Approach Zones X-RAY Sprint Alternatives FAQ Team Start
Prepared for
Felix + Christian · nedgex
Feb 2026
No more
random
GTM acts.
GTM X-RAY
+
Sales Foundation Sprint

Two lanes. Find every hole in the road — then fill the ones that matter. What we examine, what each session produces, and exactly how to start.

Lane 1 · Diagnostic
GTM X-RAY
1 week · €3.000
Find every hole in the road.
Always first. Determines sprint scope.
Lane 2 · Intervention
Sales Foundation
2–4 weeks · €6–12K
Lock decisions. Rebuild surfaces.
5 sessions. You own everything.
Follow-on Sprints
Reach · Co-Pilot
Mentoring
Build pipeline. Close first wins.
Keep the system alive.
Zone 4, 5, ongoing. Standalone.
Core Approach
The road has
holes in it.

From a distance, it looks like a road. Up close, every gap is a reason for a buyer to stop. Our job is to find every hole — and tell you which ones to fill first.

← First contact
Signed →
Buyer can't place category
No alternative named
Can't forward internally
No channel bet locked
Procurement path missing
No low-risk first step
How we find the holes
Outside-in.
Story-led.

We don't ask "how do you sell?" We ask "walk me through how your last three customers found you." From how the story is told, the gaps reveal themselves — without interrogation, without defensiveness.

We arrive having already audited every surface the buyer sees. We validate findings — not start cold.

What we're actually fixing
Missing
decisions.

Every gap in the road traces back to a decision that hasn't been made. Not a messaging problem. Not a sales skill problem. A decision that's either locked, fuzzy, or missing entirely.

Locked decisions compound. Fuzzy ones mean every call starts from scratch. That's the tax we remove.

What we're not
No best-practice model from above. No opinion-led recommendations. No "in my experience" without evidence.
What we are
Evidence from your own surfaces. Gaps shown through buyer eyes. Decisions the team makes themselves — with data.
Why it sticks
The team sees their own blind spots — not ours. That's why it gets implemented. With or without further support.
The Zone System
10 zones.
One system.
Diagnosed in sequence.

Every B2B venture has the same structural problem: decisions that haven't been made compound into GTM dysfunction. The 10 Zones are the complete map of those decisions — from first buyer contact to team building.

Zones aren't labels for symptoms. They're the locations where specific decisions either get made or don't. We assess from the outside — as a buyer, investor, or team member would experience the company — not from the inside looking out.

Primary path · Every venture · Zones 1–5
Always run in sequence
Zone 1
Buyability
Can a buyer understand, compare, and say yes?
Lock first
Zone 2
Viability
Does the commercial model hold if 50 buyers say yes?
Zone 3
Travelability
Can the story travel without the founder in the room?
Zone 4
Reachability
Do the right buyers find you — or you find them?
Zone 5
Closability
Can a buyer feel safe enough to sign?
Expansion zones · Triggered by condition · Zones 6–10
Run when primary path is working
Zone 6
Stickability
Do customers come back after first use?
Trigger: churn signal
Zone 7
Expandability
Do customers pay more as they get value?
Trigger: flat NRR
Zone 8
Fundability
Does an investor see a clear thesis to back?
Trigger: fundraise horizon
Zone 9
Portability
Can the model expand to new markets?
Trigger: geo/segment expansion
Zone 10
Thriveability
Do people want to join and stay?
Trigger: founder dependency
How this works in practice

The X-RAY diagnostic always starts with Zones 1–5. Zone 1 (Buyability) is assessed first — it's the root cause in almost every case. Expansion zones are triggered when a specific condition appears: fundraising on the horizon triggers Zone 8, visible churn triggers Zone 6. The diagnostic report tells you exactly which zones apply and in what order.

How the system is structured · 4 layers per zone
Decisions create
everything downstream.

Each zone has four layers that cascade from each other. When we diagnose, we work from the bottom up — reading behaviors and results to infer which decisions are missing. When we fix, we work top down — locking decisions first, then rendering them into surfaces.

Layer 1 · Root cause
Decisions
The choices that have or haven't been made. Three states: Locked, Fuzzy, or Missing.
Category · Customer · Alternative
Difference · Outcome · Proof type
First step · Pricing · Channel bet
Missing decisions are the root cause of every GTM symptom.
Layer 2 · Where decisions render
Surfaces
Every surface reflects the decisions behind it. Fuzzy decisions create inconsistent surfaces. Missing decisions create surfaces that confuse.
Homepage · Sales deck · Outbound
LinkedIn · Proposal · Demo script
Pitch · Onboarding · Pricing page
We audit surfaces to infer which decisions are missing.
Layer 3 · Early signals
Behaviors
What buyers, users, and stakeholders actually do. These are the behavioral signals that tell you whether decisions are working — before revenue confirms it.
Self-select in / out before call
"I shared this with my team"
Buyer names the alternative correctly
Champion can close without founder
Leading indicators. Show up before revenue moves.
Layer 4 · What compounds
Results
The lagging outcomes that reflect whether the full system is working. These move last — but they move because of what's locked at Layer 1.
Win rate · Sales cycle time
Pipeline quality · CAC · Close rate
Activation rate · NRR · Churn
Lagging indicators. The score at the end of the game.
↓ lock decisions
↓ surfaces align
↓ behaviors flow
↑ results improve
When we diagnose (X-RAY)
We start at Layers 3 and 4. Behavioral signals and results tell us where things break. Then we trace back to Layer 2 (which surfaces are broken) and Layer 1 (which decisions are missing). That's why we audit surfaces before the session — so we arrive with hypotheses, not questions.
When we fix (Sprint)
We always start at Layer 1. Lock the decisions first. Then render them into surfaces (Layer 2). Behaviors and results follow — but they can't be forced directly. You can't fix a win rate by rewriting copy. You fix it by locking the decision the copy renders from.
Lane 1 · GTM X-RAY Diagnostic
GTM X-RAY.
In 1 week,
we find the holes.

We audit every surface your buyers encounter. 5 zones scored. Every gap named. Every missing decision identified. A sprint plan ready if you want to act.

Investment
€3.000
Fixed · 1 week · Standalone
No retainer. No commitment to sprint.
Time from founders
90 min · Outside-in interview (Wed)
45 min · Findings walkthrough (Mon+1)
Everything else: zero hours from you
What you receive
Zone Scorecard (5 zones)
Decision Gaps Map (9 decisions)
Root cause per red zone
Sprint plan recommendation
What we examine — 5 zones in the diagnostic
Zone 1 · Buyability
Can a buyer understand, compare, and say yes?
"Walk me through what a buyer experiences from first contact to 'I want this.'"
Always first
Highest leverage
Buying Engine · Positioning decisions
✓ 0 explicit
⚠ typical: 3 implied
✗ typical: 2 missing
Category
"[Product name]" → No known bucket. Buyer can't place this in 3 seconds.
1
2
Customer (ICP)
"For R&D teams" → Too broad. No role, no environment, no disqualifier.
5
Alternative
"Replace spreadsheets" → Alternative not named. No urgency, no natural comparison.
9
Difference
"AI-powered" → Describes capability, not why you win vs. named alternative.
7
8
Outcome
"Better decisions" → Aspiration, not decision-grade result. Buyer: "So what?"
8
11
Trust decisions · Buyer risk
Owner / Champ
"R&D +" (no role named) → "No clear owner → committees form."
5
6
Proof type
"Easy UI" / "throughline" → "Seems nice" but not "safe to bet on."
11
12
Effort shape
"Start within 3 months" → Timeline ≠ effort. Buyer: how heavy is this?
12
15
Movement decisions · Converting, starting
First step
"Request demo" → No safe start path. Buyer must commit before seeing value.
13
15
Start recipe
"45 minutes, real use cases" → Unclear what to prepare / what happens next.
13
Using Engine · Activation decisions
Triggered when buyer says yes — but doesn't activate
Activation moment
"Better decisions" / "faster development" → Buyer: "Cool... what's the first visible result?"
8
13
First value path
"Request demo / start within 3 months" → No week-1/2 path defined. Feels heavy, no early win.
12
15
Time to value
"Start within 3 months" → Buyer: "Sounds heavy. No early win." Commitment feels open-ended.
11
12
Output example · Buyability decision audit
Buyability decision audit output
What this reveals
Each red or fuzzy decision is a hole in the road. When 5+ decisions are missing, no amount of messaging work fixes it — because the decisions that copy renders from aren't made yet. Zone 1 is almost always the root cause.
Zone 2 · Viability
Does the commercial model hold if 50 buyers say yes?
"If 50 buyers said yes in 12 months — what has to be true about pricing, capacity, and market?"
Async audit
Pricing page or slide · Business model in pitch deck · Packaging logic if exists
Session questions
Is pricing locked or negotiated per deal? · What does one customer cost vs. generate? · Is the unit model written down anywhere?
What this reveals
Whether the commercial model is a conscious decision or still improvised. Pricing that changes per deal is a missing decision — not a negotiation strategy.
Zone 3 · Travelability
Can the story travel without the founder in the room?
"What does a buyer see, read, or receive when you're not in the room?"
Async audit
Sales deck · One-pager or sales brief · Follow-up email template · Leave-behind if exists
Session questions
What happens when the champion tries to sell upward internally? · Does the story change when the founder isn't on the call?
What this reveals
Whether the pitch can travel through a buying committee without the founder. If only the founder can close, this zone is red — and the sprint fix is a forwardable kit.
Zone 4 · Reachability
Do the right buyers find you — or you find them?
"How do the right buyers find you — or how do you find them?"
Async audit
LinkedIn profile + post cadence · Outbound email sequences · Cold outreach / DM samples
Session questions
Where did the last 5 customers come from? · What channel is the team betting on this quarter — and is it written down?
What this reveals
"We get customers from everywhere" means there's no bet — which means nothing can be optimised. Accidental traction vs. conscious channel is the Zone 4 question.
Zone 5 · Closability
Can a buyer feel safe enough to sign?
"What does a buyer need to feel safe enough to sign?"
Async audit
Proposal template · Demo script or call structure · Security / compliance FAQ if exists
Session questions
What objection appears in almost every deal? · Who else needs to say yes beyond the champion? · Is there a pilot or low-risk first step offer?
What this reveals
Deals stalling at legal / procurement / security is a Zone 5 gap — not a sales skill gap. The fix is mapping and handling procurement friction before it hits.
What you receive — Zone Scorecard · Delivered Monday
Zone 1 · Buyability
🔴
7 of 9 positioning decisions missing or fuzzy. Category unclear. No alternative named. No safe first step.
Zone 2 · Viability
🟡
Pricing exists but changes per deal. Unit model not written down. ACV range unresolved.
Zone 3 · Travelability
🔴
No forwardable one-pager. Deck on version 11. Story changes per presenter.
Zone 4 · Reachability
🟡
LinkedIn active but no channel bet locked. Last 5 customers: 3 referral, 2 outbound, 0 inbound.
Zone 5 · Closability
🟡
Security FAQ missing. No pilot offer defined. Procurement path undocumented.
Recommendation
Fix Zone 1 first. It's the root cause: because no positioning decision is locked, every downstream zone is leaking. Zone 3 and Zone 5 will partially self-correct once Zone 1 decisions are made. Recommended entry: Sales Foundation Sprint · Commit Bets & Story (€6.000 · 2 weeks).
Output example · Zone Scorecard with Decision Gaps Map
Zone Scorecard example
Lane 2 · Sales Foundation Sprint
One story,
everything
rebuilt.

5 decision sessions over 2–4 weeks. We do everything between. You show up, you approve, you own what gets built.

Entry · Most start here
Commit Bets
& Story
Positioning Decision Matrix
Locked angle + story
Core homepage hero + section plan
Message framework
Messaging system + handover kit
€6.000
2–3 weeks · 5 sessions
Most complete
Make It
Land
Everything in Commit Bets
Full homepage copy (ready to publish)
Section intent + reuse playbook
€9.000
3–4 weeks · 5 sessions
Full system
Make It
Repeat
Everything in Make It Land
Pitch deck (12 slides)
Sales brief + objection handling
Team run-through + handover kit
€12.000
4–5 weeks · 5 sessions
Session by session — what each produces · All sessions 120 min (90 min structured + 30 min Q&A)
Before Session 1 · Async audit (included in all tiers)
We audit your homepage, competitors, sales calls, and demand signals before we meet. We arrive at Session 1 with findings — not blank paper. Time from your team: materials shared upfront, no prep required.
Competitor audit Sales call audit Customer segmentation Demand signal survey JTBD breakdown
Session 1 · Week 1
Commit Your Positioning Bets
Before this session: nothing is built.
After: every downstream decision has a source of truth.
120 min · CEO + core team
In-person or video
We surface every positioning direction the company is running — explicitly or implicitly. We stress-test each one against buyer evidence from the async audit. Then we force the decision: which bet wins?
Positioning Decision Matrix Locked angle Discard log (what we chose not to be)
Output example · Positioning Decision Matrix
Positioning Decision Matrix
Capability unlocked after Session 1
NOW: The team can answer "what are you?" in one sentence — and it's the same sentence every time. Wrong-fit prospects start disqualifying themselves before the call.
Session 2 · Week 2
Activate Your Positioning in a Locked Story
Before: story changes per presenter.
After: one positioning card. Every surface uses it.
120 min · CEO approves
Written outputs between sessions
We write the core story. Define ICP boundaries — who to sell and who to reject. Map the message to each surface. You approve before anything gets built.
One-page Positioning Card Core story (problem → difference → outcome) ICP boundaries (sell / don't sell) Message framework
Output example · One-Page Positioning Card
One-Page Positioning Card
Capability unlocked after Session 2
NOW: Any team member can brief an agency, onboard a new hire, or write a LinkedIn post — and stay on-message. The Positioning Card becomes the source of truth for every surface.
Session 3 · Week 3
Activate Your Positioning on the Homepage
Before: homepage reflects old thinking.
After: homepage qualifies buyers before the call.
120 min · CEO approves copy
Done-for-you between sessions
We write the homepage end-to-end — done-for-you copy, ready to publish. Every section mapped to a buyer decision. You approve section by section.
Full homepage copy Section intent doc Reuse playbook Hero variants (2–3)
Output example · Homepage copy structure
Homepage copy output
Capability unlocked after Session 3
NOW: The homepage qualifies buyers before the call. Right-fit prospects arrive referencing what they read. The team gets 20 minutes back from every intro call.
Session 4 · Week 4
Activate Your Story Across the Sales System
Before: founder-dependent pitch, version 11 deck.
After: team pitches without shadowing the founder.
120 min · Full team
Deck + brief built between sessions
We build everything the team needs to run without the founder. Pitch deck, sales brief, team run-through. Assets built before the session — session is review, approval, and training.
Pitch deck (12 slides) Sales brief (objections + competitors) Team run-through recording Decision ledger
Output example · Sales brief structure
Sales brief output
Capability unlocked after Session 4
NOW: New hires pitch without shadowing founders. The deck stops getting "customised" per deal. Sales calls reach yes or no in half the time.
Session 5 · Final Week
Hand the System to the Team
Before: system lives with us.
After: team owns it. Zero dependency on Product.Zone.
120 min · CEO + full team
The system goes live
We build the maintenance layer that keeps the system alive without us. How to update messaging when something changes. How to onboard new team members to the story. The decision log as a living document. Then we hand over — clean, complete, with instructions.
Messaging update protocol New hire onboarding script Decision log (living doc) Notion handover kit 30-day activation checklist
Output example · Handover kit structure
Handover kit
Capability unlocked after Session 5
NOW: The system runs without us. If the market shifts or a new hire joins, the team knows how to update the story — from the decision level, not the copy level. Zero dependency on Product.Zone to maintain it.
After the sprint — follow-on options

Each is standalone and sprint-scoped. No requirement to continue. The diagnostic always determines whether one is needed.

Reach Sprint
Build the Pipeline
Story is locked but no consistent pipeline yet. Outbound sequences, pre-qualified targets, co-piloted first calls.
✓ Outbound sequence (email + LinkedIn)
✓ Pre-qualified prospect list
✓ Co-piloted calls (live + debrief)
€9.000 · 4–6 weeks
Co-Pilot Sprint
Close First Wins
Pipeline exists but deals stall. We join live calls, identify exact friction, iterate the story in real buying situations.
✓ Live call shadowing + debrief
✓ Objection handling playbook
✓ Pitch iteration on live signals
€6.000 · 3–4 weeks
Mentoring Retainer
Keep It Alive
Foundation built. But decisions drift when market shifts or team grows. Monthly pattern review keeps the system current.
✓ Monthly 90-min decision review
✓ Signal monitoring
✓ Direct access to Thorsten
From €3.000 / month
Full intervention ladder
Zone 1
Sales Foundation Sprint
Lock story, rebuild surfaces
Zone 4
Reach Sprint
Build consistent pipeline
Zone 5
Co-Pilot Sprint
Close the first wins
Zone 6–7
Stick & Expand
Activation + upsell
Ongoing
Mentoring
Keep decisions current
Each sprint is standalone. No requirement to continue. The diagnostic always determines the right entry point.
Proof · Lyrasense · TUM Munich
"We need to explain the product every time again."
15
positioning decisions locked across category, customer, alternative, difference, outcome, proof, champion, first step
3
sales assets shipped: homepage spine, pitch deck structure, sales brief
4 wks
total engagement. Now fundraising for growth.
Pitch became consistent across buyer-facing assets and team members. New team members pitched without shadowing Nader. Qualification improved. Founder hours on sales explanation dropped significantly.
Direct Answers
The questions
Felix asked.
Answered directly.

Four questions that always come up before a first engagement.

Q · 01
"How much time does this take from the founders?"

The diagnostic: one 90-minute interview on Wednesday. That's it from the founder. Everything else — audit, synthesis, scorecard, sprint plan — happens without them.

The sprint: five 120-minute sessions over 3–5 weeks, one per week. Everything built between sessions is done by us. Founders review and approve — they don't produce.

Total founder time Diagnostic: 90 min interview + 45 min findings review  ·  Sprint: 5 × 120 min sessions  ·  Everything else: zero
Q · 02
"How do we make sure this isn't seen as a top-down intervention?"

We never arrive with a recommendation. We arrive with questions. The outside-in method means we surface what's broken through the founder's own story — not through our model imposed on their company.

The joint kick-off (VC + founder, 30 min) is specifically designed to make the diagnostic feel like a shared tool, not a VC audit. Felix frames it: "I want to understand your GTM before we discuss next steps." We're there to help the founder see their own blind spots — with evidence, not opinion.

What founders say "We saw our own blind spots — not someone else's model." That's why it gets implemented without further pressure.
Q · 03
"What exactly do we get for €3.000? Sounds expensive for a 90-minute interview."

The 90-minute session is the last step, not the main work. Here is the full week:

Mon–Tue
Async audit of every buyer-facing surface. Homepage, deck, LinkedIn, outbound — scored against buyer jobs and 9 positioning decisions.
Wed
90-min outside-in interview. We validate findings, not start cold. Every question connects to a gap already identified in the audit.
Thu–Fri
Zone scoring, root cause synthesis, sprint plan written. The "why" behind every red zone — not just the scores.
Mon+1
120-min findings walkthrough with VC + founder. Scorecard delivered. Sprint recommendation presented. Decision to proceed: yours.
Delivered on Monday Zone Scorecard (5 zones scored) · Decision Gaps Map (9 decisions: locked / fuzzy / missing) · Root cause per zone · Sprint plan recommendation with scope and investment
Why €3.000 is rational €3k buys: 2 days of async audit across all buyer-facing surfaces · structured outside-in interview · zone scoring + root cause synthesis · a comparable scorecard format you can reuse across portfolio · sprint plan ready to activate. The alternative: 2–3 wasted months of pipeline activity into a leaking funnel, plus the founder hours spent explaining the product in every call. That cost is typically 10–30× higher.
Q · 04
"How do we make sure improvements get implemented and lived?"

Three mechanisms work together — they compound rather than substitute for each other.

01
Evidence, not opinion. The team sees their own blind spots through buyer evidence — not consultant recommendations. When the founder's own story surfaces the gap, there's no resistance to fixing it.
02
Done-for-you deliverables. We don't hand over frameworks — we hand over working assets. Session 5 builds the maintenance layer: the team knows how to update the story from the decision level, not just the copy level.
03
Continuation if habits drift. The Co-Pilot Sprint puts us in live sales calls alongside the team — improvisation gets caught in real buying situations. The Mentoring Retainer keeps the system current as the company evolves.
On dependency Every deliverable ships with usage instructions. If we're needed permanently to keep it running, we failed at the sprint. The goal is zero dependency.
Common Alternatives
The usual
moves.
Why they stall.

Every VC and founder we talk to has tried at least one of these first. None of them are wrong — they're just solving a different problem than the one that's actually blocking sales.

Alternative 01
Hire a GTM lead
or sales person
Brings execution capacity. Starts building pipeline, running calls, opening doors.
Why it stalls A great sales person can't fix a positioning problem — they can only outrun it for a while. If the story is inconsistent, the new hire improvises per deal. Win rate stays flat. CAC climbs. Then the blame shifts to hire quality.
Missing: the decisions that make their pitch consistent from day one.
Alternative 02
Ask for a revised
deck or website
Surfaces look better. The deck is on version 6. The homepage is cleaner. Copy is sharper.
Why it stalls Better surfaces don't fix missing decisions — they just render them more expensively. If category, ICP, and alternative aren't locked, the new deck will express the same confusion with better fonts. Three months later: another revision.
Missing: the locked decisions the copy should render from.
Alternative 03
Bring in a sales
advisor or mentor
Brings experience and network. Often an operator who's scaled a sales team before. Gives frameworks and introductions.
Why it stalls Advisors work from "in my experience." Without a structured diagnostic, recommendations are opinions — not evidence from your own buyers. Introductions land in the wrong conversations. Advice is hard to activate without someone to build the assets.
Missing: diagnosis of which specific decisions to lock, and someone to build the outputs.
Alternative 04
Run more pipeline
activities
More outbound. More events. More intros. Fill the top of the funnel and let conversion sort itself out.
Why it stalls Volume into a leaking funnel just increases the leak. Every conversation that ends in "let us think about it" is a positioning problem — not a pipeline problem. More activity reveals the gap faster but doesn't close it.
Missing: a story that converts the conversations you're already having.
What these alternatives have in common
They all assume the positioning is fine and execution is the problem. The X-RAY tests that assumption in one week — with evidence from buyer surfaces and the founder's own story. In most early-stage B2B cases, positioning gaps cascade into everything downstream. The right sequence is: diagnose first, then choose your intervention.
When these alternatives ARE the right move
If the X-RAY shows that positioning decisions are locked — category is clear, ICP is defined, story travels without the founder — then pipeline activity, a GTM hire, or sales advisor support is the right next step. We'll say so explicitly in the sprint recommendation.
The Team
Operators,
not consultants.

We've been inside the founding teams. We know what it's like to be the one who has to explain the product to a skeptical buyer at 7pm on a Thursday. That's the frame we bring to every engagement.

TH
Thorsten Heilig
Founder · Product.Zone
15+ years across marketing, sales, product, and CEO roles. Most recently Interim Product Lead at Fugro — taking VirGeo from pilot confusion to product traction in a complex B2B environment with long sales cycles, multiple stakeholders, and no obvious category.
Built the Decision Architecture methodology after running the same diagnostic pattern across 12+ ventures and noticing the same root cause: decisions that hadn't been made, cascading into surfaces that confused buyers.
Background
Marketing · Sales · Product · CEO
Sectors
Geo/Space · Deep Tech · Complex B2B
Working style
Founder-to-founder. Done-for-you.
LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/thorstenheilig
DM
Dima
Sprint Delivery & Research · Product.Zone
Runs the research and delivery layer that makes the sprint possible. The async audit, the synthesis, the structured output between sessions — that's Dima. Founders interact with Thorsten in sessions; Dima makes sure the work actually ships on time and to standard.
Lean background with a sharp eye for what's broken in a GTM surface. Approaches every audit as a buyer would — not as a consultant reviewing a document.
Role in sprint
Research · Synthesis · Delivery
Approach
Buyer-first audit. Output-oriented.
Working style
Async-first. Ships before sessions.
LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/
How we work together
Thorsten leads the diagnostic interview and all five sprint sessions. Dima builds everything between sessions — audit, synthesis, first draft assets. You see finished work at each session, not rough ideas.
What this means for founders
One face in the room — Thorsten. Full research and delivery engine behind that. Founders don't spend time managing a team or waiting for output. The work arrives before each session.
What this means for quality
Every deliverable is reviewed by both of us before it reaches the founder. We don't ship first drafts into sprint sessions. Standard: if we'd be embarrassed to defend it, it doesn't go out.
Right Start
Start here.
One company.
One week.

The safe entry path. No commitment to a sprint until you've seen what's broken.

01
First Step · Recommended CTA
GTM X-RAY on one company

Pick one portfolio company where deals stall or the pitch feels inconsistent. Run the 1-week diagnostic. See the zone scorecard and decision gaps map before committing to anything further.

✓ 1 week turnaround
✓ €3.000 fixed, no retainer
✓ Results before any sprint commitment
✓ Comparable format — repeatable across portfolio
✓ VC + founder kick-off included (30 min joint session)
Book the X-RAY → [email protected]
02
Risk reversal
The guarantee

If the X-RAY doesn't surface at least 3 concrete buying frictions with a clear first sprint recommendation — you shouldn't do more with us.

The diagnostic stands alone. No obligation to proceed with any intervention. The scorecard and decision gaps map are yours regardless.

For portfolio use: each diagnostic runs independently. Results in a comparable format. You get a structured read on GTM health before committing board time or capital to the commercial question.

Start Recipe · Joint session (VC + founder · 30 min)

For portfolio engagements we recommend a 30-minute joint kick-off with the VC partner and founding team together. Aligns on what we're looking for, removes ambiguity about the purpose of the diagnostic, and means the founder goes in with full context — not a feeling of being assessed from the side.

This is not a discovery call. It's a 30-minute brief: here's the zone framework, here's what we'll look at, here's what you'll receive, here's how we'll use it together.

What we need from the team — input requirements
Asset Required? Format What we use it for
Homepage URLRequiredLive URLZone 1 audit — 9 decisions scored against current content
Sales deckRequiredPDF or linkZone 3 audit — travelability, story consistency
LinkedIn profileRequiredURLZone 4 audit — channel presence, message alignment
Outbound email samplesRecommended2–3 (names removed)Zone 4 audit — outreach quality and message fit
Sales call notes / transcriptRecommended2–3 recent (anon.)Zone 1 + 5 — what founder says vs. what surfaces say
Pricing page or slideIf existsPage or slideZone 2 audit — is pricing decision locked or open?
Proposal templateIf existsDoc or PDFZone 5 audit — procurement path and commitment structure
Investor pitch deckOptionalPDF or linkZone 2 + 8 context — business model and unit economics

All materials treated as confidential. Names, customer details, and commercial terms can be redacted. We work from whatever exists — nothing needs to be created specially.

What happens — the diagnostic week
Mon
Materials in. Async audit begins.
Us · 0 hrs from team
Tue
Deck, outbound, pricing reviewed.
Us · 0 hrs from team
Wed
90-min outside-in interview. Story-led questions only.
CEO/founder · 90 min
Thu–Fri
Zone scoring, synthesis, sprint plan drafted.
Us · 0 hrs from team
Mon+1
120-min findings walkthrough. Scorecard delivered. Sprint decision: yours.
CEO + VC · 120 min
Fastest path forward
One company.
One week.
Book the X-RAY.

Pick the portfolio company where deals stall or the pitch feels inconsistent. We'll have a zone scorecard and decision gaps map in your hands the following Monday.

→ €3.000 fixed · 1 week · No retainer
→ 90 min from founders. Everything else: us.
→ Sprint decision yours — after you see results.
Book the X-RAY → hi@product.zone
Or reply to Felix's email to confirm which company to start with.
Decision rule
If the X-RAY doesn't deliver,
stop. No pressure.

If we can't surface at least 3 concrete buying frictions with a clear sprint recommendation — the diagnostic failed. Stop. The scorecard is yours regardless. No sprint obligation, no retainer, no follow-up pressure.

What a typical first engagement looks like
Week 1
GTM X-RAY · Zone scorecard delivered
Week 2–3
Sprint starts if findings are clear (optional)
Week 4–5
Sessions 3–5 · Assets built + handed over
Week 6+
Team runs independently · Follow-on optional
Prepared for Felix + Christian · nedgex · Feb 2026