The CXO perspective. Without the full-time cost.
A founder on retainer advisory gets access to 35 years of pattern recognition on demand — a senior voice that has faced similar decisions, made some of them wrong, learned from the consequences, and can help you avoid the same mistakes. That is a different proposition from a mentor, a coach, or a non-executive director.
For Startup Founders at Series A–C · SME Leadership Teams
Founder Advisory Retainer
A monthly retainer relationship that gives founders and leadership teams access to senior strategic counsel on an ongoing basis. Not a board seat. Not a coaching relationship. A trusted advisor who reads your updates, attends your key meetings on request, and gives you an honest view of the decisions in front of you.
What We Do
- Monthly strategy and decision review sessions
- Ad-hoc availability for urgent decisions
- Investor communication review and narrative feedback
- Organisational design and team structure advisory
- Competitive response and positioning counsel
- Board meeting preparation and pre-read review
- Honest assessment of plans, pitches, and people
For Startup Boards · Family-Owned Businesses · SMEs at Inflection Points
Board Advisory & Independent Director
Formal advisory board or independent director roles at startups and SMEs that need an operational CXO perspective at the table — one that is neither an investor looking for returns nor a lawyer looking for compliance, but a practitioner who has run businesses and understands what good decisions look like.
What We Do
- Advisory board membership: strategic input, challenge, and oversight
- Independent director roles at eligible companies
- Audit and risk committee participation where relevant
- Management accountability and performance review
- Governance framework design for early-stage boards
- Succession and leadership transition advisory
For Family Offices · Angel Investors · Early-Stage Funds
Venture Diligence Advisory
Helping investors evaluate B2B startup investments from an operational and market standpoint. Not financial diligence — that is the domain of accountants. Aarcher assesses whether the team understands the market they are entering, whether the product solves a problem that real buyers have, whether the business model holds up operationally, and whether the founding team can execute.
What We Do
- Market diligence: does this problem actually exist at the scale claimed
- Product diligence: does the solution address the real operational need
- Business model diligence: does the commercial logic hold up
- Team diligence: does the founding team understand their own market
- Competitive landscape: is the moat real
- India-specific assessment: is the GTM appropriate for how India buys
Aarcher takes on a small number of advisory relationships at any one time. The practice is deliberately boutique — every client gets Sujit’s direct attention, not a team working in his name. If there is no bandwidth, we will say so. If the fit is not right, we will say that too. The advisory relationship only works when both sides are direct about what they need.