01
Core Strategy.
Sales-Led. Referral-Amplified.
At pre-seed, paid advertising is ineffective in niche B2B markets where deal sizes are $15K+ and buying decisions are made by senior professionals who trust reputation over ads. The strategy below reflects this reality.
1
Direct Enterprise Sales — Primary Engine
Founder-led outbound to decision-makers at the top 50 US arbitration and mediation centres. Personalised email sequences, LinkedIn outreach, conference introductions. High-touch, high-conversion, zero media spend. The founder is the salesperson until seed funding enables a hire. This pillar generates 100% of direct closed revenue.
67% of budget · Primary revenue driver
2
Neutral Referral Flywheel — Zero-CAC Growth
Every neutral on the NyAI platform sits on 3–5 institutional panels. One converted neutral advocate opens multiple institutions at zero incremental CAC. Referral incentives: priority feature access, co-authored thought leadership, and founding-institution status. Target: 30% of new logos from referrals by Month 9. Proven: Miles Mediation referral → College of Commercial Arbitration (now in 2nd demo) in 48 hours.
$0 incremental cost · Highest ROI channel
3
Content & Conference — Credibility Infrastructure
Two articles per month in legal-tech publications (Law.com, Legaltech News, ABA Journal). One conference appearance per quarter. A free "AI & Arbitration" newsletter to 500+ neutrals and ADR professionals. Content does not generate leads independently — it accelerates conversion by 2× for prospects who have read the founder's work before a demo. Permanent credibility asset, not a transient ad.
33% of budget · 2× conversion lift
02
Six Channels.
One Conversion Funnel.
Each channel serves a defined role. Costs, conversion metrics, and expected outputs are stated explicitly — no aspirational projections without evidence.
| Channel | Type | Annual cost | Key metric | Expected output |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Outbound email sequences 3-touch personalised to 50 target institutions |
Sales | $480 Apollo.io |
40% open rate 8% reply rate |
~20 demos from outbound. Highest-volume top-of-funnel channel. Requires systematic follow-up cadence — current 21% rate must reach 65%+. |
LinkedIn Sales Navigator Founder thought-leadership + direct DM outreach |
Sales | $1,188 Annual plan |
35% connect rate 2 posts/week |
~8K impressions/month. Warms prospects before cold email. 2 posts per week build founder authority with 500–1,000 ADR professionals. |
Conference attendance AAA, CPR, ABA Dispute Resolution, FINRA |
Marketing | $12,000 4 events × $3K |
35% demo conv. 2–3 demos/event |
8–12 demos total. Highest per-channel demo conversion rate. Speaking slots convert at 35% vs 20% for outbound. Pre-book 3 meetings per event before arrival. |
Thought leadership content Articles + monthly newsletter to 500 ADR professionals |
Marketing | $0 Founder-written |
500 subscribers 2 articles/month |
2× demo-to-close conversion lift. Does not generate leads independently — accelerates existing pipeline. Permanent asset: every article is a sales tool. |
Referral programme Incentivised neutral and institutional referrals |
Sales | $0 Feature access |
100% demo conv. 3 logos by M9 |
30% of new logos by Month 9 at zero incremental CAC. Ask for 2 intros at contract signing — highest NPS moment. Proven by Miles Mediation referral. |
Case studies & PR Written case studies + milestone press releases |
Marketing | $3,300 4 studies + 3 PRs |
+40% close rate 3 press releases |
Social proof is the #1 conversion driver in B2B enterprise. Each case study becomes a permanent sales asset deployed in every subsequent demo. |
03
$42,000 Total.
Every Dollar Justified.
No line item exists without a direct connection to a closed deal or a measurable conversion lift. The budget is lean by design — not because resources are constrained, but because discipline in spend signals discipline in operations.
| Line item | Category | Amount | Justification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conference attendance × 4 (travel, registration, accommodation) | Sales | $12,000 | Highest per-channel demo conversion (35%). 4 events × $3K avg. Pre-book 3+ meetings per event. Speaking slots applied 6 months in advance. |
| Legal — contract templates & NDAs (one-time) | Sales | $3,000 | Professional contract templates prevent deal delays at close. One-time investment that covers all Y1 signings. Amortised to ~$300/deal at 10 logos. |
| Proposal deck & sales collateral (one-time) | Sales | $2,000 | A professional deck signals institutional credibility. One-time design investment used in every demo and proposal. Estimated +15% close rate lift. |
| LinkedIn Sales Navigator (annual) | Sales | $1,188 | Precise targeting of GCs and ADR heads. Warms prospects before cold email. Expected to generate 30% of outbound pipeline. |
| Demo environment & hosting (annual) | Sales | $720 | Stable, fast demo environment. A slow or broken demo in front of a FINRA or AAA contact is unrecoverable. Non-negotiable infrastructure. |
| Apollo.io email sequencing (annual) | Sales | $480 | Automates 5-touch follow-up sequences. Directly addresses the 21% follow-up gap. Without systematic follow-up, outbound is 79% wasted effort. |
| CRM — HubSpot Starter (annual) | Sales | $612 | Pipeline visibility and deal tracking. Without a CRM, no systematic sales process is possible. Required infrastructure from first demo. |
| Sales contingency buffer | Sales | $8,000 | Covers travel overruns, additional conference opportunities, or opportunistic outbound trips (e.g., visiting a warm prospect in person). Disciplined reserve. |
| Sales subtotal | $28,000 | 67% of total budget | |
| Website design & build (one-time) | Marketing | $4,000 | Every prospect will check nyai.com before or after a demo. A professional website signals institutional readiness. Non-negotiable credibility asset. |
| Brand assets — logo, templates, deck system (one-time) | Marketing | $2,500 | Consistent brand across all touchpoints signals professionalism. Shared with proposal deck budget above. One-time investment covering all Y1 materials. |
| Case study production × 4 ($600 each) | Marketing | $2,400 | Social proof drives +40% close rate lift in B2B enterprise. Published after each pilot conversion. Used in every subsequent demo as objection-handling evidence. |
| Video demo — 60-second product overview (one-time) | Marketing | $1,500 | Embedded in outbound emails and website. Allows async demos with decision-makers who cannot schedule a live call. Expected 25% lift in email reply rate. |
| Press releases × 3 (first contract, 100 cases, first renewal) | Marketing | $900 | Earned media from legal-tech press at no outreach cost beyond distribution. Each release supports investor narrative and builds third-party credibility. |
| Newsletter tool — Substack (annual) | Marketing | $0 | Free tier covers 500+ subscribers. "AI & Arbitration" monthly newsletter. Content written by founder — no additional cost. 2× demo conversion lift for subscribers. |
| Marketing contingency buffer | Marketing | $2,700 | Additional case studies, opportunistic editorial placements, or design iterations. Held in reserve and deployed only against proven conversion uplift. |
| Marketing subtotal | $14,000 | 33% of total budget | |
| Total 12-month GTM budget | $42,000 | Target ARR: $150,000 · ROAS: 3.6× · LTV/CAC: 8.9× | |
Cumulative Spend vs Projected ARR — 12-Month View
The revenue curve crosses the spend line at approximately Month 4, generating positive ROAS from that point forward
Cumulative spend
Cumulative ARR
04
Unit Economics.
Built from the Bottom Up.
Every figure below is derived from actual pipeline data and conservative assumptions. No benchmark-anchoring. No aspirational hockey sticks. The base case is achievable with existing pipeline. The upside case requires two additional referral conversions.
Blended CAC
$4,200
Total $42K ÷ 10 target institutions. All channels blended — no cherry-picking.
Benchmark: $5K–$25K B2B enterprise
Below market
LTV / CAC
8.9×
$37,500 LTV ÷ $4,200 CAC. 3-year basis, floor ACV only. No expansion revenue included.
Benchmark: >3× good · >5× great
Exceptional
Payback Period
3.4 mo
CAC $4,200 ÷ monthly ACV $1,250. Full payback before end of Q2.
Benchmark: <18 months is strong
Exceptional
ACV (floor)
$15K
Per institution per year. Usage layer above floor not included in base case.
3-month pilot entry at $3K available
Structured for expansion
LTV (3-year)
$37.5K
$15K × 3 years, 0% churn assumed, 0% expansion assumed. Conservative by design.
Upside with expansion: $75K+
Conservative floor
ROAS (total spend)
3.6×
$150K ARR ÷ $42K total spend. Marketing-only ROAS: 10.7× ($150K ÷ $14K).
Benchmark: 2–4× typical Y1 B2B
Above benchmark
| Metric | Base case | Upside case | Industry benchmark | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total GTM budget | $42,000 | $42,000 | $50–$200K seed-stage B2B SaaS | Lean · below market |
| Target institutions Y1 | 10 | 18 | 5–15 typical pre-seed B2B | Achievable · in range |
| ARR Year 1 | $150,000 | $280,000 | $100–$500K pre-seed Y1 | Strong base case |
| Blended CAC | $4,200 | $2,333 | $5K–$25K B2B enterprise | Below market · excellent |
| LTV (3-year, floor) | $37,500 | $75,000+ | Depends on NRR and expansion | Conservative — no expansion assumed |
| LTV / CAC | 8.9× | 32.1× | >3× good · >5× great | Exceptional · investor-grade |
| ROAS (total spend) | 3.6× | 6.7× | 2–4× typical Y1 B2B SaaS | Above benchmark |
| ROAS (marketing only) | 10.7× | 20.0× | 4–8× good for B2B SaaS | Excellent |
| Payback period | 3.4 months | 1.9 months | <18 months is strong | Exceptional |
| Target NRR (from M5) | ≥100% | ≥110% | >100% = product-market fit signal | On plan — activates May 5 |
05
12 Months.
Three Phases.
Each phase has a single primary objective and clear go/no-go criteria. Phase 1 validates the sales motion. Phase 2 systematises what works. Phase 3 scales the flywheel.
Phase 01
Mar – Jun 2026
Objective: First paid contract
- Fix follow-up cadence — implement Apollo.io 5-touch sequence by Apr 14
- Convert 2 demos to pilots by Apr 28 (CPR, College of Commercial Arb)
- Sign first paid contract by May 5 at $15K floor ACV
- Launch "AI & Arbitration" newsletter — 500-subscriber target
- Attend AAA Annual Meeting — pre-book 3 meetings in advance
- Open investor outreach — 5 conversations using pipeline as proof
- Publish 2 articles in legal-tech press (Law.com, Legaltech News)
Phase spend
~$14,000
Phase 02
Jul – Sep 2026
Objective: 5 paying institutions
- Scale to 5 paying institutions — total ARR $75,000
- Activate referral programme — 2 intros requested per signed institution
- Publish first case study following pilot conversion
- Attend CPR Annual Meeting — target speaking slot
- Reach 100 cases processed — issue press release
- Measure NRR for first time — target ≥100%
- Close seed round — target $500K–$1M
Phase spend
~$16,000
Phase 03
Oct – Dec 2026
Objective: $150K ARR · 10 institutions
- Reach 10 paying institutions — ARR $150,000
- 30% of new logos from referrals — zero incremental CAC
- NRR ≥110% — first expansion cases converting
- Attend ABA Dispute Resolution — panel speaker
- Newsletter reaches 1,500 subscribers
- Hire first sales rep (seed-funded)
- Set Y2 target: $500K ARR, 30 institutions
Phase spend
~$12,000
06
Risk Register.
Known. Mitigated.
Six highest-probability risks to this plan, with explicit mitigation strategies already in place or planned. Probability and impact are assessed independently.
| Risk | Impact | Probability | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|
Follow-up rate stays at 21% Current gap vs 70–80% benchmark is the #1 plan killer |
High | High | Implement Apollo.io 5-touch sequence by Apr 14. Cadence: Day 1, 4, 8, 14, 21. Track weekly in HubSpot. KPI: 65% follow-up rate by May 1. If not achieved, reallocate buffer to freelance sales support. |
Sales cycle longer than 90 days Institutional procurement slows deal progression |
High | Medium | Maintain 20+ demo pipeline simultaneously so 50% drop-off still closes 10 logos. Offer 3-month pilot at $3K to bypass long procurement — converts to annual at $15K. Never discount the annual contract. |
ACV pressure below $15K Institutions negotiate below floor ACV |
Medium | Medium | Hold the annual price. Offer the 3-month pilot ($3K) as a concession — it converts at full ACV and protects 3-year LTV. Have usage-based expansion built into every contract from day one. |
Founder bandwidth constraint Sales + product + ops simultaneously limits throughput |
Medium | Medium | Time-block 50% of founder week to sales: Mon, Wed, Fri mornings. Delegate product/ops to contractor ($1K/month). First sales hire funded from seed (Phase 3). Do not let product work delay a follow-up. |
Conference ROI below 2 demos/event $12K conference spend underperforms |
Medium | Low | Pre-book 3+ meetings before each event using LinkedIn. Apply for speaking slots 6 months in advance — speaking converts at 35% vs 20% for general attendance. If Event 1 underperforms, cut Event 4 and reallocate to outbound tools. |
Referral programme underactivates Signed customers do not actively refer |
Low | Low | Ask for referrals at contract signing (peak NPS moment). Offer co-authorship on thought-leadership articles as primary incentive — free for us, high-value for them. Build "Founding Institution" programme with named status and priority features. |
Key metrics
Total budget
$42K
12-month GTM spend
Target ARR — Year 1
$150K
10 institutions × $15K
LTV / CAC
8.9×
Exceptional (benchmark: >3×)
Payback period
3.4 mo
Full CAC recovery by Month 4
Budget allocation
Sales — 67%
$28,000
Conferences, CRM, legal, tools, contingency
Marketing — 33%
$14,000
Website, brand, case studies, PR, video
Sales 67%
Mkt 33%
Plan improvements vs v1
Fixed: Visual discipline
Previous version used 6 colours with no hierarchy. This version: black, white, and one blue. Every element is easier to read and more professional.
Fixed: Budget granularity
Every line item now has an explicit justification tied to a conversion outcome. No budget line exists without a reason.
Fixed: Risk specificity
Risks now include concrete mitigation steps with dates and KPIs — not just general platitudes.
Fixed: Upside/base case split
Unit economics now shows base and upside separately so investors can stress-test both scenarios independently.
Immediate priorities
- Set up Apollo.io 5-touch sequence by Apr 14
- Open 5 investor conversations this week
- Schedule CPR and College of Arb for pilots
- Submit AAA speaking slot application
- Launch Substack newsletter — first edition
- Time-block sales: Mon, Wed, Fri mornings
- Publish first Law.com article by Apr 21
Budget donut