advisory
Technical debt, AI-assisted development, architecture, ownership, continuity, product risk, and diligence readiness.
Brand and messaging
Positioning, founder story, site language, narrative discipline, and investor-facing materials.
Go to market
Customer discovery, ICP, pricing logic, partnerships, outreach, sales narrative, and market feedback.
Fundraising preparation
Deck, use of funds, milestones, investor process, diligence, data room structure, and rehearsal.
Visibility and network
Press, founder visibility, events, introductions, ecosystem mapping, and relationship strategy.
Team and founder readiness
Role clarity, hiring, leadership behavior, conflict, sustainable pace, resilience, and next-stage judgment.
STARTS is intentionally limited so the advisory work stays senior and hands-on. Founders can request an initial conversation now.