Founder and investor services: who do you need, and when?
Start with the task before choosing a provider. Are you establishing a business, preparing for funding, evaluating an acquisition or comparing expansion markets? Each calls for a different scope, and some need several specialists. This PitchSeen guide provides a way to frame your request and compare proposals. A directory listing does not establish endorsement or guarantee that a provider will accept your engagement.
Match the task to a service
| Task | Service category | What to clarify |
|---|---|---|
| Establish a business in a new market | Company formation and local legal support | Country, business activity, proposed structure and relevant parties |
| Organize information before fundraising | Accounting and financial planning | Available records, reporting period and the decision to support |
| Understand business value | Business valuation | Purpose, valuation date and available information |
| Evaluate an acquisition or investment | Legal, financial, commercial and other appropriate diligence | Transaction scope, discussion stage and authorized documents |
| Open a business bank account | Corporate banking | Entity, activity and market, followed by the bank's own current requirements |
| Choose an expansion market | Market research and market-entry support | Target customer, sector, entry model and comparison criteria |
Write a brief that makes answers comparable
Replace a general request for advice with a specific decision. Describe your business stage, market and required output. State your preferred deadline as your need, rather than a promise about service delivery.
- Task and decision: what do you need to understand or prepare?
- Scope: what is included and explicitly excluded?
- Deliverables: a report, document review, sessions or an executed procedure?
- Inputs: what information exists and who may access it?
- Commercial terms: fees, stages, additional costs and proposal validity.
Compare scope before comparing fees
Two proposals may differ because one reviews existing work while another produces new analysis. Ask who is responsible, what relevant local expertise they have, what defines completion and whether a conflict may arise. Where a regulated professional activity is involved, verify eligibility through the appropriate official source for the market and activity. A logo or marketing description is not evidence of authorization.
- Does the proposal cover your market and activity?
- Are assumptions and exclusions written down?
- Are deliverables, ownership and handover clear?
- How will confidential information be handled?
- Can a second provider quote against the same scope?
Using the PitchSeen directory
This is a public educational guide to service categories. It does not grant access to the private provider directory inside PitchSeen, which remains subject to its release status and access permissions.
Founder and investor service categories help organize research across providers, services and markets. Read the source and review date, then confirm current scope with the provider. Coverage can differ by market. A confirmed partner relationship is distinct from an informational directory listing.
Prepare your brief and questions before contacting a provider. You do not need to publish a private deck or confidential documents on a public page to do this. Specialist services are delivered by their providers under their own engagement terms. This guide promises neither funding nor approval nor a completed transaction.
Sources and their scope
These links illustrate service scope only; they do not establish a PitchSeen partnership or local availability.