Innovation Advisory and Executive Sparring
Innovation decisions become expensive before the outcome becomes certain.
An initiative may need further funding. A portfolio may contain too many projects and too little comparable evidence. A founder may need to decide whether weak traction reflects a flawed solution, the wrong market or an opportunity that should be abandoned.
In these situations, additional activity is not always the answer.
I help executives, boards, founders and innovation leaders diagnose the decision, expose the assumptions carrying the greatest risk and determine what evidence should justify the next commitment.
I am based in Switzerland and work with organizations across DACH, Europe and internationally.
Executive Sparring
Independent challenge for a specific strategic innovation decision.
This may include:
preparing for a board or steering meeting;
challenging the assumptions behind an investment proposal;
deciding whether an initiative should continue;
evaluating a proposed pivot;
distinguishing evidence from internal conviction;
clarifying what must be learned before approval.
The result is not a generic recommendation. It is a clearer decision, the reasoning behind it and the conditions under which that decision should change.
Innovation Decision Review
A structured review of one initiative before a consequential commitment.
The review examines:
the decision being requested;
strategic relevance;
assumptions and dependencies;
evidence quality;
remaining uncertainty;
financial and organizational exposure;
alternative courses of action;
the next evidence threshold.
The result can be documented as a concise decision memo for sponsors, steering committees or boards.
Innovation Portfolio Review
A portfolio should not be evaluated only by project status, budget consumed or milestones completed.
A portfolio review compares initiatives according to:
what must be true;
what has actually been learned;
how strong the evidence is;
what remains uncertain;
what additional commitment is being requested;
what the organization gives up by continuing.
The purpose is to improve allocation—not to make every project appear healthy.
Business Model and Venture Review
For founders and corporate ventures preparing to test, fund, launch or scale a business model.
The review examines:
the importance and underserved nature of the customer struggle;
the causal logic connecting the solution to customer progress;
switching and adoption barriers;
willingness to pay;
delivery and operating assumptions;
economic viability;
evidence required before scaling.
AI Innovation Advisory
For organizations investing in AI use cases, products or operating-model changes.
The work focuses on:
the decision the AI investment should improve;
the value assumption behind the use case;
the expertise and accountability that must remain human;
evidence beyond productivity claims;
adoption, workflow and business-model consequences;
criteria for testing, scaling or stopping.
Ways of working
Engagements can take the form of:
a single executive sparring session;
an initiative decision review;
a portfolio review;
preparation for a board or steering decision;
several advisory sessions across a decision cycle;
fractional innovation advisory.
The scope follows the decision. It does not need to become a large consulting program.
Discuss the decision
Send a brief description of:
the decision you face;
the initiatives or options involved;
what is currently uncertain;
what will become expensive if the decision is wrong;
when the decision must be made
