Turn ambition into focus
What you’ll work on
Expert disciplineStrategy & Finance- Set your baseline and priority.
- Challenge assumptions; explore AI opportunities.
Programme Details
8–10 participants, five expert disciplines and eight weeks to prove what works.
Delivery format / Eight weeksThree weeks in London.
Three weeks in London.
Five weeks online.
Expert-guided. Technology-enabled. Evidence-driven.
First cohort planned forFebruary 2027
Provisional dates22 February–15 April 2027Subject to confirmation
| Duration | Format |
|---|---|
| 2 weeksWeeks 1–2 · 22 February–5 March | Almost full-time, in person · London |
| 5 weeksWeeks 3–7 · 8 March–9 April | OnlineWeekly cohort sessions and one-to-ones with the programme lead. |
| 4 daysWeek 8 · 12–15 April | Full-time, Monday–Thursday, in person · LondonProof Day: Thursday 15 April. |
Final dates, daily hours and the London venue will be confirmed before you commit.
02 / Week by weekThe work,
The work,
in order.
Eight weeks to test your thinking, sharpen your commercial approach and make better-informed decisions. Applied to the business you want to start, grow or acquire.
Week 01Baseline & buyers
Give buyers a reason to choose you
What you’ll work on
Expert disciplineBrand & Marketing- Identify buyers and their priorities.
- Test reasons to choose you.
Week 02Positioning & offer
Put your offer to the market
What you’ll work on
Expert disciplineBrand & Marketing- Sharpen your message with buyers.
- Test your offer and sales channels.
- Focused outreach/lead gen.
Shape an offer worth delivering
What you’ll work on
Expert disciplineProduct & Technology- Test pricing; scope delivery or improvements.
- Check feasibility and delivery costs.
Week 03Economics & legal
Find what drives profit
What you’ll work on
Expert disciplineFinance & Accounting- Check margins, acquisition costs and retention.
- Test capacity and key sensitivities.
Protect what you’re building
What you’ll work on
Expert disciplineLegal- Review ownership, IP and agreements.
- Spot legal, data and AI risks.
Week 04Model & readiness
Put your plan through the numbers
What you’ll work on
Expert disciplineFinance & Accounting; programme lead- Model cash needs and downside.
- Midpoint review: pursue, change or stop.
Get financially ready
What you’ll work on
Expert disciplineFinance & Accounting- Review records, tax and working capital.
- Check funding readiness; SEIS/EIS if relevant.
Week 05Technology & delivery
Use technology where it counts
What you’ll work on
Expert disciplineTechnology- Compare build, buy or integrate.
- Assess people, AI and automation.
- Weigh costs, security and oversight.
Week 06Growth & acquisitions
Choose how to fund your next move
What you’ll work on
Expert disciplineStrategy, Finance & Legal- Compare trading cash flow and external funding.
- Weigh terms, trade-offs and evidence needed.
Explore buying rather than starting
What you’ll work on
Expert disciplineStrategy, Finance & Legal- Assess fit, earnings and valuation.
- Review due diligence, terms and finance.
- Opportunities and introductions where suitable and available.
Week 07Business case & next steps
Turn evidence into a plan
What you’ll work on
Expert disciplineProgramme lead; Finance, Brand & Marketing- Build the case for your route.
- Plan 90 days: actions, milestones and cash.
Week 08Review & Proof Day
Strengthen your thinking through challenge
What you’ll work on
Expert disciplineStrategy & Finance; cohort peers- Peer-test evidence and decisions.
- Find gaps; sharpen next steps.
Proof Day: make your case
What you’ll work on
Expert disciplineProgramme lead; panel to be confirmed- Present findings and next steps.
- Consolidate your Proof Record.
- Invited audience to be confirmed.
Shared learning. Work specific to your business. Experts provide the frameworks and tools; you apply them to your chosen priority. Funding and acquisition topics apply where relevant.
Different pathways. Different evidence.
Examples, not a checklist. Agree priorities with the programme lead based on your starting point and access to information. These are applications of the shared programme, not separate tracks.
Week 01Baseline & buyers
- Testing a new business
- Existing research, buyer assumptions and gaps to test.
- Growing an existing business
- Sales, margins and customer patterns from your records.
- Exploring an acquisition
- Search criteria, available capital and initial market research.
Week 02Positioning & offer
- Testing a new business
- Buyer feedback, offer responses and willingness to pay.
- Growing an existing business
- Customer objections, lost-sale reasons and pricing or channel-test results.
- Exploring an acquisition
- Target fit, available customer information and questions for the seller.
Week 03Economics & legal
- Testing a new business
- Indicative delivery costs, margin estimates and legal questions.
- Growing an existing business
- Margins, retention and capacity evidence; gaps in key agreements.
- Exploring an acquisition
- Reported earnings, customer concentration and diligence gaps—not yet verified.
Week 04Model & readiness
- Testing a new business
- A cash forecast linked to tested assumptions and downside scenarios.
- Growing an existing business
- Historical results, working-capital patterns and a forecast for the proposed change.
- Exploring an acquisition
- Affordability and cash-flow scenarios using available or illustrative figures.
Week 05Technology & delivery
- Testing a new business
- Tool comparisons or prototype observations: cost, quality and limitations.
- Growing an existing business
- Workflow timings, costs or error rates before and after a small test, where feasible.
- Exploring an acquisition
- Available systems and staffing information; dependencies and ownership risks.
Week 06Growth & acquisitions
- Testing a new business
- Cash needs and a reasoned comparison of self-funding and external finance.
- Growing an existing business
- Evidence for funding growth from trading cash flow or outside capital.
- Exploring an acquisition
- Indicative valuation and finance scenarios, with unresolved diligence questions.
Week 07Business case & next steps
- Testing a new business
- An evidence-backed business case and costed 90-day priorities.
- Growing an existing business
- A case for the chosen improvement, with responsibilities and success measures.
- Exploring an acquisition
- An acquisition assessment and next checks—not a completed transaction.
Week 08Review & Proof Day
- Testing a new business
- Test results, challenged assumptions and the next commercial decision.
- Growing an existing business
- What changed, what remains uncertain and the next operating priorities.
- Exploring an acquisition
- Reasons to pursue, pause or reject an opportunity or search approach.
Your Proof Record: what you tested or reviewed, what you found, how reliable it is, what remains assumed and the decision that follows.
For acquisitions, distinguish public information, seller-provided figures and independently verified evidence. An illustrative business can be used; access to a live deal is not required. AI-generated responses are not customer evidence.
Programme Lead
Photo to follow
Greg Vartoukian
Group CFO. Former founder. He combines financial discipline with an entrepreneur's instinct for opportunity and a practical understanding of what technology can make possible.
Expert Partners
Five disciplines, each with a defined role. Our experts and additional contributors will be revealed as confirmed.
Expert profiles
- Finance & Accounting
Name to be announced
Model, unit economics, funding plan, tax, SEIS/EIS and accounts setup.
- Legal
Name to be announced
Structure, IP, contracts, shareholder agreement, cap table and funding documents.
- Brand & Marketing
Name to be announced
Positioning, go-to-market and pre-Proof Day brand review.
- Product
Name to be announced
MVP scope, prioritisation and product review, jointly with Technology in week 2.
- Technology
Name to be announced
Early feasibility and build costs, stack, architecture, AI and running costs, security and build-versus-buy.
Other partners & contributors
View three contributor profiles
- Contributor
Name to be announced
Short profile and expertise to follow.
- Contributor
Name to be announced
Short profile and expertise to follow.
- Contributor
Name to be announced
Short profile and expertise to follow.
Practical support. Lasting value.
Expert & peer support
- Weekly 1:1s with the programme leadFull progress review in week 4.
- Weekly cohort sessions and peer feedback
- Learnings from all five expert disciplines
- Selected additional contributors
Your pathway & tools
- Your eight-week pathwayTailored to your ambition: organic growth, investment-led growth or acquisition.
- Your progress, in one placePriorities, weekly actions, evidence and feedback—organised around your business.
- Commercial tests for your routeTest demand and pricing, or assess an acquisition target.
- Financial model & decision toolsTest margins, cash and downside scenarios; assess valuation where relevant.
- Product scope & operating prioritiesBuild-versus-buy choices, or improvements to an existing business.
Evidence & next steps
- A Proof Record built as you goYour evidence, decisions and remaining uncertainties, brought together to support your next move. Yours to keep.
- Growth and funding planCompare organic growth, external funding and acquisition. Set priorities; introductions only where suitable and available.
- Proof Day presentation in LondonAudience to be confirmed.
05 / The programme termsKnow the terms
Know the terms
before you apply.
Programme fee£12,500
Per participant for the full eight-week programme.
Programme duration8 weeks
Three full-time weeks in London and five weeks online.
Where this stands
The programme fee is £12,500 per participant. Payment timing and eligibility will be set out in the written terms before you make a commitment. Read the disclosures
06 / SelectionSmall room.
Small room.
Real criteria.
Join the waitlist to hear when applications open. We look for evidence of a buyer, willingness to face the numbers and commitment to your fellow founders.
01Join the waitlist
02Apply when applications open
0330-minute conversation
04Numbers review
05Offer
07 / Straight answersGood
Good
questions.
Before you join the waitlist, start here. If the answer depends on a detail still being agreed, we'll say so.
Do I need funding to join the waitlist?
No. You can join before raising money or after early funding. When applications open, exceptional unfunded founders can be considered for our sponsored seat.
I've already raised a seed round. Is this for me?
Yes. Early or seed funding does not rule you out. The cohort can suit companies still testing their business model, product and route to growth. Fit depends on what you need to work through, not just how much you've raised.
Who are the five experts?
Senior people in finance and accounting, legal, brand and marketing, product and technology. They share learnings, guidelines and tools for you to apply to your own business. Individual partners will be announced when confirmed.
How many people are in each programme?
Each programme has 8–10 participants, supported by experts across five core disciplines and selected additional contributors.
Do I have to use the partner firms afterwards?
No. Their programme sessions come with no obligation to use their services. Any work you choose to commission afterwards is agreed separately with them.
Do you help build the product?
Our Product and Technology experts share frameworks, guidelines and tools to help you scope what to build and assess costs. You do the work on your own business; bespoke product development and coding are not included.
What is the time commitment?
Eight weeks: near full-time in London for weeks 1–2, online for weeks 3–7, then full-time Monday–Thursday in London for week 8. Expect weekly cohort sessions, programme-lead one-to-ones and work between sessions. Dates and hours are confirmed before you commit.
Can I join before I have revenue?
Yes. An early buyer signal matters more than a perfect revenue chart. Be ready to test your assumptions.
Is the programme remote or in person?
Hybrid: two near full-time weeks in person in London, five weeks online, then four full-time days in London culminating in Proof Day. The venue will be confirmed before you commit.
What happens after the programme?
Your route depends on the evidence: keep building, seek the right funding, or stop.
Ongoing finance-led support may be available after the cohort, with scope and availability agreed separately.
Ask about Advisory Support
Does Pentacorn invest in my business?
The programme is not a promise of investment. Any introduction depends on suitability and availability; it is not guaranteed.
What will it cost?
The programme fee is £12,500 per participant for the full eight weeks. Full payment terms will be provided for review before you make any commitment.
The next stepMake the next decision
Make the next decision
with better evidence.
8–10 participants. Five expert disciplines. Eight weeks to test what works.
Join the waitlistMore support, or continuing after the cohort?
Ask about Advisory Support