Engagement

How MLNR builds, what you get, and what stays yours.

A 30-minute Discovery conversation opens every engagement. The page below describes what comes next. Every engagement starts with a three-week Discovery Sprint and chooses a structure that follows from what the workflow asks for.

The engagement architecture

Four engagement tiers. One federation.

Pick the one that fits your stage and your preferred commercial structure. Discovery is always the entry. The choice of what follows is shaped at the gate.

01
Discovery Sprint
Three weeks · the entry point
What you buy Workflow audit, stakeholder map, integration assessment, prototype, success metrics tied to a commercial KPI, IP and pathway agreed in writing.
What you get A go/no-go decision gate at the end of week three. Either party can walk; fees paid to date only.
Procurement-friendly entry. Small enough to clear most discretionary budgets without panel approval.
02
Venture Build
Eight to twelve weeks · the core build
What you buy Production AI live in your environment. A pod of three to four founding-partner-led seniors. Strategy and ship under one roof, milestone-gated delivery.
What you get Working product, documentation, runbooks, a 30-day defect period, and a Venture pathway (A, B, C, or D) chosen at Discovery and never retrofitted.
One workflow. One production build. One pod. One commercial structure.
03
Transformation Engagement
Four to six months · the strategic arc
What you buy Six stages, four to six months. Reset, Review, Reframe, Horizon, Operating Environment, MVP. Partner-led through the strategic stages, pod-led through the build. Milestone-paid against stage deliverables.
What you get An Operating Environment your team keeps and runs against, plus a shipped MVP that proves the new behaviour in production. The artefact you point at for your board, your LPs, and your acquirers. Operating Partner Retainer is available as continuation. We offer it. We don't push it.
PE-backed mid-market with a defined exit window and a measurable value-creation thesis.
04
Operating Partner Retainer
Rolling, from six months · the ongoing option
What you buy An embedded senior pod operating continuously alongside your team. Same partners running the preceding engagement; no relationship reset. Two named variants based on commercial fit: Founding Pod Retainer (pure monthly retainer, scale-ups, founding-team intensity) and Operating Partner Retainer (nominal retainer plus outcome upside, PE-anchored to your exit cycle).
What you get Continued senior shipping capacity, institutional knowledge retained in the pod, quarterly review gates, no-fault exit at any gate with one quarter's notice. The Operating Partner mechanics detailed below apply to both variants; outcome upside is specific to the PE variant.
PE-backed businesses inside an exit window, or scale-ups needing senior pod intensity beyond a single build.
How an engagement starts

The on-ramp.

The first three weeks are Discovery. The first gate is at week three. For a Venture Build, the clock starts at the end of week five; the mid-point check-in falls at week eleven; delivery sits at week seventeen. Every gate has a no-fault exit.

Discovery Setup Venture Build 30-day defect Week 3 gate Week 11 mid-point Delivery W0 W3 W5 W11 W17 W21 Either party walks. Fees paid to date only. KPI check-in. Scope adjust or exit at 50%. SLA met or defect period extends without fee.
Week 3 gate Either party can walk. This is the gate that makes the offer commercially trustworthy. You can engage at the Discovery tier without committing to the Venture Build tier.
Build mid-point (week 11) Mandatory KPI check-in. If off-track, mutually agreed scope adjustment or no-fault exit at fifty percent of remaining fee.
Delivery quality gate SLAs met at delivery, or the 30-day defect period extends without additional fee until met or mutually closed.
Transformation Engagement timing The same Discovery and Week 3 gate apply. After that, the structure expands. Six stages, four to six months: Reset, Review, Reframe, Horizon, Operating Environment, MVP. Stage gates replace the mid-build check-in. The delivery quality gate applies to the MVP at engagement close. A Venture Build ships one workflow in twelve weeks. A Transformation Engagement ships operating-model change as an MVP in sixteen to twenty-four.
Venture Build outcomes

Venture pathways.

Each Venture Build chooses one of four pathways at Discovery. The pathway shapes IP, equity, and post-delivery economics from day one, never retrofitted. Transformation Engagements use a milestone-paid structure ending in MVP delivery; Operating Partner Retainers follow the commercial structure detailed below.

A
Build & Hand Over
You own 100% of product IP. We deliver, transfer, and disband. Optional support retainer.
IPPerpetual exclusive use, all rights transfer on final payment.
EquityNone.
Post-deliveryOptional support retainer. 30-day defect period included.
When it fitsPE-backed buyers wanting clean commercial transactions. No equity conversation with the PE house.
Commercial shape
Cash · clean transfer
B
Build & Share
You get perpetual rights for your use. We retain licensing rights for sector-wide productisation, with non-compete protections.
IPPerpetual use for you; sector licensing rights retained by MLNR.
EquityNone. Discounted build fee.
Post-deliveryNon-compete window for named direct competitors. Anonymised learnings may be redeployed in other sectors.
When it fitsWorkflows with sector-wide applicability where you do not want to operate a SaaS business yourself.
Commercial shape
CashLicence retained
C
Build & Spin
The build becomes a new venture. You become an anchor customer and equity participant. MLNR retains founder equity. Independent management team installed.
IPStructured into the JV at venture formation.
Equity10–30% to you as anchor and shareholder. MLNR retains founder equity.
Post-deliveryJV terms agreed at engagement start, not retrofitted. Standalone management team installed.
When it fitsAmbitious scale-ups, CVCs with venture-creation mandate, enterprises with a product opportunity they do not want to operate.
Commercial shape
CashEquity
D
Build & Acquire
We build and own initially. You acquire at a pre-agreed price and trigger. You pay for proven product, not promise.
IPRetained by MLNR through build. Full transfer at acquisition trigger.
EquityNone during build. Full acquisition at trigger.
Post-deliveryPre-agreed acquisition price and trigger conditions. You acquire what works; we carry the build risk.
When it fitsCautious buyers who want to de-risk by paying for outcome rather than effort.
Commercial shape
Deferred · acquisition trigger
A separate commercial structure

Operating Partner mechanics.

For engagements where ongoing operating involvement matters more than a one-off build. Two named variants share a common backbone: the same retainer mechanics, the same exit gates, the same IP defaults. They differ on commercial flavour, anchoring, and outcome share.

Founding Pod Retainer
For AI-native scale-ups

Pure monthly retainer. Pod operates as an extension of the founding team. Multiple workstreams, ongoing roadmap, scaling with engagement loading. From six months minimum. No outcome upside; the value is in continuity of senior shipping capacity.

Operating Partner Retainer
For PE-backed mid-market

Nominal monthly retainer plus outcome upside on attributable value uplift. Anchored to the PE exit cycle. Quarterly review gates against a value-creation metric defined at signing. The flavour MLNR carries outcome risk on.

Retainer
Monthly retainer paid quarterly in advance. Sized to sit below the PE house procurement threshold for discretionary commitments. The Founding Pod variant uses a higher base retainer (no upside component); the Operating Partner variant uses a nominal base with upside layered on.
Outcome upside
Operating Partner variant only. A defined share of attributable value uplift, capped to keep the deal commercially clean. Negotiated per engagement against the exit thesis.
Upside trigger
Operating Partner variant only. Quarterly payments against realised metric movements, or a lump sum at a major valuation event (refinancing, Series round, exit). Defined at signing.
Engagement length
Founding Pod: rolling, from six months minimum. Operating Partner: anchored to the PE exit cycle. Both run on quarterly review gates with one quarter's notice for no-fault exit.
Outcome metric
Operating Partner variant only. Defined and signed at engagement start. Examples: EBITDA uplift, cost ratio improvement, processing time tied to volume, NPS uplift tied to retention. Measurable, attributable, and tied to the exit thesis.
IP ownership
You retain 100% of process IP. MLNR retains methodology, tooling, and the right to redeploy the playbook in non-competing engagements. Applies to both variants.
Capacity
Four concurrent engagements per founding partner. Each engagement: one senior partner-led plus one or two fractional pod members. Applies to both variants.
Risk profile
Founding Pod: shared operational risk; MLNR carries delivery risk, buyer carries roadmap and prioritisation risk. Operating Partner: MLNR additionally carries outcome risk in exchange for upside participation. E&O insurance in place before signing in both cases.
When Founding Pod fits
AI-native scale-ups with founding-team intensity and multiple concurrent workstreams. Senior product, engineering, design, and operating muscle you cannot hire fast enough. From six months minimum because the relationship needs time to compound.
When Operating Partner fits
PE-backed businesses inside a defined exit window with a manual or semi-manual process that has measurable value at stake, sitting inside a PE house with operating-partner culture rather than pure board governance.
Risks managed at signing
Outcome attribution disputes (methodology and third-party arbitration defined at signing), PE exit timeline slippage, pod fatigue across long engagements, and outcome metric scoping. The metric definition is the highest-stakes commercial conversation in the Operating Partner variant, never rushed.
Both sides protected

What protects you, what protects us.

Every engagement runs on the same set of gates, defaults, and exits. Stated in writing at signing. No retrofits.

Off-ramp options

Four delivery and post-delivery paths. Chosen at Discovery, confirmed at delivery.

  • Clean hand-over (default). Pod disbands within 30 days. All IP, documentation, and runbooks transferred. 30-day defect period included.
  • Continued embedded pod. Pod transitions to an Operating Partner Retainer (Founding Pod or Operating Partner variant). New workstreams scoped at the Venture Build close or Transformation MVP delivery.
  • Spin-out (Pathway C). You become anchor customer and shareholder in the new venture. JV terms agreed at engagement start, not retrofitted.
  • Internal team take-over. Pod trains your internal team across a four-week parallel-running period. Day-rate retainer available for 90 days after.

No-fault exits

Three gates protect both sides during a Venture Build engagement.

  • End of Discovery (week 3). Either party walks, fees paid to date only.
  • Build mid-point (week 11). Mandatory check-in against KPIs. If off-track, mutually agreed scope adjustment or exit at 50% of remaining fee.
  • Delivery quality gate. If SLAs are not met, the defect period extends without additional fee until met or mutually closed.

Transformation Engagements add stage gates between each of the six stages. Operating Partner Retainer engagements (both variants) add quarterly review gates with one quarter's notice for no-fault exit.

IP defaults

Stated in every engagement contract.

  • All product IP transfers to you on final payment. Pathway A grants perpetual exclusive use. Pathway B grants perpetual use with sector licensing retained by MLNR. Pathway C structures IP into the JV at venture formation. Transformation Engagements transfer the Operating Environment and MVP to you on final milestone payment. Operating Partner Retainer engagements: you retain process IP from day one; MLNR retains methodology and tooling rights.
  • MLNR retains rights to its underlying methods, patterns, code libraries, and design system. These are the assets that pre-existed your engagement.
  • Anonymised learnings may be used for productisation in other sectors, subject to non-compete windows agreed at engagement start.

What walks out the door

At Venture Build delivery, every engagement transfers a defined deliverable set.

  • Production code running live in your stack.
  • Architecture documentation at the level a senior engineer joining the team in six months can follow.
  • Operational runbooks for the workflows the build automates.
  • Internal product owner handover across the final two weeks of the build.
  • 30-day defect period with no additional fee for fixes against the agreed SLA.

Transformation Engagements add: Reset, Review, Reframe, Horizon, and Operating Environment artefacts at each stage; MVP at engagement close.

The next conversation

A 30-minute call. No commitment.

We talk through the workflow, the buyer pathway, and whether the offer fits. If it does, the Discovery Sprint is the entry. If it doesn't, we both save the next conversation.