Application to handover takes 2 to 6 weeks depending on venture complexity. Here's exactly what happens at each stage.
You complete the application form for a specific venture (or for a custom build), describing your background, why you want this venture, and your situation. The form takes about 10 minutes. At the end of the application, you place a £200 refundable deposit through Stripe.
We receive your application within seconds. Your deposit sits with Stripe.
Nothing further until we respond.
Our review within 72 hours.
Within 72 hours, our team reviews your application. We assess two things: your operational capacity (can you run the venture day-to-day?), and your fit with the specific venture you've applied for. We may decide to: (a) proceed to a fit conversation, (b) shortlist you while considering other applicants for the same venture, (c) decline this application but suggest a different venture, or (d) decline outright.
Reviewing your application, possibly comparing it to others applying for the same venture, and deciding next steps.
Waiting for our response. We commit to responding within 72 hours.
An email from us with our decision. If we don't proceed, we refund your £200 deposit in full — no questions, no deductions. If we want to proceed, we'll send you a calendar link to book your fit conversation, and your deposit moves toward your due diligence and onboarding setup costs at handover.
A 45-minute video call between you and Zundara's founder, Shepherd Nyakudya. The call covers your background and motivation, the specific venture and why it's a fit, your operational plan, the jurisdiction and operational setup details, and any questions you have. This is not a sales call. It's a partnership decision on both sides. Either of us can decide not to proceed at any point during or after the call.
Assessing fit at depth. Sharing more detail about the venture, the documentation, the operational realities. Listening carefully to your situation and plans.
Asking everything you want to know. Telling us your real situation, including any constraints or concerns. Making your own decision about whether to proceed.
If we both want to proceed, we move to handover preparation. If either of us doesn't, we part on good terms.
Over 1–3 weeks (depending on venture complexity and your readiness), we prepare the handover. The company shares transfer to your name. The domain registration transfers. The website's contact and identity information updates. Email accounts move to your control. The phone number routes to your specified configuration. The document library access is established for you.
You sign three documents at handover:
Your direct debit for the infrastructure subscription begins on the handover date.
From handover, you run the business. We provide ongoing platform infrastructure (email, web, phone, document management, document updates when regulations change). We provide strategic guidance and operational support at the level your venture's tier specifies. If you've taken the optional consulting contract, we provide active mentorship and hands-on support. We hold 12% of your venture. That stake gives us aligned interest in your success.
You place it when you apply. If we don't proceed, we refund it in full — no questions, no deductions. If we do proceed, it counts toward your due diligence and onboarding setup at handover.
£179/month for light-regulatory ventures or £199/month for heavily regulated ones. Paid by direct debit from handover. Covers the platform infrastructure your business runs on: branded email, web hosting, business phone, document management, ongoing platform support, documentation updates.
Zundara retains 12% of the venture from handover. Standard shareholders' agreement terms include pro-rata rights, anti-dilution protection (5% floor), tag-along rights, information rights, and a board observer seat. No drag-along. No restrictions on your operational decisions.
You don't pay a purchase price for the business. You don't pay royalties on your revenue. You don't pay franchise fees. You don't accept territory restrictions on where you operate. You don't accept drag-along provisions on your exit. You don't accept non-compete restrictions on what you do next. The business is yours to grow, sell, or wind down as you choose, subject only to the standard minority-shareholder protections in the shareholders' agreement.
Some operators take a separate consulting contract at handover, especially when entering a sector they don't have prior experience in. The consulting contract is separate from the infrastructure contract, separately billed, and separately cancellable. It provides active mentorship, hands-on strategic support, operational consulting, regulatory advisory, and ongoing problem-solving as your business grows.
Whether you take consulting at handover, later, or not at all is your decision. The 24-month infrastructure contract stands on its own; consulting is an additional offering.
Yes — fully refundable if we don't proceed with you. No questions, no deductions, no admin fee. If we do proceed to fit conversation, the deposit moves toward your due diligence and onboarding setup costs at handover, so you're not paying it twice.
No. The business is UK-registered but the owner can be anywhere in the world. For most ventures, no UK residency is required. For heavily regulated sectors (care, medical), a UK-resident registered manager may be required — we can help you structure this.
We share full documentation indices and sample documents during the fit conversation, not before. This protects the engine and ensures the documentation is reviewed in context. The Hearthstone documentation index, summarised at 204 documents across 12 categories, is the most detailed we currently share publicly.
Many of our operators don't. We back operators with strong motivation and the willingness to be coached. For less-experienced operators, we may offer a higher partnership stake (15–20% rather than 12%) in exchange for more intensive consulting support during the cultivation period. We assess this during the fit conversation.
Yes. The business is yours to grow, sell, or wind down. Our 12% retained stake comes with standard shareholders' agreement terms including a voluntary buyout mechanism. There's no drag-along, no non-compete on what you do next, no territory restriction.
You can renew the contract, upgrade to a different tier, or transition off the OctusCloud platform to a different infrastructure provider. There's no automatic renewal trap — the contract requires affirmative renewal.
12% of the company's issued share capital. Standard ordinary shares with the rights specified in the shareholders' agreement (information rights, pro-rata rights, observer seat, anti-dilution floor at 5%, tag-along). No special preference or super-voting structure.
Yes. The shareholders' agreement includes a voluntary buyout mechanism. You can buy our stake out at fair market value at any time after the first 24 months. The platform isn't designed to hold you indefinitely.
No. We don't impose territory restrictions, royalties, brand standards, or franchise fees. You hold majority equity. You make operational decisions. The 12% is a partnership stake, not a franchise relationship.
No. Each operator owns and runs their own venture independently. No operator's capital is pooled with another's. No operator earns from another operator's venture. Our retained stakes are held as ordinary minority equity in operating companies. We've structured the platform specifically to avoid CIS characterisation.
Yes — we encourage it. We'll wait while you do. The shareholders' agreement, infrastructure contract, and (if taken) consulting contract are all written in plain English and reviewable in normal time.
Choose a venture from our available list, or apply for a custom-built venture in your chosen sector.
