Founders rarely need more inspiration. They need a senior counterparty who can read the business honestly, point at what is breaking and stay in the room while it gets fixed. We sit with founders in that role, on a small number of mandates per year.
When clients come to us
Usually at an inflection point. Product–market fit confirmed and the next eighteen months are the hardest. A first institutional round being prepared. A founder–operator hire being scoped. A bigger conversation — partner, acquirer, succession — that needs structuring before it becomes public. We work with founders building real businesses for corporate buyers, not consumer-investor narratives.
How we work
A senior partner is the founder's counterpart directly. Engagement rhythm is set by the founder — usually a structured monthly review, with on-call availability between. We hold the strategic, financial and structural agenda with the founder, and we bring in the relevant CGLA practice lead when the question requires depth. Confidentiality is the default.
What we deliver
- Strategic review with named priorities
- Financial and operating model challenge
- Capital strategy and round preparation
- Hire profiling and team-design support
- Board readiness and governance design
- On-call senior counterparty between reviews
Typical engagement
Founder advisory is structured as an ongoing relationship, usually six to eighteen months. On our side, a senior partner is the named counterpart, with practice leads brought in as needed. On the client side, the founder is the principal counterpart, with the board introduced when relevant. We commit to a small founder cohort each year.
Why CGLA
The advisor is a senior partner, not a junior associate, and the relationship is direct. We are independent of investors and acquirers, which keeps the advice aligned with the founder. We work in English, Turkish or Estonian as the founder prefers.
