The Venture Growth Intensive (VGI)
Before you scale your startup, pressure-test your growth plan.
Two weeks working on your own venture with a team that's supported 800+ ventures. You'll leave knowing what's holding growth back, where your biggest opportunity is and what to focus on next.
Apply for the next intake5-minute application · Fully refunded if not accepted
Watch: what happens inside the two weeks
WHY PRESSURE-TEST YOUR STARTUP PLAN?
The hardest assumptions to question are your own.
That's part of being a founder. You're close to the customers, the product, the team and every decision.
But you can also get so close to the business that the current explanation starts to feel like the only explanation. An experienced outside view, built from working inside hundreds of ventures, can spot something you've stopped seeing, or something you were never looking for in the first place.
Generating more leads.
A conversion problem that means you could get more from the demand you already have.
Preparing to raise capital.
A commercial milestone that is easy to reach first, so you raise from a stronger position.
Planning the next product feature.
A customer segment, use case or offer that deserves more attention before you build more.
Considering a sales hire.
A sales process that needs to become more repeatable before you add headcount.
Looking at another market.
More growth still available inside the one you're already in.
The point isn't that we know your business better than you do. Years of trial and error alongside 800+ other ventures, seeing what worked, what didn't and why, have given us patterns we can apply to yours. That can be enough to uncover a growth opportunity, or catch an expensive move before you commit to it.
So what do we actually look at?
Growth rarely stalls for one reason, so you have to look at the venture as a whole. We take a structured approach across seven connected areas, so nothing important gets missed.
- 01
Customer growth
Where customers are coming from, where they are dropping out and whether demand can become repeatable.
- 02
Product and market
Who cares enough about the problem to act, and whether the product is solving it strongly enough.
- 03
Offer and positioning
Whether the right customer can quickly understand the value and why they should choose you.
- 04
Acquisition and sales
Whether you can create opportunities consistently and turn enough of them into paying customers.
- 05
Founder and team
Whether focus, capability, hiring or execution is starting to slow the business down.
- 06
Capital
Whether more money would accelerate something that works, or just fund a problem that still needs solving.
- 07
Scale
Whether expansion, partnerships or new markets are the right next move, or simply the next available move.
A useful pressure-test does one of two things.
Shows you growth you haven't seen.
An opportunity in your customers, offer, channels or sequencing that deserves more attention.
Stops you making the wrong move.
Before you put more time, money or people behind something that won't pay off.
If we think the plan is strong, we'll say so. We're not looking for problems to justify the two weeks.
Inside the VGI
For two weeks, the work is identifying opportunities to strengthen your startup.
Every session and exercise is built around your own venture. You'll work through the business with us, test the thinking behind your growth plan and get a clear view of where to focus.
We'll challenge the plan, show you the patterns we're seeing and tell you where we'd put our attention. You decide what to do with it.
Team
Founder focus, capability, hiring and whether the team can execute the plan.
Product
Who the product is really for, and whether it solves the problem strongly enough.
Tech
Whether the technology and roadmap support where the business needs to go.
Customer acquisition
How customers find you, convert and whether that can become repeatable.
Investment
Whether capital would accelerate what works, and how to raise from a stronger position.
What you leave with
By the end, you should be able to answer four questions.
Not every weakness deserves equal attention. The two weeks are built to narrow the field down to what matters most, and why.
You still make the call. The point is that the next call is better informed.
What is most likely holding growth back right now?
Which constraint matters most, out of everything that could be improved.
Where is the biggest growth opportunity we may be underestimating?
A customer, offer, channel, commercial move or sequence that deserves a closer look.
Which assumption could become expensive if we're wrong?
Before you put another few months, more capital or another hire behind it.
What would Engenesis focus on next?
You make the decision. But you leave knowing where we would put our attention, and why.
Want those four answers for your venture?
US$50 per team · Fully refunded if not accepted
Who you'll work with
You'll work directly with Ariya Chittasy, Director of Engenesis Ventures.
Ariya has spent his career working directly with founders. Together with the Engenesis team, he has:
His work focuses on finding the specific constraint holding a venture back, then helping the founder decide what needs to change, what should stay and what deserves attention next.
He leads every live VGI session and brings that pattern recognition directly into the work on your venture.
View Ariya's profile on LinkedInFounder experiences
What founders say about working with Engenesis.
“We almost made the $100k revenue we had previously in just one month of the program.”
“We have been able to acquire more than 250 users in the last 30 days.”
“We were able to revisit and rework our roadmap and customer personas with much-needed clarity.”
“It was great to see strategy, financials, product and psychological themes presented in a cohesive framework.”
From founders in broader Engenesis founder programs, not the two-week VGI specifically. Results vary by venture, stage and program.
Track record
This work sits inside a real venture ecosystem.
These are real examples of clients and partners who have worked with the Engenesis team.
Being Profile
Expanded to 53+ countries.
Price My Car
Acquired by CarExpert.com.au.
Twiva
Raised US$1M, then strategic investment from Sony Innovation Fund.
Onesend
Acquired by ActiveCampaign.
On the public record
CarExpert raising $10m to buy Price My Car; IPO next
ActiveCampaign Acquires Onesend
Twiva Secures Strategic Investment From Sony Innovation Fund
Examples from the wider Engenesis venture ecosystem, not outcomes promised by the VGI.
Fit
Who is this for?
Likely a fit if:
- You are actively building a technology, innovation-driven or scalable venture.
- You have something real to examine: a product, users, revenue, partners or a serious commercial hypothesis.
- You are facing an actual growth decision and want another experienced view before you commit further.
- You are willing to have the plan challenged without handing the decision over to someone else.
Probably not a fit if:
- You want a general introduction to startups.
- You do not yet have a venture or commercial hypothesis to work on.
- You want someone else to make the major decisions for you.
Sounds like your venture? Applications take about five minutes.
US$50 per team · Fully refunded if not accepted
The application
Where are you now?
What are you trying to make happen?
What do you think is in the way?
How it works
Apply and pay the US$50 fee
Tell us where the venture is, what you are working towards and what you want to pressure-test.
We review within 3–5 working days
We look for enough substance and a real question that can be usefully worked on during the VGI.
Accepted
If accepted, you choose your intake dates. If not, the US$50 is refunded in full.
We accept ventures where we believe the two weeks can be genuinely useful.
FAQs
Founder Questions
How much time does this actually take?
Four live one-hour sessions plus the on-demand modules and exercises between them. Plan for roughly eight hours across the two weeks.
When are the live sessions, and in what time zone?
You choose your intake after acceptance, so you can pick the one that suits your schedule. We run multiple times across various timezones.
What if I miss a session?
Sessions are not recorded, so we suggest choosing an intake where you can attend all four live sessions.
Who counts as a "team"?
One venture, with up to 4 people from the founding or leadership team attending under the one US$50 fee.
How much direct input will I get on my venture?
You work on your own venture throughout the program. The live sessions are small-group working sessions, with founder examples, questions and recurring patterns used to challenge the thinking. We do not position the VGI as four hours of one-to-one consulting.
Why only US$50?
The VGI is one of the ways we build relationships with emerging, high-calibre founding teams. With a small percentage of those teams, we continue working together and potentially partner.
We also found that this commitment fills the room with better quality founders that you have the opportunity to interact with.
Is this just a step into a more expensive program?
No. This program is valuable as a standalone opportunity.
What if I disagree with your view?
Then disagree. It is your company. We will give you our point of view, the patterns behind it and the questions we think matter. You decide what to act on.
Is every application accepted?
No. We accept ventures where we believe the two weeks can be genuinely useful. We review applications within 3–5 working days, and if we do not accept yours, the US$50 is refunded in full.
Before you put more time, money or people behind the next move, pressure-test it.
Bring us the plan. You'll leave knowing where your biggest opportunity is, what's holding growth back and what to focus on next.
Apply for the next intake5-minute application · Fully refunded if not accepted