Advisor As a Service
An experienced advisor at your side every week while the idea becomes a company
You have an idea, maybe even an MVP, but it feels like decisions are being made without a clear direction.
Startups don't fail for lack of ideas
They fail because of wrong decisions made too early.
Unclear business model
Untested assumptions drive investment and hiring decisions.
Product growing without direction
Features pile up with no clear priority criteria.
Technology chosen before strategy
The stack is picked by preference, not by the business problem.
Vendor dependency
Critical technical decisions sit with third parties, with no internal oversight.
Unsure about the next step
Without a validated plan, every decision is a bet.
Advisor As a Service is ongoing strategic support. An experienced person at your side, every week.
How the engagement works
Initial assessment
Map where the business stands and which decisions are most urgent.
Weekly sessions
Dedicated hours for your business, focused on real decisions.
Practical guidance
Recommendations you can apply the following week.
Less rework
Focus on decisions that prevent expensive mistakes later on.
What we work on
- 01. Business model and validation
- 02. MVP definition and roadmap
- 03. Technology strategy
- 04. Stack and cost assessment
- 05. Where data and AI make sense (and where they don't)
What changes with ongoing advice
Criteria for deciding
Every decision has a reason you can explain to a co-founder or an investor.
Safer decisions
Fewer bets, more validation before you spend time and money.
Less rework
Avoid building in the wrong direction.
Grow without losing the plot
Plan and priorities written down before you hire and invest.
The real cost of deciding without direction
of VC-backed startups that shut down since 2023 had a product without market fit.
Source: CB Insights (2026)The figure above comes from third-party research, not Cortex IQ results. Advisor As a Service exists to reduce exactly this direction risk.
Who it's for
Built for founders, early-stage startups and small teams.
Compare the five offers
Each format has its own cadence and deliverable. The highlighted row is the offer on this page.
| Offer | Cadence | What you get | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cyborg Forge | 3 to 6 weeks, fixed deadline | Decision Package: executive report with a recommendation | Companies that want to test an AI, data or automation initiative before it becomes a project |
| Advisor As a Service | Weekly, ongoing | Weekly sessions with recommendations to apply the following week | Founders, early-stage startups and small teams |
| CTO As a Service | Weekly, ongoing, starting with a 30-day assessment | Written technical assessment in 30 days, 90-day roadmap and ADRs | Companies without a full-time CTO, with outsourced development or a non-technical founder |
| MVP As a Service | Paced by the fundraising round | Working product with frontend, backend and basic infrastructure, ready for the pitch | Founders with a validated idea who need an MVP for the round |
| Governance As a Service | Weekly, ongoing | Single decision criteria and a documented process | Growing companies that need to standardize technology, vendor and process decisions |
Frequently asked questions
How does Advisor As a Service work?
- Advisor As a Service is weekly, ongoing strategic support with dedicated hours for your business. It starts with an assessment of where the company stands and which decisions are most urgent, followed by weekly sessions focused on real decisions and practical recommendations you can apply the following week.
Who is Advisor As a Service for?
- It is built for founders, early-stage startups and small teams making product and technology decisions without an experienced person at their side. The work covers business model and validation, MVP definition and roadmap, technology strategy, stack and cost assessment, and where data and AI make sense and where they don't.
What is the difference between Advisor As a Service and CTO As a Service?
- With Advisor As a Service, Cortex IQ guides the decisions and execution stays with the founder; with CTO As a Service, Cortex IQ takes on part-time technical leadership and is accountable for engineering. If your question is what to do, Advisor covers it; if it is who handles this every week, the answer is CTO As a Service.
Does Advisor As a Service guarantee the startup's success?
- No, Cortex IQ does not promise guaranteed success; it promises better decisions, each with a reason you can explain to a co-founder or an investor. The engagement reduces bets and rework because assumptions get validated before you spend time and money, but the final decision stays with the founder.
We don't promise guaranteed success. We promise better decisions.
Rudinei Gehm
Founder, Cortex IQ
In IT since 2009: infrastructure and industrial automation, consulting and development for the financial sector, project management and, from 2017 to 2021, Head of Growth Pod on global projects. Founded Cortex IQ in 2025.
Read the full background →Why Cortex IQ
2009
the founder's first IT project
10
published cases, with the client's name
4
partner clouds: AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft and Oracle
3
working languages: Portuguese, English and Spanish
Partner clouds
