Discovery, by Ignite AI

When the AI decision is strategic,
not just operational.

The strategic-decision framing of the SPARK bundle. Commissioned by UK SME boards weighing an AI-driven pivot, a seven-figure build-vs-buy, market entry on AI capability, or board-level scepticism that needs to be answered in writing. Adversarial advisory board, competitive positioning, board-ready opportunity map. From £5,000.

What is an AI strategy review?

An AI strategy review is a structured pressure-test of a board-level AI decision before capital is committed. It tests the strategic thesis against an adversarial advisory board, analyses competitive positioning, and produces a scored, sequenced, costed opportunity map suitable for board approval.

Discovery is Ignite AI's AI strategy review for UK SME boards. Same engagement as SPARK underneath: the bundled diagnostic, human capability mapping, and nine-seat adversarial advisory board. Different framing on top: strategic decision instrument, not operational diagnostic. Same price, same duration. Different question.

Four typical triggers

Boards commission Discovery when one of these is on the table.

Strategic pivot

You are considering an AI-driven pivot in your service line, your pricing model, or your operating model. Discovery tests the thesis before the board signs.

Build-vs-buy at scale

You are weighing a seven-figure build, partnership, or acquisition where AI capability is central. Discovery surfaces the assumptions, the alternatives, and the risk profile of each path.

Market entry on AI capability

You are entering a new sector or geography on the strength of an AI-led offering. Discovery tests the competitive logic, the moat, and the realistic timeline.

Board-level scepticism

Your board, a major investor, or a senior executive has raised doubts about your AI strategy. Discovery answers those doubts in writing, against an evidence standard, with documented dissent where it exists.

What you walk away with

Discovery Report

A written document, typically 80 to 120 pages. Your strategic thesis stated plainly. Nine adversarial board verdicts in full. Competitive positioning analysis. Scored and sequenced strategic opportunity map. Costed 12-month plan. Chris's written synthesis.

Board presentation

Chris presents the Discovery Report directly to your board. Typically 60 to 90 minutes. Q+A. Option to record. The Report stops being a document and starts being a board decision.

Human Capability Map

Sceptic identification. AI champion mapping. Change-readiness signal. Named individuals across your business who will defend or block the strategic move, and what to do about each.

30-day follow-up access

Chris available for follow-up questions, edits, or board-query clarifications for 30 days after the Discovery Report is delivered. Turns a one-shot deliverable into a defensible decision instrument.

Differentiator

The nine-seat adversarial advisory board

A structured review process, not a reassurance exercise. Each seat operates from a named expert intellectual model. The board's job is to find what is wrong with your AI thinking before you commit capital. Allie K. Miller (CAIO), Nufar Gaspar + Conor Grennan (Personnel and Change), Ethan Mollick (AI Literacy), Dr. Rumman Chowdhury (Governance), Andrew Ng (Solution Feasibility), Goldratt + Rother (Operations), Hormozi + Campbell (Growth), Cassie Kozyrkov (AI Business), plus a rotating industry guest.

1. Reduces sycophancy

A flat executive review tells you what you want to hear. Nine adversarial seats reading from named expert intellectual models do not.

2. Reduces confirmation bias

Each advisor challenges the others' findings against an evidence standard. Disagreements documented as Resolved, Conditional, or Unresolved. Unresolved tensions are the most valuable part of the report.

3. Opens possibilities

Nine intellectual models running over the same evidence base produces options that any single perspective would miss. That is what £5,000 buys at board level.

See the full nine-seat advisory board table on /spark

How a Discovery engagement runs

Phase 1, Week 1

Thesis

Chris distils your strategic AI thesis into a testable document. You review and approve before anything else happens.

Phase 2, Weeks 2 to 3

Evidence

Leadership interviews, sector analysis, competitive intelligence, financial model pressure-test. Chris compiles the evidence base.

Phase 3, Weeks 3 to 4

Advisory Board

Nine-seat adversarial review. Each seat produces a written verdict against the evidence standard. Disagreements documented.

Phase 4, Weeks 4 to 6

Synthesis + Delivery

Discovery Report written. Board presentation delivered. 30-day follow-up window opens.

Investment

From £5,000

4 to 6 weeks. Discovery Report plus board presentation plus 30-day follow-up access.

Same engagement, same price, same duration as the operational SPARK framing. Discovery is the strategic-decision lens; the underlying work is the same bundled diagnostic.

Common questions

What is an AI strategy review? +

An AI strategy review is a structured pressure-test of a board-level AI decision before capital is committed. It tests the strategic thesis against an adversarial advisory board, analyses competitive positioning, and produces a scored, sequenced, costed opportunity map suitable for board approval. Discovery is Ignite AI's AI strategy review for UK SME boards, delivered as the strategic-decision framing of the SPARK bundle.

How is Discovery different from operational SPARK? +

Same engagement underneath, different framing on top. Discovery is the strategic-decision framing for boards making AI-driven pivots, seven-figure build-vs-buy calls, market entry on AI capability, or answering board-level scepticism in writing. The deliverables, the nine-seat adversarial advisory board, the price (from £5,000), and the duration (4 to 6 weeks) are identical. Two doorways, one room.

How does Discovery compare to a McKinsey or BCG strategy review? +

Senior practitioner not a team of analysts. AI-specific not general strategy. From £5,000 not typical six-figure strategy engagements. 4 to 6 weeks not 6 plus months. The output is a structured Discovery Report and verdicts from a nine-seat adversarial advisory board, not a deck. You keep all findings regardless of whether you engage further.

Can we use the Discovery findings if we choose a different partner to deliver? +

Yes. The Discovery Report is yours. There is no IP retention clause, no exclusivity, no follow-on commitment. Many boards commission Discovery specifically because they want a defensible written assessment they can take forward with whichever partner makes the most sense at delivery time.

What if Discovery concludes our strategy is wrong? +

That is a valuable outcome. The alternative, spending seven figures to discover it in-market, is worse. A Discovery Report that produces a defensible no is as valuable as one that produces a defensible yes. Most do not produce a binary answer. They reshape the strategy.

Test the strategy before you commit the capital.

From £5,000. 4 to 6 weeks. Delivered by Chris Duffy directly. The Discovery Report is yours regardless of next step.