Join the Ironstone Portfolio

What joining means

The Ironstone portfolio is an ongoing working relationship with companies and people whose needs and capabilities fit our work. It is not an investment fund. Selection is informed by the experience of our current and past partners and by the criteria below.

Apply if you want to explore that longer relationship. For a specific project or an initial question, contact Rob or book a conversation.

Partnership begins with fit

The Ironstone portfolio is a working network, not a logo wall. Some relationships begin as a focused project. The best grow into longer partnerships around a difficult problem, a committed team and a useful result.

The pattern comes from the companies and communities we have worked with. Current and past partners span customer experience, organization mapping, innovation, software, data, financing, insurance, markets and applied research. Different sectors, same requirement: the work has to move from idea to evidence to execution.

A STRONG FIT

• You have a concrete product, program, market or operating problem worth solving.

• A founder, executive or senior decision maker is engaged and able to act.

• Your team can provide access to the people, data and context needed to do real work.

• The intended outcome should be responsible, useful and economically sustainable.

• You value evidence, iteration, candid judgment and reusable learning.

• You want a partner who will think and build with you, not simply deliver a generic deck.

TWO WAYS TO JOIN

Operating partnerships

For companies changing a product, service, market, customer experience, data system, financing model or organization.

Ecosystem partnerships

For investors, experts, researchers and builders who can contribute knowledge, opportunities or capabilities to a shared program.

WHAT TO SEND

Reply to the application email with:

1. Your company or program and website.

2. The problem or opportunity, and why it matters now.

3. The stage of the work and what has already been tried.

4. The decision maker and the people who can participate.

5. A useful outcome we could produce together in the next 90 days.

6. Why Ironstone is the right partner.

Applications are reviewed by Rob. If there is a fit, the next step is a 30-minute conversation. If there is not, you will get a clear answer rather than a long sales process.