The Kitchen
Expertise no early-stage company should have to build alone.
The Kitchen is the operational engine behind BlackFries ventures.
It gives founders access to the right capabilities before hiring a complete internal organisation makes economic sense.
The Kitchen
Core capabilities
01
Product and technology
Opportunity framing, product strategy, prototyping, MVP development, web development, AI automation and technology coordination.
02
Brand and marketing
Positioning, identity, messaging, content, acquisition strategy and launch support.
03
Sales and business development
Commercial strategy, prospecting, customer access, partnerships, early sales and repeatable go-to-market processes.
04
Finance and operations
Financial planning, reporting, cash management, governance, administration, processes and operational structure.
05
People
CEO selection, recruitment, role definition and support in building dedicated teams.
06
Fundraising
Investment strategy, financial modelling, investor materials, introductions, negotiation support and management of the fundraising process.
The support the BlackFries team provides.
Product strategy
The founder
How the Kitchen evolves
Shared at the start. Yours at the end.
BlackFries remains operationally involved while shared resources create more value than dedicated hires.
As a venture grows, it gradually recruits its own full-time specialists and independent team.
BlackFries then moves from shared execution towards strategic support, governance, fundraising and long-term value creation.
Our relationship is built for the life of the company — not the duration of a programme.
- The Kitchen
- Kitchen 90%
- Venture team
- Venture team 10%
The Kitchen does the work: product, brand, first customers, financial structure.
The venture recruits its first specialists. The Kitchen trains, documents and steps back function by function.
The venture runs itself. BlackFries stays for governance, fundraising and long-term value creation.
Drag or use the arrow keys to move through the phases
Who is in the Kitchen
A small internal team. A selected external network.
BlackFries is led day to day by David Francotte and Eileen Cols, supported by a selected network of specialists operating under preferred agreements. We are deliberately not a large agency.