Long-horizon business incubation and consulting

Reference

FAQ

Straight answers, including what WE does not do.

Every question on this page, by who asks it Each segment is one topic, as wide as its number of questions. Pick a topic below to go straight to it.
Every question on this page, by who asks it 64 questions in 5 rows. For everyone: Scope and limits, 6; Applying and cost, 6; About WE, 3; The dedicated team, 3; Your details and this site, 3; Founder tools, 2. For startups: Applying, 6; Dream, Build and Grow, 3; How the program works, 4; Service lines, 2; Team size and pricing, 3. For investors: Asking to meet a company, 3; What WE does and does not do, 4; Before you ask, 2. For partners: What an enquiry does and does not create, 4; After you send an enquiry, 2; Who can send an enquiry, 3. For corporate teams: Starting from an employer, 2; What WE does and does not do for you, 3. For everyone 1 2 3 4 5 6 For startups 7 8 9 10 11 For investors 12 13 14 For partners 15 16 17 For corporate teams 18 19
Show the figures as a table
Questions by set and topic
SetTopicQuestions
For everyoneScope and limits6
For everyoneApplying and cost6
For everyoneAbout WE3
For everyoneThe dedicated team3
For everyoneYour details and this site3
For everyoneFounder tools2
For startupsApplying6
For startupsDream, Build and Grow3
For startupsHow the program works4
For startupsService lines2
For startupsTeam size and pricing3
For investorsAsking to meet a company3
For investorsWhat WE does and does not do4
For investorsBefore you ask2
For partnersWhat an enquiry does and does not create4
For partnersAfter you send an enquiry2
For partnersWho can send an enquiry3
For corporate teamsStarting from an employer2
For corporate teamsWhat WE does and does not do for you3

Diagram: World Enterprise Group Incorporated, counted at build time from the questions on this page.

Why the answers talk about years

Incubation is measured in years, because that is how long a company takes to become established.

3 months 1

is the usual length of a fixed-term program; incubation runs 1 to 5 years

51.4% 2

were still operating after five years

  1. Cohen and Hochberg (2014) , Typology, 2014
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Business Employment Dynamics, Table 7 , Opened in the year to March 2020

For everyone

Scope and limits

Does WE do bookkeeping or tax filing?

No. WE does not keep books or file taxes. Your own accountant does that, and Service Line G can help coordinate the work.

Is my information confidential?

Confidentiality terms are set out in the written agreement. This site does not list specific security controls.

Does WE introduce founders to investors?

Yes, as a separate paid add-on called Investor Introductions, for companies that have completed the readiness work in Service Line F. WE curates and limits the introductions, and charges a flat fee that does not depend on whether any investment closes. Introductions are a flat-fee service. WE is not a broker-dealer or investment adviser, takes no fee or stake tied to any investment, and cannot promise a meeting or funding.

Who is WE not for?

WE is not for founders who want a promise of funding, who want legal or accounting services in place of their own advisers, or who want an in-person office program.

Does WE promise my company will raise money?

No. WE makes no promise of funding. The work helps you prepare the evidence investors ask for. It does not predict that any company will raise money.

Applying and cost

What does it cost?

WE is paid in cash, monthly, for the team's work. WE is paid for work already done, never in advance of it. Every term, including how steering is valued, is in the agreement you review with your own counsel. This site publishes no price list, because the team is sized to each company.

How is WE paid?

In cash, monthly, for the team's work. WE is paid for work already done, never in advance of it. Every term is in the written agreement, which WE shares before you sign anything and which you should read with your own counsel.

How do I apply?

Use the application form on the Apply page. Tell WE about your idea and where you are, and WE will reply with next steps.

Does WE sell packages or seats?

No. WE sells neither packages nor seats. A company brings WE in once, as a long-term partner, and the team WE steers is sized to where the company stands. The readiness review sets the first team, and roles change by notice as the work moves from phase to phase.

What stage should my company be at?

WE builds with founders from first idea to first customers. If you want to validate a problem, build a first version or earn your first customers, you are in range.

Who owns the work?

Ownership of the work is set out in the written agreement. This site does not state ownership or licensing terms.

Read more: How WE works

About WE

What does it mean that WE is fully digital?

It means WE works fully online. There are no physical offices. Planning, building and reviewing all happen online, so you can work with WE from wherever you are.

Is WE an accelerator?

No. WE is a long-horizon business incubation and consulting firm. It builds with your company through a dedicated team that WE steers, for as long as the work is useful. This site does not describe a cohort calendar or a demo day.

What is World Enterprise?

World Enterprise is a long-horizon business incubation and consulting firm, run by World Enterprise Group Incorporated. WE steers a dedicated, fully remote team that builds a software-enabled company with its founder, for as long as the work is useful. WE makes no promise of funding.

The dedicated team

Do I have to relocate?

No. WE is fully remote, with no physical offices, so there is nothing to relocate to and no visiting address.

Can the team scale up or down?

Yes. The roles on the team can be scaled up or down by notice. The notice mechanics are set out in the written agreement.

What is a dedicated team?

A dedicated team is a group of people who work only on your company. WE assembles it, steers it and manages any subcontractors it brings in, so you have one accountable party rather than a set of separate vendors.

Your details and this site

Does this site use cookies or analytics?

No. This site sets no cookies and loads no third-party scripts, no analytics and no advertising or tracking pixels. The website itself keeps no record of your visits. The host, GitHub Pages, receives technical data about each request and handles it under its own terms.

What happens to the details I send in a form?

Nothing is collected until you press the submit button of a form, and nothing is sent while you type. WE uses the details in a form to answer the request, as the privacy notice describes. WE does not sell the details and does not pass them to advertisers.

Can I ask what WE holds about me?

Yes. You can ask what WE holds about you, ask for it to be corrected, or ask for it to be deleted. Use the contact page and choose the topic about how WE handles information.

Read more: Privacy notice , Talk to WE

Founder tools

Do the founder tools need an account?

No. Each tool runs in your browser, needs no account and quotes no price. You type your own numbers or make your own choices, and nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

Does a tool tell me whether my company is ready to raise money?

No. The tools only arrange what you give them. They do not tell you whether a company is ready, and they do not predict an outcome. WE makes no promise of funding.

Read more: Founder tools

For startups

Applying

What happens after I apply?

WE reviews each application and replies to the email address you give. WE does not state a response time on this site. If the idea fits, WE and the founder choose which service lines the company needs and what each one will and will not cover. The scope is written down in an agreement, so both companies work from the same page.

What does the application ask for?

The application is short and asks only what WE needs to judge fit. It asks who you are, where the idea stands and, if you add it, the team you have in mind. The team, the context questions and a longer description of what you are building are optional.

How do I know whether I am a good fit?

You are a good fit if you have a SaaS idea or an early product and can say who it is for. You can describe the problem as the customer would, and you are willing to test the idea with real customers, including when the answers are unwelcome. You can make decisions for the company and join a review at each cycle.

Can I apply with only an idea, or when I already have customers?

WE serves a company from first idea to its first customers. A founder can join at the stage that matches the evidence already in hand: with an idea, at Dream; with a validated problem, at Build; with a product in use, at Grow.

When is WE probably not the right fit?

WE is probably not the right fit if you need a physical office, on-site staff or in-person work, because WE is fully remote. It is also probably not the right fit if you are looking for money rather than a team, or if your idea is not a software-as-a-service product. A clear no is as useful to you as a yes.

Do I need to choose a team before I apply?

No. The team is optional on the application. You can sketch the roles in the Team Composer first and carry the sketch to the application in the link if you choose to. The application works without JavaScript, with the same questions on one page.

Read more: How WE decides , Start a readiness review , Who the program is for , Team Composer

Dream, Build and Grow

What happens in Build?

Build turns the validated idea into a first release: design the product, cut the first release to what the evidence supports and ship it in reviewed cycles. Each cycle ends with something you can open and a review with you. Build does not promise a ship date and does not include production operations or round-the-clock support.

What happens in Dream?

Dream is the first stage: frame the problem, talk to real customers and decide on evidence whether to build, change course or stop. Sizing the market is built from counts you can check, not from third-party reports. Dream does not predict whether the idea will succeed.

What happens in Grow?

Grow is the stage for winning first customers, reporting metrics consistently and assembling the evidence investors ask for. WE does not promise a meeting with any investor and does not run a raise on your behalf. WE makes no promise of funding.

Read more: Build: through the steepest year , Dream: find the first proof , Grow: becoming established

How the program works

What happens in a cycle?

WE and the founder agree the goal of the cycle in a short written plan, and the dedicated team does the work. The work in progress is open to you at any time. At the review you see what exists now, what changed and what is next, and you decide what the next cycle holds.

What are the steps from application to a working team?

You apply, and then WE and the founder agree the scope in a written agreement. WE assembles a dedicated team for the roles the scope calls for and steers it. The team works in short, reviewed cycles, and at each review you decide what the next cycle holds.

Who decides what the team works on?

You do. You decide where the company is going and what the next cycle holds, and you keep ownership of the direction. WE decides how the team gets there with you, and answers for how it is run.

Do I hire or manage the people on the team?

No. You do not recruit, contract or manage the people on the team. WE does, including any subcontractors it brings in, and the team works on your company and on nothing else.

Read more: How the program works , The team WE steers

Service lines

What do the service lines cover?

The service lines run from A to G. They cover brand and identity, product and IT development, customer relations and market development, business management and operations, digital incubation, fundability and investor readiness, and professional-services coordination. Each line says what it does not cover.

Will WE close deals for me?

No. Selling stays with you and your company. WE helps with customer discovery, pilot design and a written way to track every prospect from first contact to decision, and it makes no promise that conversations will turn into customers or revenue.

Read more: Seven service lines , Customer Relations and Market Development

Team size and pricing

Where do I find the price?

This site publishes no price list, because the team is sized to each company. WE is paid in cash, monthly, for the team's work, and every term is in the agreement you review before signing. To ask about current terms, use the contact page.

What decides the size of the team?

The work in front of you. The stage of the company, the roles the product needs, the work in the current cycle and how much you can review and decide each week all shape it.

How is the team sized?

From where the company stands. The readiness review places the company on its business clock, and the team schedule in your agreement sets the roles. Roles can be added or removed by notice as the company moves from one phase to the next.

Read more: Talk to WE , How WE works

For investors

Asking to meet a company

What happens after I send the interest form?

WE uses the details you sent to answer your request, as the privacy notice describes. WE asks a founder whether to take part, and the founder may say no. WE cannot promise a meeting or a reply. WE makes no promise of funding.

Can I meet a company WE incubates?

You can ask, using the interest form. WE asks the founder, and the founder decides. WE cannot promise a meeting or a reply. WE makes no promise of funding.

Which companies can I see?

WE lists a company only with its founder's written consent. WE names no company until a written record exists. WE shares only what the founder agreed to share. WE makes no promise of funding.

Read more: Ask to meet a company , Meet the startups , What you can see

What WE does and does not do

Does WE do my diligence on a company?

No. Any company that shows you materials prepared with WE's help is making its own case. You decide whether to reply, and you do your own diligence. WE makes no promise of funding.

Does WE promise a company funding?

No. WE makes no promise of funding. It does not predict that any company will raise money. The work helps a founder prepare the evidence investors ask for.

Does WE recommend a company as an investment?

No. WE does not advise investors or recommend any company as an investment, and an introduction is not an endorsement. WE does not verify a company's statements, which remain that company's own. WE makes no promise of funding.

Is this an offer of securities?

No. Nothing on this site is an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any security. WE does not negotiate terms, advise on securities or handle funds. WE makes no promise of funding.

Before you ask

What does the interest form ask for?

The form asks for your name and email address. The firm, website, how you describe yourself, the sectors and stages you want to see, and a message are optional. It asks for no accreditation status, no amounts and no fund size. WE makes no promise of funding.

How does a founder get ready to meet investors?

A founder can work through the readiness checklist and the self-check before asking for anything. WE judges whether its readiness criteria are met, and meeting them does not mean an introduction will be made. WE makes no promise of funding.

Read more: Ask to meet a company , Fundability and investor readiness , Readiness criteria

For partners

What an enquiry does and does not create

Can a delivery team join as a partner?

A delivery partner is a category on the form, and WE lists none. WE steers its own dedicated teams and manages their subcontractors, and an enquiry does not change that.

Does WE endorse a partner's product?

WE does not say on this site that WE uses, endorses or works with any named product. WE names no partner on this site until a written record exists.

Will WE introduce my organization to founders?

WE may introduce an organization to a founder when that founder asks for help in its category and agrees to the introduction. WE cannot promise an introduction, a meeting or a reply.

What can WE offer a partner?

WE can offer a warm introduction to a founder, when that founder asks for help in the partner's category. WE can also write content together with the partner, or give it a place in a founder playbook where the offer fits. None of it is promised in advance.

Read more: Partner categories , Partner FAQ , How partner enquiries work , Partner with WE

After you send an enquiry

What does WE do with the details in a partner enquiry?

WE uses the details in a form to answer the enquiry, as the privacy notice describes. WE sets no cookies, runs no analytics and loads no third-party scripts.

How long does a partner reply take?

WE does not state a response time on this site. WE replies to the email address in the enquiry when it decides to talk further.

Read more: Privacy notice , Send a partner enquiry

Who can send an enquiry

Does WE have a partner program?

WE takes enquiries from organizations that help or equip founders. WE names no partner on this site. Sending an enquiry does not create a partnership.

What should a partner enquiry say?

An enquiry should name the organization, its website, its category, what it provides to founders and the terms a founder would see.

Which organizations can send an enquiry?

Any organization that helps or equips founders may send one. The form groups them in categories and has a Something else option.

Read more: Partner with WE , How partner enquiries work , Partner categories

For corporate teams

Starting from an employer

Where do I ask about my own situation?

Ask through the contact page, and choose the topic that fits best. WE routes your message.

Where does someone who works for an employer start?

Start with the page about who the program is for, which describes a good fit. If a question about your employment is not answered there, ask through the contact page. WE is a long-horizon business incubation and consulting firm, and WE makes no promise of funding.

Read more: Talk to WE , Who the program is for

What WE does and does not do for you

Does WE help when my first customer is a large organization?

Customer Relations and Market Development, Service Line C, covers pilot design, a written pipeline discipline and proposal support. Selling stays with you and your company.

Does the work happen on site at my organization?

No. WE is fully remote, with no physical offices and no in-person program. Planning, building and reviewing all happen online.

Read more: Customer Relations and Market Development , Professional-Services Coordination

Plain answers to the questions founders ask first.

Start a readiness review

The application form asks about your company, your team and what you are building.