Pelorus

Our services

Three pillars.
Three packages.

Entrepreneurs serving entrepreneurs. A full advisory engagement, agile in our exchanges and fast in decision-making, carried by the direct involvement of our two partners on every mission.

Free scoping call (30 min)See services
Initial scoping · free · 30 min

30 minutes to see if we are a good fit.

A 30-minute call with a Pelorus partner. We understand your situation, your decision-making stakes, and we check whether we are the right partner. If yes, we point you to the right engagement. If not, we tell you straight. No formal deliverable, no aggressive pitch. Short written follow-up within 24h on request.

Book a slot
01 · Strategy

Strategy

Diagnostic, business-plan review, market studies. To decide fast and right.

Strategic Diagnostic

Levers and blind spots identified, a costed and prioritised action plan, debriefed directly with the executive.

  • Flash · to decide fast 5 days
  • Standard · full 360° diagnostic 3 weeks
  • In-depth · immersion + 12-18 month roadmap 5 weeks
What's included
  • Internal read: organisation, performance, finances
  • External read: market, competition, sector dynamics
  • Flash: decision note + 1h executive debrief
  • Standard: full 360° diagnostic, costed and prioritised action plan, executive debrief
  • In-depth: Standard + 2-day on-site immersion, deep competitive benchmark, board-level debrief, 12-18 month execution roadmap
Discuss it · 30-min call

Critical Business Plan Review

10 working days

Contradictory analysis of an existing BP: consistency of assumptions, critical sensitivities, hidden risks.

What's included
  • Assumptions stress-tested against sector benchmarks
  • Critical sensitivities and hidden risks
  • Quantified scoring grid
  • Useful before a raise, a board presentation or an external audit
Discuss it · 30-min call

Market Studies

Three formats depending on your market-framing need.

  • Pricing study · willingness-to-pay & price grid 2 weeks
  • Competitive benchmark · 5-10 competitors profiled 3 weeks
  • Sizing & segmentation · TAM / SAM / SOM & segments 3 weeks
What's included
  • Pricing: willingness-to-pay analysis (Van Westendorp), optimised price grid, sensitivity simulator
  • Benchmark: business model, pricing, go-to-market, strengths and weaknesses of 5 to 10 competitors; positioning matrix
  • Sizing: addressable market (TAM/SAM/SOM), segment mapping, sector dynamics
Discuss it · 30-min call
02 · Finance

Finance

Cash plan, business plan, valuation, LBO model. Auditable models, documented assumptions.

12-Month Rolling Cash Plan

5 days

Learn to steer your cash rather than endure it.

What's included
  • Rolling 12-month cash model
  • Monthly update procedure
  • Finance-team training
Discuss it · 30-min call

Business Plan

Financial model integrated to your data and assumptions. Modular, parameterised Excel, transferable to your teams.

  • Light · start-ups & internal steering 2 weeks
  • Standard · our most requested tier 3 weeks
  • Premium · dashboard + board debrief 3-4 weeks
What's included
  • Light: modular 3-statement Excel model + assumptions note
  • Standard: integrated 3-5 year model, multi-scenario sensitivities, traceable assumptions
  • Premium: interactive steering dashboard, low/base/high scenarios, board debrief, finance-team training
Discuss it · 30-min call

Company Valuation

3 weeks NDA recommended

Multi-method valuation to decide on a sale, a raise, a build-up or a management package.

What's included
  • DCF, trading comparables, revalued net assets
  • Methodology booklet: documented, traceable assumptions
  • Executive debrief

Note. Methodological exercise with a strategic purpose. Not an independent expert attestation under article 261-1 RGAMF, nor a regulated fairness opinion.

Discuss it · 30-min call

LBO / Build-Up Model

4 weeks NDA recommended

A full LBO model to frame your transaction and its sensitivities.

What's included
  • Senior / mezzanine debt structure
  • Shareholder waterfall
  • IRR and cash multiple sensitivities

Note. Analytical steering model. Neither a binding term sheet nor an M&A structuring mandate. Target selection, negotiation and investment decisions remain with the Client and its advisors.

Discuss it · 30-min call
03 · AI & Automation

AI & Automation

Audit, retainer, Make/n8n automation, prototype. We start from the business need, not the tech.

AI Audit / Prioritised Use Cases

5-7 days

Identify the high-ROI AI use cases in your processes, and the three to launch first.

What's included
  • Structured audit of your business processes
  • Opportunity map, impact/effort matrix
  • Recommendation of the 3 quick wins to launch
Discuss it · 30-min call

Recurring AI Support (retainer)

6 months minimum

A Pelorus partner available every month on your AI topics, with 10 hours freely usable across the full scope.

What's included
  • Prompt evolution, drift correction, file updates and re-indexing
  • Adjustments and improvement of existing sequences
  • Notes, reports and user guides produced on demand
  • Answers to usage questions, best practices, relevant AI tools for your business
  • Monthly video call + dedicated email channel (response within 2 business days)
  • Monthly note: technology watch + reporting of actions delivered
  • For a structured batch of workflows delivered in one go → see Workflow Automation
Discuss it · 30-min call

Workflow Automation (Make/n8n + AI)

2-3 weeks

Three operational AI workflows on Make.com or n8n, connected to your tools (CRM, email, Notion, Slack, Drive).

What's included
  • Needs analysis and mapping of recurring tasks
  • Pipeline design, data processing and structuring
  • Automated generation of your deliverables (briefing notes, reports, presentations on existing template)
  • QA tests on real cases
  • Documentation, training, then 2 iteration cycles based on your feedback
Discuss it · 30-min call

Functional AI Agent

4-6 weeks

You identify a process that consumes your team time; we build the AI agent that runs it.

What's included
  • Connection to your tools (CRM, Drive, Notion, Slack)
  • Functional demo on your real case
  • Documentation and training: your team keeps it in their hands

Note. AI prototypes built by Pelorus cannot produce personalised investment recommendations on a financial instrument under art. D.321-1 CMF (robo-advisor exclusion).

Discuss it · 30-min call
04 · 📦 Packages

Packages

Three coherent combinations of our services, each built for a precise objective.

The financial infrastructure to move from one million to ten.

Financial Blueprint

Your accountant keeps the books. Pelorus keeps the heading. We install your financial strategy, build your steering infrastructure, and stay alongside you every month, without the cost of a full-time CFO.

For whom
Growing SME (€1-5M revenue) who has outgrown their accountant but is not ready to hire a CFO.
Duration
6-8 weeks + optional retainer
Composition
  • Strategic Diagnostic Standard
  • Business Plan Standard
  • 12-Month Cash Plan
Discuss it · 30-min call

From idea to production AI in 8 weeks.

AI Starter

AI stops being a discussion topic and becomes an operational tool. We audit your use cases, deliver a functional AI agent on the most promising one, and stay 3 months alongside you to push it to production.

For whom
SME ready to move from AI experimentation to operations.
Duration
8 weeks (setup) + 3 months retainer included
Composition
  • AI Audit
  • Functional AI Agent
  • 3 months of AI support
Discuss it · 30-min call

Prepare your exit with the rigour of an investment bank, without paying its price.

Exit Readiness

You built your company. Now you have to sell it at the right price. We prepare your sale with the rigour of an M&A boutique: traced valuation, structured acquirer file, strategic diagnostic to surface value-creation levers before listing. You walk into negotiation armed, not exposed.

For whom
Founder considering a sale within the next 12-24 months.
Duration
6-8 weeks
Composition
  • Company Valuation
  • Acquirer LBO model
  • Strategic Diagnostic Standard
Discuss it · 30-min call
Frequently asked questions

Before you book, you might be wondering…

🎯 Strategy

Diagnostic, market studies, BP review

What is the difference between a Strategic Diagnostic and a Business Plan?
The Strategic Diagnostic answers 'where is my company today and what should I do over the next 12-18 months?' (external + internal read, prioritised action plan). The Business Plan answers 'what does my plan look like financially over 3-5 years?' (integrated financial model, sensitivities, scenarios). The two are complementary - that's why they're bundled in the Financial Blueprint Package.
From what revenue level does a Strategic Diagnostic make sense?
No hard threshold. The Flash Diagnostic is relevant as soon as you have a structuring decision to make within 3 months, even pre-revenue. The Standard Diagnostic becomes meaningful from €500K revenue, when strategic trade-offs (segments, geographies, product lines) have measurable financial impact. The In-depth tier is calibrated for €2-20M SMEs preparing a scale-up or a transaction.
Is a Pelorus market study sufficient to justify an investment to a board?
Yes in most cases. Our Sizing/Benchmark/Pricing studies produce sourced figures (primary + secondary sources cited, auditable TAM/SAM/SOM methodology). Several executives have used them as-is for board or investment committee presentations. For acquirer due diligence however, the study typically needs to be complemented by an independent financial audit - which we do not provide (see non-CIF scope).
How long does a 360° Diagnostic actually take?
The Standard tier is calibrated on 3 weeks: 1 week of interviews (4-6 internal actors + 2-3 external), 1 week of analysis and modelling, 1 week of writing and debrief. The bottleneck is almost always the availability of your internal data - a Diagnostic can extend by 1 week if data collection is slow. The In-depth tier adds a 2-day on-site immersion that shifts the overall timeline to 5 weeks.
Do you work with specific sectors or all sectors?
The partners have direct experience in healthcare, fintech, B2B SaaS and industry. Outside those zones, we accept if the topic is essentially strategic or financial (SME levers often look alike). For very technical topics (deep tech, early-stage biotech, regulated medical devices), we say so upfront and redirect to specialised firms when needed.
💰 Finance

Modelling, valuation, LBO, cash

How does the non-CIF stance frame your financial deliverables?
Pelorus runs a strategy, corporate finance and AI consulting activity with an informational purpose, for professional clients only. We do not issue personalised investment recommendations under article L.541-1 of the French Monetary and Financial Code. Our financial models (BP, valuation, LBO) are methodological steering tools, not regulated fairness opinions. This stance is documented on the Non-CIF Scope page.
What is the difference between your Valuation and an independent expert attestation?
Our Valuation is a multi-method methodological exercise (DCF, trading comparables, revalued net assets) with a strategic purpose - useful to frame a sale discussion, a fundraising, a build-up or a management package. An independent expert attestation under article 261-1 RGAMF is a regulated act requiring a registered commissaire aux apports, AMF-supervised, with a precise legal purpose (fairness of a transaction). We are not entitled to deliver such an attestation - if your transaction requires it, we redirect you to a licensed expert.
For an LBO, what debt structure do you model?
Standard senior + mezzanine stack: amortising senior debt (typically 50-55% of the package, 5-7 years), mezzanine or unitranche (15-25%, bullet 6-8 years), sponsor equity (20-35%). Shareholder waterfall with ratchet and management package. We model IRR / cash multiple across 3 scenarios (low/base/high) with sensitivities on exit multiple, EBITDA growth and cost of debt. The model is readable - not a black box - so you can argue with your future acquirer or their banker.
Is the 12-Month Cash Plan really useful if we already have an accountant?
Your accountant tracks past accounting. A 12-month rolling Cash Plan projects flows forward month by month, anticipates tensions, isolates structuring decisions (hire, capex, debt). It's a steering tool, not accounting. Over 70% of growing SME defaults come from poorly anticipated cash even though the books were healthy. The deliverable includes the model + monthly update procedure + finance team training so you become self-sufficient.
Are your financial models transferable to our teams, or do we need to come back for updates?
Transferable by design. All our models are in modular Excel with parameterised assumptions, no opaque macros, with an isolated assumptions tab to iterate without risk. We systematically train your finance team (1-2h at the end of the engagement) on updates. You remain the owner of the file, free to extend or evolve it. If you come back later, it's by choice, not by lock-in.
Do you work with pre-revenue companies, or only with financial history?
Both. Pre-revenue (early-stage start-up, spin-off project), our Light Business Plan is calibrated to model scale assumptions with very little history. With history, we integrate your real data into the models, which makes projections much finer. For Valuation and LBO however, a minimum financial history of 18-24 months is required for the exercise to be meaningful.
🤖 AI & Automation

Audit, retainer, workflows, prototypes

Is the AI retainer really justified if we have no internal tech need?
The retainer (6-month minimum) is designed precisely for SMEs without a tech team: 10 hours per month freely usable (tuning of existing workflows, adjustments, on-demand production of notes or reports), monthly video call, dedicated email channel (response within 2 business days), technology watch translated into business use cases. ROI holds if you have at least 2-3 repetitive business processes susceptible to automation (quotes, sales follow-up, reporting, lead qualification). If that's not your case, the AI Audit alone is enough for a start.
Which tools do you concretely use for Make/n8n workflows?
Make.com for B2B SaaS-oriented workflows (broad native integrations, low learning curve client-side). n8n when you want to host internally (open-source self-hosted, stronger GDPR compliance, RAG on your own data). On the AI side: Anthropic's Claude API as priority, OpenAI as fallback. Delivered workflows are documented (who does what, where it's hosted, who pays for what) and transferable to your team for autonomous modification.
Can a Pelorus AI POC go directly to production, or does it need a rebuild?
Case by case. For simple Make/n8n workflows (< 10 steps, standardised data sources), yes, the POC can move to production with some hardening (logging, monitoring, error handling). For more complex POCs involving custom Python code, it's an MVP, not production-grade: it will need a real hardening phase (security, tests, scaling) that we can frame in a retainer or redirect to a dev partner. We are transparent on this from scoping.
What data should we share for an AI Audit? Do we need an NDA?
The AI Audit is done through interviews (3-5 business actors), a review of your current tool stack and your existing process documentation. We do not touch your client data at this stage. An NDA is not systematic for an Audit, but we sign on simple request, free of charge. For Prototypes and Workflows (where real data is handled), we systematically sign an NDA and apply a documented data minimization policy.
🤝 Posture & contracting

Scoping, timelines, geography, terms

How does the 30-minute free scoping call actually work?
A 30-minute video call with a Pelorus partner (Alexis or Matteo depending on the dominant topic). We understand your situation, your decision-making stakes, and check whether we're the right partner. No sales pitch. Short written follow-up within 24h on request. If we're not the right fit, we tell you straight and redirect to a more suitable firm.
What are your typical timelines by mission type?
Cash Plan: 5 days. Flash Diagnostic, AI Audit: 5-7 days. Market studies: 2-3 weeks. Standard Diagnostic, Light BP: 2-3 weeks. Valuation, Standard BP, Premium BP: 3 weeks. LBO, In-depth Diagnostic, Workflow Automation: 3-4 weeks. AI POC: 4-6 weeks. Full Packages: 6-8 weeks. Each service tile shows the target timeline. We only start when the announced timing is realistic.
Do you work with companies outside France?
Yes, primarily within the European Union. Engagements adapt to local accounting and fiscal frameworks (IFRS, local standards) at no extra cost. For more distant geographies (Middle East, Asia, Americas), we stay honest about our limits and only accept if we identify a complementary local partner. All deliverables are available in French or English.
Do you offer retainers, or are you project-only?
Both formats exist. The AI Retainer (6-month minimum) is a recurring format dedicated to AI. For finance, the Financial Blueprint Package includes a post-setup retainer option. Outside these formats, we work on fixed-fee projects only: no hourly billing, no outcome-indexed variable fee, no kickback.
What if I am not satisfied with the final deliverable?
Our engagement letters include a revision clause: if the deliverable does not match the scope defined at the framing stage, we iterate at no additional cost until conformity with the original brief. This clause is not a results commitment (forbidden in advisory) but a documented best-efforts commitment. In practice it is very rarely activated: good upfront scoping resolves 90% of dissatisfaction risks.

Free scoping

30 minutes to clarify your need.

No sales pitch. No credit card. We listen, we ask, we tell you straight whether we're the right partner.

Book a slot Write