Our clients
The lifecycle of technology adoption can be divided into four stages: emerging, growth, maturity, and decline. RIG's work is centred around the pioneering and early growth stages.
Client visit
Thematic focus
RIG operates with a dual commercial and moral imperative: we believe in realising financial value from solving some of industry and society's greatest challenges.
Our work focuses on the undertaking of specific activities which optimise and accelerate the adoption of transformative technologies, often touching on the core themes that will come to define the mid-twenty first century: climate; energy; critical minerals; water; food; and human health.
Stage specialists: unlocking value between TRLs 4-9
At the outset of an engagement, our clients by virtue of their stage often have either uncertain market applications or need to make prioritisation decisions around the markets on which to focus. Revenues are negligible, the level of unknowns high, and return on investment still negative. More often than not, they have yet to prove out a business model. Critical first customers or partners may not have been secured. In many cases, having committed to a particular market, the execution challenge has yet to be surmounted and mastered.
RIG's focus on 'pioneering' means that we are in many cases working ahead of proven demand and often before the technology has been deployed in a relevant operational context. As a stage specialist, we have a track record of working with companies that have technologies in the range of TRLs 4-9, often more narrowly defined between TRLs 5-8.
Pioneer model
RIG is not an alternative to building a commercial team; rather we operate as part of the execution team with a defined remit and specific responsibilities. We are, however, often deployed in a 'pioneering' role to address particular aspects of the scaling challenge ahead of building out the commercial team.
This recognises that hiring a growth leader before demonstrating market acceptance is likely to slow down, rather than speed up, the process. Market acceptance is proven through the achievement of a series of escalating value inflection points, built on a foundation of well-honed practices and processes in the company's image.
Adopting a well-worn playbook is a familiar challenge, but its inception and successful implementation demand a rarer set of skills.
Hence the maxim: first market, then team. Proving 'what works' on the back of early success helps identify the specific skillset required for growth, thereby minimising future recruitment risk. This is not a trivial issue in the context of venture firms where premature scaling can cost a venture company valuable runway and momentum.
Client model
Aligned to inflection, not hours
Traditional model
RIG model
Billable hours or flat transaction fee
Monthly fee ensures continuity and commitment
Revenue is independent of client outcomes
Value participation aligned to inflection milestones
Incentivises volume, not value
Focuses effort on strategic revenue, equity value, and scaling capital
No skin in the inflection cycle
Signals conviction: we only win when you win
Can include low-conviction or transactional engagements
Filters for serious clients and serious opportunities
RIG measures its success in terms of its ability to deliver strategic revenue, inflect equity value, and unlock scaling capital. This founding principle is embedded in our business model which aligns our incentivisation with the value inflection points we deliver.
In practical terms, the model comprises two complementary elements:
- A fixed fee to retain the high-calibre talent necessary to succeed in our work.
- Success fees linked to the market-side or capital securing deals which we structure.
We tailor the success-based arrangement to ensure our team is incentivised to help deliver the milestones that matter most to our clients. As such, there is no standard arrangement, only one that represents a win-win for both our client and RIG.
Basis for collaboration
RIG's collaboration with clients is often triggered by the need to navigate one or more of their stage-related challenges. We typically partner with our clients over extensive periods, until the company is set on an accelerating revenue path and commercial activities are characterised by repeatable and proven processes.