Business model and go to market
Pressure test the model, sharpen positioning, and find the clearest path from idea to market.
Da Nang, Vietnam — working with founders worldwide
Clear advice for founders. No equity, no success fees.
Business model, regulatory risk mapping, operator learnings, and the right introductions — from someone who has built, exited, and sat beside 40+ early teams.
- 40+
- startups advised over the years
- $1B+
- real estate transactions involved in
- ~$100M
- equity and debt helped raise
- 2017
- exited iFunding, his own venture
About
William Skelley
Operator, founder, and advisor. Now based on the coast in Da Nang, building Santara AI and working with early teams.
William founded iFunding, one of the early US real estate crowdfunding platforms, and exited in 2017. Before that his path ran through Rose Park Advisors, General Electric, Bain Capital, and Olympus, where he worked in New York reporting to Tokyo.
He has been involved in over $1B of real estate transactions and has helped raise roughly $100M in equity and debt across the US and Asia.
Speaking
As featured in
CNBCNBC NewsThe Real DealUSA TodayHarvard ClubWSJCrowdfund InsiderCrowdfunder
Services
Focused advice where early decisions carry weight.
Regulatory and compliance risk mapping
I map risk so you hire counsel with a clear brief. This is not legal advice.
Introductions that fit the retainer
Relevant introductions where I can help, always inside the advisory relationship and never as a cut of the deal.
What you get
Clarity, introductions, operator pattern recognition.
What you do not get
Equity asks, finder’s fees, or me acting as your lawyer.
Packages
Clear scope. Clear price. No upside tax.
Base rate$100 per hour
Light
$500/ month
5 hours included
Async advice, one working session, light introductions, written notes on business model or compliance risks.
Extra hours $100/hr. Unused hours do not roll past month end.
Working
$1,200/ month
12 hours included
Ongoing advisor seat. Business model, go to market, regulatory map, weekly check in, introductions inside the retainer.
Extra hours $100/hr. Up to 3 unused hours roll one month.
Sprint
$4,000flat
About 40 hours over two weeks
Business model + positioning + compliance risk map in one pass. Fixed scope letter before start.
Extra beyond scope $100/hr. Not a retainer.
Cash only. No equity. No options. No success fee on funding, merchants, or intros.
Intros are included in the retainer, not priced as a percentage of any deal.
I flag regulatory issues. Local counsel owns filings and opinions.
Retainers: either side ends with 30 days notice. Sprint ends when deliverables ship.
How it works
Simple from first call to first working session.
01
Short call
02
Advisory letter
03
Monthly invoice (Light / Working) or 50/50 Sprint
04
Work starts
Writing
Notes from the road and the desk
Field notes on building, markets, regulation, and the operator decisions that rarely fit in a pitch deck.
William Skelley on Substack
Long form thinking from the work, published without a content calendar.
Read on SubstackContact
Tell me what you are building.
I will reply with whether Light, Working, or Sprint fits.
Calls scheduled across Asia, Europe, and the US