Scheduling TimeProtocols and Parameters for requesting time with us.
This page outlines ARtillery’s Intelligence’s policies and protocols around analyst calls and discovery meetings. After reviewing, please use the form below to request a call or meeting.
Requests for meetings or briefings should contain the following
- What type of briefing you’re interested in (detailed below)
- Acknowledgment of briefings policies
- Requested/desired time slot
1. Types of Briefings:
A. On-the-record for publication (AR Insider):
This is generally for the purposes of profiling or publishing an article about your company. AR Insider (ARtillery Intelligence’s sister publication) benefits from adding to its market coverage and content library with thoughtful analysis of industry players and the innovations they exhibit (examples here). We also appreciate and thrive on relationship-building with industry innovators. Meanwhile, subjects can benefit from exposure, though AR Insider maintains analyst and authorial license for all published material. Importantly, these are not PR pieces and no money changes hands for such engagements. See AR Insider’s Disclosure and Ethics Policy.
B. Off-the-record for strategy/insights
These briefings aren’t meant for publication or public analysis but are rather done for the purposes of strategic insights. These briefings are common for startups in AR & VR sectors, or companies entering from other sectors that wish to be educated on the key trends and success factors that ARtillery Intelligence is tracking. There is a fee for these briefings, which is detailed here. This is waived for ARtillery PRO subscribers (“Startup” and “Enterprise” tiers) as strategy briefings are included. Contact us to find out more.
C. Discovery Briefings:
These may or may not have a specific agenda or outcome. They are generally to network or discover synergies. These are valuable to ARtillery Intelligence, but limited in availability and volume, given prioritization of the above engagements and editorial output.
2. Briefings Policy
ARtillery Intelligence’s briefings policies stem from Paul Graham’s “Makers and Managers” construct, and is summarized below. This does not apply to paid strategy briefings nor ARtillery PRO subscribers, who can log in and contact us for immediate response.
ARtillery analysts are in a unique position in running a publishing-centric intelligence firm. Our small team publishes roughly 25,000 words per month, the equivalent of a 100-page novel. This involves reporting, fact-checking, copy editing, and other protocols for editorial standards.
This type of work is unique in that it requires deep focus and long periods of uninterrupted “heads down” time. Like coding/programming, things like research papers can’t be done in 30-minute chunks, due to the headspace and cognitive momentum required to do them effectively.
Therefore, the corporate paradigm of frequent calls and meetings (e.g. “discovery calls”) can be significantly disruptive to a publishing schedule. A meeting at 10 AM disables production for an entire morning, splitting it into two parts, each inadequate for productive focus.
At the same time, we receive several daily requests and offers to “grab coffee,” which we are honored and flattered to receive. We recognize that this is the common corporate paradigm and culture with which we interact, coexist and strongly value. But altogether, it creates a challenge.
We’ve devised three solutions
Limit meetings to calls*: Though preferable in lots of ways, in-person meetings can eat up three hours, including prep, transit, the meeting itself, follow-ups, and a cascading effect on the remainder of the day. They also tend to linger and last longer than calls. We are compatible/accustomed to any video calling platform.
Limit calls to 30 minutes*: A 15-30 minute limit, when communicated in advance, can force a focused information exchange that covers all critical bases, but in a more time-efficient way.
Dayparting*: The challenge isn’t just elapsed time, but the sequencing of activities. A day with 3-4 scheduled calls can coexist with productive publishing output… if they are strategically clustered in designated dayparts, rather than peppered through the day in disruptive ways. This is what Paul Graham calls “office hours.”
*These requirements do not apply to paid strategic engagements or ARtillery PRO subscribers.
NDAs
We’re often asked to sign NDA’s before engaging in analyst briefings. We honor this request for paid strategy briefings or ARtillery PRO subscribers. If you’d like to request our time otherwise for discovery meetings (explained above) or other call formats, we’re unable to process NDA’s due to the time and legal review process that has proven to be substantial and counterproductive to the above bandwidth issues. We do however operate under the Society of Professional Journalist Code of Ethics (detailed in our disclosure and ethics policy) and are ethically and strategically bound to not publicly disclose any information that is explicitly stated as “off the record” prior to its exchange.
Travel
We’re often asked to travel to attend or speak at conferences, usually comp’d under a press/media or speaker pass. We are honored to receive these offers but are often time and resource-constrained due to the aggressive editorial cycles outlined above. Fortunately, we are based in San Francisco where the event “itch” is often scratched through lots of local activity. So dedicated air travel to attend events is rare, unless there are compelling circumstances such as a travel cost reimbursement or other direct revenue outcomes that not only offset trip costs but also the “opportunity cost” of being pulled away from editorial cycles and building a startup. We look forward to our next stage of growth when we can get out more, but this is the current reality and the discipline we’re committed to.
3. Scheduling
Based on all of the above, the available time slots for 15-30 minute calls with ARtillery Intelligence analysts are 10am-12 PST, Tuesday – Thursday. Please indicate desired times when requesting a briefing below. Paid strategy briefings and ARtillery PRO subscribers can log in anytime to access a wider range of time slots.
ReferenceCredentials & context
