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Purple / Go-To-Market

Commercialisation
Strategy Sprint

2Weeks
5Workstreams
12Interviews
Client

International Law Firm

Top 30 Global Firm

A leading international law firm had built an internal AI capability that actually worked. Adoption was real - not a pilot that people tried once and forgot about. External interest was growing. The question was no longer whether the platform had value, but what to do with it.

A board meeting was coming. The firm needed an answer - not a list of options, but a recommendation they could act on. They brought Purple in to figure it out.

The Brief

Five Questions for the Board

The board needed answers to five questions. Not opinions - evidence.

01

Where to Play

Which market, which niche, and why that one first? Pick a fight you can win.

02

How to Win

What makes this different from everything else on the market? Is that difference real or wishful thinking?

03

How to Go to Market

What does year one actually look like? Who pays, how much, and what has to go right?

04

How to Structure It

Keep it inside, spin it out, or bring in outside money? Each one means different things for control and risk.

05

How to Manage Risk

What could go wrong, and what do you do about it? Written for partners, not a risk committee.

The Approach

Five Workstreams, Two Weeks

We planned for four weeks. The board deadline gave us two. So we ran it senior-only with no handoffs.

01

Market & Niche

Who actually wants this, and why? We broke down the interest by sector, use case, and how they buy. Found the niches worth going after first - and defined what the firm should not try to do.

02

Positioning & Competition

Where does the platform sit against everything else on the market - the big funded players, the document tools, the specialist products? We worked out what makes the firm different and whether that difference is defensible.

03

Go-to-Market & Commercial Model

What does year one actually look like? Who do you sell to, how do you package it, what do you charge, and how do you know it is working? We also looked at whether distribution partnerships change the economics.

04

Structure & Ownership

Keep it internal, spin it out, bring in outside capital, or do something in between? Each option means different things for control, speed, IP, and risk. We laid out the trade-offs so the board could choose.

05

Risk & Decision Framework

A risk register written for partners, not technologists. Covers confidentiality, adoption risk, reputation, and org design. Plus a decision framework so the board could walk out of the room with a clear next step.

The Sprint

Two Weeks, Start to Finish

Week 1

Evidence Capture & Analysis

  • Kick-off and agreement on what the board actually needs to decide
  • Hands-on review of the platform and what it can do
  • 6 internal interviews - leadership, tech team, and practice group users
  • 6 external interviews - buyers and market participants, run blind
  • First-cut segmentation and competitive landscape
Week 2

Synthesis & Delivery

  • Narrowed the niches and picked the strongest
  • Go-to-market plan and commercial model
  • Structure, funding, and partnership options with trade-offs
  • Risk register and decision framework
  • Report and deck delivered, feedback incorporated, finalised
Evidence Base

Grounded in Reality, Not Theory

Every recommendation came from interviews, data, and competitive analysis. Where the evidence was thin, we said so.

6

Internal Interviews

Leadership, the tech team, and the people actually using the platform day to day

6

External Interviews

Buyers and market participants, all run blind - no mention of the client

8+

Competitors Analysed

The full landscape - funded players, specialists, and everything in between

3

Deliverables

Report, board deck, and working tools the firm could use straight away

The Analysis

How We Assessed Each Path

There were multiple paths forward. We tested each one against three questions that cut through the noise.

01

What Are You Actually Good At?

We tested each option against the firm's real strengths - what it knows, who trusts it, its regulatory status, its data. Not what it hopes to be. What it is today.

02

Does the Maths Work?

We looked at what each path costs, how long it takes to break even, and what has to go right for it to work. No hockey sticks. Realistic numbers.

03

What Could Go Wrong?

Every option has a different risk profile. Some are cheap now but expensive later. Some are the other way round. We made sure the board could see both sides.

What We Delivered

Board-Ready in Two Weeks

5-10 pages

Strategic Report

Short enough to read in one sitting. Covers positioning, go-to-market, structure, risks, and a clear recommendation with next steps. Written for partners, not consultants.

Board-ready

Board Presentation Deck

Built for practising lawyers, not technologists. The opportunity, where to compete, the recommended path, and the decision ask. No filler slides.

4 practical tools

Working Artefacts

A segmentation table, competitive positioning map, structural decision tree, and risk register. Things the firm could pick up and use the next day.

The Insight
The most important strategic question is rarely "which technology should we buy?" It is "where do we want to play in the value stack - and what capabilities do we need to control to get there?"

From the strategic report delivered to firm leadership

The Outcome

A Clear Path Forward

The board got a recommendation, not a menu. The report went round internally before the meeting and set the terms of the conversation.

One Answer

A single recommended path with clear reasoning. Not three options and a disclaimer.

Written for Partners

Every page was written for practising lawyers, not technologists. Short, structured, and decision-ready.

Tools, Not Just a Report

Working artefacts the firm could pick up and use the next day. Not something that sits on a shelf.

Two Weeks, Full Scope

Half the time, same scope. Senior-only delivery with no handoffs is the only way that works.

The Team

Practitioners, Not Observers

We have founded, built, and run legaltech businesses. Written code, hired sales teams, lost deals, won deals, and shipped products that lawyers actually use. That is why we think the way we do.

Co-Founder

Overall strategy, positioning, structure, and board narrative

Co-Founder

Market analysis, competitive intelligence, and evidence synthesis

Research Lead

External interviews, market landscape mapping, and data capture

Facing a Strategic Decision on AI?

Build, buy, or partner? Commercialise or keep it internal? We help law firms answer these questions properly - with evidence, not slide decks.