Frame
What are we testing?
Define the customer, the problem, the founder advantage and the commercial hypothesis.
Testable case
Product-led venture studio · First ventures now forming
You know the problem. Let’s build the company.
Rialto works alongside founders from the earliest stage. Together, we test the critical assumptions, make better decisions faster, build the product, find the first customers and prepare the company for investment.
01 — How we think
Select a principle to read more
A working product is not proof of a business. We test the customer, the problem, the willingness to pay and the route to market before committing to a full build.
At the earliest stage, the work crosses product, engineering, growth, operations and capital. We bring those disciplines into one team and work alongside the founder.
Small, integrated teams expose the important assumptions sooner. That means fewer hand-offs, fewer avoidable false starts and faster progress from problem to product, market and investment.
A raise should fund a proven direction, not replace one. We help founders build the case, prepare the company and meet aligned investors when the evidence is strong enough.
02 — The partners
Capital
Alastair Bell
Software founder and investor. Led Relay Software through two exits.
Growth
James Devlin
Former Chief Revenue Officer with an exit. Scaled B2B growth to 60,000 users.
Operations
Jacques Hill
Company builder and co-founder of the circular retail platform Haru.
Engineering
Mark O’Donnell
Product engineer behind marketplace, commerce and ticketing products.
Product
Sam Lynas
Product operator and co-founder of the circular retail platform Haru.
CapitalAlastair Bell — Software founder and investor. Led Relay Software through two exits.
GrowthJames Devlin — Former Chief Revenue Officer with an exit. Scaled B2B growth to 60,000 users.
OperationsJacques Hill — Company builder and co-founder of the circular retail platform Haru.
EngineeringMark O’Donnell — Product engineer behind marketplace, commerce and ticketing products.
ProductSam Lynas — Product operator and co-founder of the circular retail platform Haru.
Keep scrolling — meet the partnersFive partners · one company-building teamFirst ventures now forming
03 — How we build
Four stages · a clear decision at each one
Validate
Does the problem matter?
Speak to the market and confirm that the problem is real, urgent and worth solving.
Demand evidence
Verify
Can this become a business?
Test willingness to pay, technical feasibility and the route to market.
Go / no-go
Build
Can we win in the market?
Create the first product, find early customers and prepare the company for investment.
Live venture
04 — Start here
No deck required
Have a problem worth building a company around?
Tell us the problem, who has it, what you already know and why now.