About Lean Otter
Financial, legal, and technical diligence get rigorous, every time. The product almost never does. That's the gap we built Lean Otter to close.
Why we started this
Across our team, we've worked inside PE-backed companies and helped founders get ready to sell. The financial numbers always got checked line by line, the legal position clause by clause, the technical infrastructure component by component. The product itself, the thing a buyer is actually acquiring, got a much lighter look, and that gap costs more than a lower price: a weaker-than-pitched product can end a sale process outright, and a collapsed process can follow a founder into the next attempt for 12 months or more.
We built Lean Otter to give the product the same rigour the numbers already get. The founders we work with aren't testing an early idea, they've built something real, with paying customers, and we give them that buyer's-eye view first, while there's still time to act on it.
Founder, Product, UX & Design Engineering
Over twenty years in product and UX, including as Head of Product Design and UX at Thomas International. Leads the product assessment work across every engagement, from first conversation through to the final report.
Associate, Product Engineering and Delivery
Over a decade as a software engineer and architect before moving into product leadership. Leads the technical and usage-data side of every assessment, what the product actually does versus what the roadmap says it does.
Associate, Product Strategy and Commercial
Senior leadership and CEO-level experience across HR and WorkTech. Brings that operating experience to the Value Creation Plan and Investment Narrative work, translating findings into the story a buyer actually needs to hear.
Associate, Product Strategy and Capability
Over twenty years across product discovery, strategy, and delivery. Keeps every engagement moving to the timeline founders are told upfront, focused on what will actually move the needle before a sale process starts.
Start with a conversation
The first conversation is short and no-commitment. No brief required.
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