Startups Advisory
Commercially grounded strategic and financial performance advice for founders and Startups.
About to start a new venture and would like to learn more about our expertise?
The problem we solve
Startups rarely fail due to a lack of ambition, ideas, or innovation. They fail because early decisions regarding demand, market fit, financial management, structure, equity, capital, team composition and governance are made quickly, informally, and without a clear view of the downstream consequences.
Founders are often forced to make material decisions, including bringing on investors, acquiring assets, issuing equity, relocating IP, entering new markets, before the business has scale, leverage or depth. Once embedded, these early decisions are difficult and can be hard to unwind, often creating friction at the point capital, growth, or exit opportunities arise.
Auscorporate helps founders navigate this complexity by bringing disciplined, executive-level judgement to decisions that shape value long before scale is reached.
Our approach - Commercially focused and intent-driven
Our Startup Advisory approach is commercially led and intent-driven. We bring a depth of experience in advising startups that have gone on to scale globally and achieve successful exits.
Our approach is based on real-world experience. Our objective is that 100% of the startups we advise are successful. We don’t subscribe to the venture capitial view of placing bets across many companies on the basis that two out of a hundred will provide a 100x return. That’s a waste of capital and time.
We do not begin with templates, accelerator frameworks or generic venture models. We start by understanding how the business is intended to grow, where value will be created, and which decisions founders must retain control over as complexity increases.
From there, we work with founders to:
Identify structural, financial, equity and governance risks early
Clarify founder motivations by identifying areas of alignment and divergence within multi-founder teams, ensuring strategic intent reflects both shared objectives and individual priorities.
Identify where risks sit today and where they will emerge in the future
Design solutions that support growth without over-engineering things, including by providing outsourced solutions that help early-stage ventures get access to the right skills and experience at the right time
Preserve flexibility for future capital, transactions or exit scenarios
We understand that startups require momentum and practicality, but this should never come at the expense of their long-term success.
Who we work with
Our clients come from diverse backgrounds and industries, seeking our support to solve unfamiliar commercial challenges or to augment their experience during critical periods of growth or transformation. We advise boards, executive teams, business owners and entrepreneurs as they scale their businesses, navigate major transactions or pursue significant strategic objectives.
We work with founders both before and after a startup is formed. Many of our Startup Advisory engagements begin before a company exists, where founders need independent advice to test assumptions, clarify intent, design ownership and structure appropriately, and avoid early decisions that constrain future outcomes.
Unlike accelerators and venture programs, we regularly advise founders before a company is formed, where the quality of early decisions matters most, and the cost of mistakes is highest.
Why should startups work with an Advisor?
In Australia, more than 70% of startups fail in the first three years.
Multiple longitudinal studies of small and early-stage businesses have shown that access to experienced advisors significantly improves survival, particularly within the first 3-5 years.
Independent research consistently shows that startups and early-stage businesses that engage experienced, independent advisors are more likely to survive, grow and attract capital than those that do not. A controlled field study by Harvard Business School found that founders who received structured, experience-based advice achieved materially higher survival and growth outcomes over time. Complementary academic research has also demonstrated a positive correlation between mentoring and improved fundraising outcomes, including a higher likelihood of raising follow-on capital. Importantly, this evidence does not suggest that advice eliminates risk; rather, it improves decision quality at moments when early mistakes are costly and difficult to rectify. Auscorporate’s Startup Advisory practice is built on the principle of improving the probability of success by helping founders make fewer irreversible decisions under uncertainty.
“We take a fundamentally different view to venture capital. Our objective is that every startup we advise succeeds. We do not accept a model that assumes most businesses will fail so that a small number may deliver exceptional returns. That mindset may suit investors, but it rarely serves founders. Our focus is on improving decision quality, protecting value and building businesses designed to endure.”
What we deliver
Our startup advisory engagements are tailored to the stage and ambition of the new venture and its founders.
Structuring advice aligned to the startup’s business model, growth strategy and funding pathway
Founder equity and ownership design, including dilution, vesting and control considerations
Transaction structuring for staged acquisitions, co-investment platforms and early strategic deals
Capital readiness advice, including equity pathways, investor sequencing and term sheet design
Intellectual property structuring and ownership strategies that support commercialisation and investment
Governance foundations that evolve with the business, avoiding both under- and over-governance
Financial model development, including forecasting, budgeting and models that help founders identify capital needs and the implications on timing
Coordination with legal, taxation advisors to ensure key decisions are implementable and commercially coherent
Why engage us?
Startups engage Auscorporate because we sit between accelerators and large professional firms without the limitations of either.
We do not take equity, run cohort programs or impose standardised models. Our advice is shaped by decades of executive leadership and transaction experience across Australia and international markets, including regulated, capital-intensive and technology-driven environments.
Auscorporate brings a proven track record of advising founders and leadership teams through the decisions that matter most in the early life of a business, from formation and first capital through to growth, restructuring and exit.
Startup clients engage Auscorporate because we offer:
Executive-level experience across startup, scale-up and complex operating environments
Our principals have led and advised organisations across technology, defence and national security, digital services, medical and healthcare, professional services and advanced industries. This experience translates directly into startup advisory work, where founders often make decisions typically reserved for much larger businesses.Commercial judgement shaped by real operating experience
Our advice is grounded in lived operational, financial and governance responsibility. We understand how startups function under capital constraints, evolving products, and founder dynamics, ensuring that strategic advice is not only sound in principle but also executable in practice.Deep understanding of founder-led and growth-stage businesses
We regularly advise founder-led startups and scale-ups, at the pre-formation stage through to material growth and capital events. We recognise the distinct challenges faced by startups before scale, including informal decision-making structures, concentrated risk, and founder dependency, and deliver advice that evolves with the business.Experience across capital, restructuring and early-stage transactions
Our team has supported over $500 million in corporate transactions, restructurings, and capital events, including staged acquisitions, co-investment platforms, investment readiness, and ownership realignment. This experience informs our startup advice, particularly when early decisions significantly impact future transaction outcomes.A focus on alignment, clarity and governance from day one
We help founders align strategic intent, ownership, control and decision-making early, reducing friction as their startup scales. Our governance advice strikes a balance between under-governance and over-engineering, creating structures that mature with the business rather than constrain it.Independent, disciplined advisory perspective
We are not investors, accelerators or product advocates. We provide objective analysis, structured challenge and clear judgement, helping founders test assumptions, evaluate trade-offs and make decisions with long-term implications.Enduring advisory relationships
We work alongside founders and leadership teams over time, not just at transaction points. Clients value continuity, and an advisor who understands the history behind decisions as the business progresses through successive growth stages.
Case Studies
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Case 1 | Sector: Professional Services Client: Arteri
Arteri is an Australian human-centred design consultancy working with some of the country’s largest brands to design better products and services. Operating as a professional services firm, Arteri delivers consulting, advisory, workshops, facilitation, training and coaching to solve complex, real-world problems for its clients.
As demand for Arteri’s services increased, the founders recognised the need to move beyond organic growth and informal operating arrangements. Scaling a professional services business presented particular challenges, including capacity planning, pricing discipline, delivery models, cash flow management and founder dependency, all within a highly competitive market for talent and clients.
Arteri engaged Auscorporate to provide strategic advisory support for startup and scale-up. Our engagement focused on developing an operational business plan that supports sustainable growth while preserving the firm’s design-led culture and client outcomes. We worked closely with the founders across all facets of the business, providing advice on corporate matters, financial modelling, commercial decision-making and growth planning.
Auscorporate’s role was to help translate Arteri’s strong market positioning and capability into a scalable operating model. This included testing growth assumptions, modelling different scale pathways, and supporting the founders as they navigated the practical challenges of expanding a founder-led professional services firm.
The result was a clearer strategic direction, improved financial visibility and a more deliberate approach to growth. Arteri was better positioned to scale its operations, manage risk and compete effectively while maintaining the quality and impact of its work.
“Auscorporate has provided strategic advice to Arteri that has helped us position the business in the market and successfully navigate the challenges of rapidly scaling a startup.”
Fran Mether, Founding Partner, Arteri -
Case 2 | Sector: Digital Transformation & Technology Client: Hide and Seek Group
Hide and Seek Group is a leading Australian digital design consultancy, delivering complex digital ecosystems for Australian federal government agencies and publicly listed companies. Operating at the intersection of design, technology and user experience, the business competed at an international standard while relying heavily on specialist talent, client continuity and intellectual capital.
In 2021, Hide and Seek Group engaged Auscorporate to advise on and support a management buy-out (MBO), requiring careful execution to ensure continuity of people, capability and clients through the transition. The transaction presented both opportunity and risk: while the MBO enabled a new growth phase, it also required disciplined planning to avoid disruption to staff, delivery and key relationships.
Auscorporate was appointed to provide end-to-end advisory support. Our engagement included the development of a scale-up strategy, commercial and employment practice advisory, and strategic planning to support the incoming management team. We also advised on investor engagement, led notifications with prospective investors, and assisted in identifying, securing and establishing a new corporate head office to support the group’s expansion ambitions.
Following the successful completion of the MBO, the business moved quickly to capitalise on its new position. Hide and Seek Group was presented with a narrow window to leverage acquired assets, introduce new systems and processes, and scale nationally in a highly competitive market for creative and digital talent.
Auscorporate continued to advise management through this next phase, including the successful negotiation of an investment from an ASX-listed software company. Our role focused on structuring the investment, supporting negotiations, and assisting management to design and implement an effective transition and growth plan.
The outcome was the rapid creation and scale-up of a national digital design consultancy within months of the MBO, supported by institutional capital and a clear strategic direction. The business transitioned ownership, secured investment and scaled capability without losing momentum, culture or client confidence.
Australian Corporate Advisory has been instrumental in helping our leadership team navigate a series of complex transactions while advising us how to better manage the risks and the day-to-day practicalities of scaling up our business.” Dan Navfield – Managing Director - Hide and Seek Group -
Case 3 | Cleint: Digital Health Psychology Services - Rosy
An Australian digital health startup was established to address persistent challenges in mental health care, including stigma, accessibility and the effective matching of clients with suitable clinicians. The business was developing proprietary matching technology designed to improve patient outcomes, but faced the common early-stage challenge of translating a strong mission and product into an investable, scalable business.
The founders engaged Auscorporate to provide strategic startup advisory support as the business prepared for growth and external investment. At that stage, the business required clarity around structure, ownership, intellectual property and financial readiness to support future scale.
Auscorporate worked closely with the leadership team to develop a comprehensive strategy focused on creating an investable foundation. Our engagement included structuring advice, an intellectual property review, financial modelling and budget development, alongside broader advisory support to the founders as they navigated early growth decisions. Importantly, the advice was staged and pragmatic, recognising the need to balance momentum with disciplined decision-making.
A new group structure was implemented based on this strategy, positioning the business for scalability, governance maturity and investor scrutiny. The resulting structure supported a short Series A campaign and ultimately enabled a successful private acquisition.
The founders were able to progress from early-stage execution to a credible, investment-ready position without over-engineering the business or constraining future options. The outcome reflected a deliberate focus on decision quality, alignment and value protection at critical stages of the startup lifecycle.
“Auscorporate have gone above and beyond at every opportunity to help us as we grow our start-up. They understand the pressures around scaling and were able to put together an engagement that allowed us to deeply collaborate and build solid trust early on. Their advice has been invaluable, providing a critical bridge between our organisation and other professional services. Most importantly, their strategic advice has been on point every time.”
Charlie Murray, CEO & Founder
FAQs
Is this advisory only for early-stage startups?
No. We advise founders prior to the formation of a startup through to incorporation, early-stage and scale-up, particularly where growth, financial performance, capital or commercial transactions introduce new complexity.
I have a startup that is in trouble. Can you help?
If your startup’s strategy is underperforming, then we can help you review it to identify alternative strategies. If it’s not working, the time to fix it is now.
When is the right time to raise?
This is a great question with many answers, the most common being “yesterday”. Most startups underestimate the time it takes to raise capital. Moreover, startups are often not well-prepared to identify their financial position, including their cash runway and the implications of a delayed raise. Startups that obtain advice are more likely to be successful.
Have you helped startups be successful?
Yes. Our principals have advised numerous startups on their journey to success, from global expansion to successful capital rounds and founder exits. We have helped our clients achieve the goals they have set for success.
Wouldn’t getting advice just slow down my startup?
Speed can be important in the context of a startup - it’s certainly something that makes the startup environment exciting. We help startup clients maintain speed by avoiding poor decisions by delivering expertise that demonstrates better judgment at times when it’s important to slow down and make the right decision. We do this by providing founders with access to experienced advisors who are practitioners.
Do you work with founders with an idea?
Yes. We work with founders who want to sound out a new idea. Most of the time, it’s more than one idea. For some of our serial entrepreneurs, it’s ten ideas a day! We love identifying winning ideas in a world of possibilities. Once the ‘what’ is decided, then we work with founders to identify the ‘how’.
Do you take equity?
No. We do not take equity in client businesses.
We deliberately maintain independence because holding an equity stake fundamentally changes the nature of advice. Once an advisor becomes an investor, it becomes difficult, and in many cases, impossible to fully de-conflict advice relating to valuation, timing of capital, dilution, control, exit pathways, or alternative strategic options.
Our role is to advise founders in their best interests, not to optimise outcomes for an investment position. This enables us to challenge assumptions, recommend restraint where appropriate, and support decisions that preserve long-term value even when those decisions may temporarily reduce short-term growth or investor returns.
Equity-for-advice models can be effective for accelerators or venture programs with portfolio-based objectives. Our objective is different. We focus on improving decision quality for each business we advise, recognising that founders bear the concentration of risk, time and personal capital.