What actually happens on the 30-minute diagnostic call?

A senior partner spends 30 minutes walking through your current financial picture — ARR, burn, runway, capital plan — and identifies the two or three moves that will most accelerate your next raise or board cycle. You leave the call with at least one concrete recommendation, whether or not you ever engage Walsh & Partners.

Is the call really with a senior partner, or will I be screened by someone junior?

Every diagnostic call is staffed by a partner. The form below routes you to the partner whose operating background best matches your stage, sector, and capital question. There are no associates, no SDR hand-offs, and no bait-and-switch.

What does it cost, and am I committing to anything by booking?

The diagnostic call is complimentary and carries no engagement obligation. If a fractional or sprint engagement makes sense afterward, we'll share a scoped proposal; if it doesn't, we'll tell you that and point you toward a better fit.

How is the information I submit kept confidential?

Submissions are reviewed only by the partner team under Walsh & Partners' standard NDA framework. We do not share financials with portfolio companies, investors, or third parties without explicit written consent. Walsh & Partners Advisory is a consulting firm and is not a registered investment advisor.

We're pre-Series A or bootstrapped — is this still the right call?

The diagnostic is most valuable for founders between $2M and $50M ARR preparing for a raise, scaling operations, or navigating a board cycle. If you're earlier than that, we'll point you to a more relevant resource during the call.

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Book a Diagnostic Call.

A 30-minute conversation with a senior partner — not a discovery call, not a screening rep. We use it to pressure-test your capital readiness, model the work, and tell you on the spot whether a fractional engagement makes sense. You leave with a sharper read on your numbers either way.

Book a Diagnostic Call Read our approach

Reviewed personally by Margaret Walsh, David Walsh, or one of three additional senior partners. Average response: 11 hours.

Tell us where you are

A short brief — read by a partner, not a parser.

Six fields take about 90 seconds. Your inputs route the brief to the partner whose sector and stage match most closely — that partner reads it before the call and walks in already briefed.

Format 30 minutes · video · one partner
Who calls Senior partner, never an associate
What we cover Readiness, gaps, scope, fit
What it costs Nothing — the diagnostic is complimentary

“The first call was with David himself. No junior handoff, no slide deck — just a clear-eyed read on what we had and what we were missing before our Series B.”

— Priya Anand, CFO, Lattice Logistics (Series B, $42M, 2024)

Diagnostic Brief

Six fields. Then we read it.

Full name Work email

Company

Role Headcount

Current ARR band Funding stage

Sector

Timeline Preferred partner office

What would make this call worth your time? (optional)

I understand my inputs are read by a senior partner and treated under our standard confidentiality terms. We do not share, sell, or repurpose brief content.

No payment. No scheduling tool. A partner replies within 11 hours on weekdays with three time options that match your stated timeline.

Why founders book this

140+ Funding rounds supported since 2017

$1.2B+ Closed capital across those rounds

93% Client retention across fractional engagements since 2019

100% Senior partners personally staff every engagement

Forbes Finance Council, 2022 – 2024 · 4.97/5 average across 487 verified G2 and Clutch reviews · Operating advisor to two of the top twenty-five Y Combinator alumni and eleven Inc. 5000 honorees.

Before you book

Five questions founders actually ask before submitting.

Short answers. We would rather lose a lead with clarity than win one with varnish.

What does this call actually cost me?: Nothing. Thirty minutes of a senior partner's time, no invoice, no obligation. If we end up working together, the cost of the diagnostic is credited against the first sprint.
What happens in those 30 minutes?: A pressure-test of your capital readiness — runway, unit economics, board narrative, gaps before your next raise or hire. We sketch the work, give you a candid read, and tell you in plain English whether a fractional engagement is worth your time. You leave with a written summary within 48 hours.
What about confidentiality and conflicts?: Every brief is treated under our standard NDA, which we countersign before any detailed financials are shared. We do not represent two operating companies in the same sub-sector within a rolling 24-month window — if we have a conflict on your space, we say so on the first reply and refer you to a firm that does not.
Who reads the brief — a person or a system?: A person, and a senior one. The partner whose sector match scores highest is the one who replies. There is no SDR routing, no automated qualification, no CRM scoring. The six fields are how we route the brief to the right human, not a way to filter you out.
Will you actually tell me if I'm not a fit?: Yes. About a quarter of diagnostic calls end with a direct "you don't need us yet — here is what to do first." We would rather earn the right to the next conversation than burn our credibility closing work that won't move your numbers.

The next move

Book the 30-minute diagnostic.

Every submission is read by a senior partner before reply. If a fractional engagement is the right call, we will tell you on the call — and what the first 90 days would look like.

Book a Diagnostic Call

Or reach the partner desk directly — [email protected] · +1 (415) 555-0418