In today’s competitive business climate, any venture aiming to disrupt an industry stands out, and that’s precisely what Valliance intends to do. Announced in November 2025, this UK-based AI consultancy startup has launched with $15 million in backing from Siguler Guff & Company. This funding captures the attention not just because of the amount but the mission behind it, to challenge the stale consulting models many industries still cling to.
If you’ve watched how AI adoption is advancing, particularly in companies with significant tech budgets, you'll know that consultancies are playing a huge role. They help enterprises implement AI but often fail to deliver measurable ROI. Valliance argues that this is mostly due to the focus on billable hours and unnecessary complexity instead of tangible results. With a value-based billing model, charging purely for outcomes, not time, they may have hit on an idea that will genuinely resonate.
Challenging Industry Failures
Valliance enters an industry where businesses in the UK alone spend massive amounts on external consultants, £66 billion annually according to recent research, yet see minimal deliverables actually making it to production. A survey by Sapio Research reveals that fewer than half of AI-related projects define success metrics upfront. Essentially, companies are betting huge sums but rarely cash out.
Much of this issue lies in what Valliance’s co-founder Tarek Nseir describes as “legacy consulting,” which prioritizes the consultant’s time over the actual value to the client. To explain further, the largest enterprises in the UK earmark upwards of £11 million annually for AI-heavy consulting fees, while smaller companies allocate their entire tech budget. These fees often result in lengthy contracts with suboptimal results. Valliance’s value-driven approach takes this problem head-on.
Who’s Behind Valliance?
The leadership team combines decades of success in digital transformation, architecture, and AI. Co-founders Tarek Nseir, Anita Rajdev, and Rad Parvin all bring something powerful to the table. They’ve each occupied pivotal roles at IT services or data firms, successfully executing client strategies for heavy-hitters like Nike, Vodafone, and Allianz.
Having worked under and alongside traditional consultancy firms for years, they understand where the industry is falling short. Their solution is bold and clear: advice and project management only have value if they translate into success. Transparent metrics, they assert, should be baked into every AI deployment to establish trust from day one.
The Risks in Outdated Thinking
For tech entrepreneurs like me, Valliance’s rise offers a valuable lesson. There's a risk when companies focus too much on mimicry or over-reliance on existing industry methods. Plenty of founders I’ve previously mentored looked at what's already in the market and thought, “How can we do the same thing but cheaper?” That’s the sort of thinking that entrenched industries thrive on.
Instead, Valliance examined a glaring inefficiency, that consultancies are being paid handsomely even when they don’t truly deliver measurable value, and worked backward to build a model to solve it. They've questioned norms, replacing them with something centered entirely on outcomes.
How Does Value-Based Billing Work, Exactly?
Let’s break this down for others trying to disrupt their industries:
- Define success clearly up front: Valliance has its clients specify measurable goals right at the start. This, by itself, is uncommon in the traditional consulting world.
- Work closely with client teams: Instead of parachuting in as outsiders, they integrate with the company’s structure.
- Results-only payment model: Valliance doesn’t follow a time-based billing structure; they bill clients after measurable goals have been met in live systems. This eliminates the setup of endless advisory meetings with no clear ROI.
- Commitment to production: Unlike consultancies that stop at reports or proofs of concept, Valliance moves solutions into full use. This approach aligns them closely with their clients, as success becomes mutually beneficial.
Pitfalls Many Startups Fall Into
Anyone attempting to replicate or model something like Valliance should avoid a few critical mistakes.
- Selling big promises without measurement metrics in place: Getting explicit agreement from customers on what accomplishment looks like is non-negotiable.
- Pretending to solve everything: The Valliance team focuses exclusively on AI. They don’t offer generic advice, they’ve chosen their lane and are sticking to it.
- Hiring the wrong talent mix: Their experienced founding team sets them apart. Young startups with immature teams can easily stumble here; building scalable AI models requires heavy technical expertise from experts, not generalists or freelancers stretched too thin on multiple engagements.
Takeaways for Entrepreneurs
Most of us aren’t building consultancy ventures, but creativity and focus like Valliance’s can be applied elsewhere. For starters, ditching the dependency on old models and experimenting with novel approaches will at least give you a competitive edge. Technologies like AI not only allow these experiments but encourage them, with everyone now testing ideas faster and scaling with enhanced tools. It’s also worth remembering the influence of credibility; Valliance didn’t just get $15 million by walking into a room. They proved themselves as a team capable of solving hard, expensive, and long-standing business problems, which resonates well with modern investors.
Imagine the potential of introducing a similarly straightforward “pay for value” system in a completely different context, think SaaS applications or even creative marketing agencies. If the journey from concept to success involves bloat, inefficiencies, and often dissatisfied customers, disruption might simply mean cutting the nonsense.
Stepping into the Future
Valliance elicits excitement not just for what they’re doing within the consultancy space, but for the example they set about squeezing MORE utility per dollar every business spends on AI. For enterprise leaders obsessed with their balance sheets or for those of us eyeing the tidal wave of opportunity in AI-product fields, this announcement feels like the start of something bigger. Let’s stop throwing money at nonproductive middlemen and start rethinking industries like Valliance has.
FAQ
1. What is Valliance, and what is its goal?
Valliance is a UK-based AI consultancy startup launched in November 2025. Its goal is to disrupt traditional consulting models by using a value-based billing approach, only charging for measurable outcomes rather than time or effort. Learn more about Valliance’s mission
2. Who are the founders of Valliance?
The company was co-founded by Tarek Nseir, Anita Rajdev, and Rad Parvin. All three bring extensive experience in digital transformation, data, and AI consultancy from companies like Nike, Vodafone, Allianz, and EPAM. Discover Valliance’s founding team
3. How is Valliance funded, and who are its investors?
Valliance secured $15 million in private equity backing from Siguler Guff & Company, a multi-strategy investment firm. Shaun Khubchandani and Justin Eskind from Siguler Guff joined Valliance’s board after the investment. Learn more about the $15 million investment
4. What makes Valliance’s billing model different?
Instead of charging for hours worked, Valliance uses a value-based billing model. Clients are billed after achieving success metrics, ensuring they pay only for outcomes achieved in live systems. Find out how value-based billing works
5. Why is Valliance’s approach necessary for the consulting industry?
Traditional consulting firms often fail to deliver measurable results, despite high fees. Valliance’s model eliminates inefficiency by focusing on delivering actual business outcomes, addressing a problem where half of AI projects lack defined success metrics. Read about Valliance’s unique value proposition
6. What industries does Valliance target?
Valliance is “AI-native” and specifically focuses on enterprises investing heavily in AI but who want measurable success. Their clients include companies from various sectors looking for enhanced AI returns. Learn more about Valliance’s focus on enterprise AI projects
7. What immediate success has Valliance seen since its launch?
Valliance has already signed three clients and plans to expand operations from London to Amsterdam, showcasing early traction and recognition in the consulting world. Find out more about Valliance’s growth strategy
8. How does Valliance ensure success for its clients?
Valliance works closely with client teams, defining success metrics upfront and focusing on moving AI projects from proofs of concept to full implementation. Read about their results-focused approach
9. How big is the AI consultancy market Valliance is entering?
In the UK alone, companies spend £66 billion annually on consulting services, often without achieving significant results. Valliance aims to address this inefficiency. Learn about Valliance’s market opportunities
10. Who are Valliance’s key backers and board advisors?
In addition to investors from Siguler Guff, Valliance benefits from advisory input by Stephen Treloar, a former executive at global firms like Aviva and Allianz. Explore Valliance’s investor and advisor network
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.
