Question 1

Why should an IC believe this before markets move?

Accepted Answer

On the GFC backtest, Our Index hit Crisis mode by March 2008 — 6 months before Lehman. That run is blind and period-correct — each month scored only on data available at the time, with no lookahead into Lehman or later prints. We have re-run that reconstruction more times than we can count. It is a deterministic historical replay — not a marketing anecdote. We sell the instrument and that proof record — not a promise that every future crisis will print the same lead time.

Question 2

What is Watch vs Act — and why does it matter on the desk?

Accepted Answer

Watch is the earliest Crisis signal of any fashion — surface it to the office; do not allocate on Watch alone. Act is dual Crisis: thermodynamic load and entropy gap together — the capital decision clock. Same sealed physics on the live Index and the case studies. That distinction is the product language, not a dashboard decoration.

Question 3

Is this a forecasting or prediction product?

Accepted Answer

No. The Index measures systemic stress. Physics are sealed. Inputs are source-traced and point-in-time. Outputs are monthly scores, regimes, Watch/Act clocks, and authored work against those scores. Historical backtests show when stress was already elevated before markets priced it — they are not a productized forecast with Brier scores or “call the next crisis” language.

Question 4

How is this different from VIX, ratings, or a geo shop?

Accepted Answer

VIX and spreads are market fear and credit pricing — useful, late. Ratings and narrative geo briefs are lagging or qualitative. The Index scores structural stress across six domains on countries, corridors, sectors, and markets before that stress is fully priced — with explicit Watch vs Act so the desk knows what to surface versus what to act on. Same desk can still run VIX; this is the structural layer those tools do not give you.

Question 5

Is the model a black box?

Accepted Answer

No. Domain inputs are evidence-tiered and source-traced. One sealed formula on the live Index and every backtest — formulaic result, not narrative. Scoring is deterministic under sealed physics. Zero AI touching the engine: AI may structure evidence and read the face; it does not write the number. Edition 1.19.0. Methodology and the GFC case study are public before you buy.

Question 6

World, Industry, or Internal — how do I decide?

Accepted Answer

Continuous Watch/Act on systems you watch → World Index. Commission a vertical base rate from public evidence → Industry Index. Score one named organization and leave with a plan → Internal Audit. Same Index physics — different entity grain.

Question 7

What is Industry Index — and why start there?

Accepted Answer

Industry Index scores a scoped vertical (beachhead: industrial / building materials) from public evidence — tariffs, craft, documentation load, demand fog. No data room. Lower friction than a named-org engagement. Then upsell Internal Audit on your firm against that base rate, or Refresh when the industry shifts.

Question 8

We are a family office / fund. What do we actually get on the desk?

Accepted Answer

A firm license to the live World Index: scores and Watch/Act clocks on a scoped watchlist, alerts when regime shifts, desk briefings, named users included. Priority countries and coded routes on the live watch — Watch/Act, alerts, desk briefings. Sector and market tiles extend the watchlist; full reports on industries and companies use the same physics where catalog depth allows. Analyst access and Travis time can attach after; they are not required to start.

Question 9

We need a company / portfolio company scored. Is that the license?

Accepted Answer

No — that is Internal Audit: a scoped engagement on a named organization — instrument score, six domains, insecurity gap, Threat Validation Gate, cascade when flagged, then a ten-section plan plus a Day-90 Checkpoint. Refresh re-instruments when structure changes. Prefer the industry base rate first? Start with Industry Index. Continuous World Index licensing is separate if you also watch markets.

Question 10

What is the complimentary brief — and why isn’t it enough?

Accepted Answer

The complimentary brief proves the live Index on one catalog system — score, phase, perception gap, situation line, two stress domains, and a short reading. It is not the full six-domain narrative pack, not a company Internal Audit, not an Industry Index, and not a firm watchlist. Engaging means a World Index firm license (continuous watch, alerts, evidence depth), an Industry Index vertical seal, or an Internal Audit on a named organization.

Question 11

Can we start with Industry or Internal Audit and add a license later?

Accepted Answer

Yes — common path. Industry Index or Internal Audit proves the instrument; the World Index puts ongoing scores and Watch/Act on the desk. We will not force both in the first conversation.

Question 12

Can we stay on Desk Pilot instead of the World Index firm license?

Accepted Answer

A bounded try of the live watch: one weekly side-by-side memo, scoped watchlist, max two prepaid quarters. World Index is the full-year live watch — full watchlist, alerts, and desk briefings. Not a discount firm license — weekly proof vs your stack, then $50K/yr World Index or exit. No third quarter at pilot rate.

Question 13

How often should we re-read — every two quarters?

Accepted Answer

No — not by default. Sealed packs score once and ship a plan; Day-90 on org engagements is a light checkpoint, not a full re-instrument. Refresh when load or regime shifts (typically 12–24 months for orgs, 12–18 for verticals, faster for hot corridors). If you need continuous scores on markets, that is the $25K/quarter Desk Pilot or the World Index firm license — not quarterly sealed reads.

Question 14

Why aren’t every dollar amount on the site?

Accepted Answer

Standard pack floors are on /packs (Industry from $25K, Internal Audit from $35K, World Index from $50K/yr). Desk Pilot is $25K/quarter · 2 quarters max · cancellable — quarter-one prepay on the Order Form, not a substitute for the firm license. Exact price unlocks after we Approve — watchlist size, entity, named users, add-ons. No founding-rate theater, no per-seat SaaS ladder.

Question 15

How fast do we see value after we say yes?

Accepted Answer

World Index: workspace and watchlist scoping first; live scores and the reporting cadence start once access is released — usually within a business day of funds clear, then monthly written rhythm. Industry Index: ~3 weeks Standard after scope lock. Internal Audit: scoped engagement with Day-90 Checkpoint on the calendar. Exact timeline set when price unlocks.

Question 16

Who has to be in the first call?

Accepted Answer

Someone who owns the decision — CIO / IC lead for World Index; strategy / risk / PE ops / venture GP for Internal Audit. Book an intro. We do not need a fifteen-person demo.

Question 17

What if we already pay for Bloomberg, Eurasia, or a rating feed?

Accepted Answer

Keep them. Those tools price markets, narratives, and credit opinions. The Index is the structural stress layer upstream of that pricing — Watch to surface, Act to decide. Buyers who already pay for geo/macro intel are the core ICP — we are not asking you to rip out the stack.

Question 18

What are we not buying?

Accepted Answer

Decision support only — score, shortlist, and sequence against evidence. Client owns the call. Not a directive from the score alone. Not a self-serve company scraper. Never productized: Mode C as a sold SKU; Hermes-as-SKU; Cyber audits; Credit ratings. You are buying either a World Index firm license or an Internal Audit engagement — exact price after Approve. Quiet packs (footprint shortlist, PE platform, pre-deal, node) unlock at Approve when the job matches.

Question 19

Ready to move — what is the next step?

Accepted Answer

See the World Index or Internal Audit on /products, then Book an intro. We Approve, unlock price, you sign and pay (Stripe or wire). Prefer to feel the instrument first? Run a complimentary brief on a catalog system.

One instrument.

World Index

Industry Index

Internal Audit

Same Index. Three buys.

Book an intro.
Exact price after Approve.

Ready when the room is.