Opportunity prioritization
Which funders, programs, partners, or opportunities deserve attention first—and which appear to be poor fits?
Research & Strategy
Decision Research Sprint
A 7–10 business-day public-source research engagement that turns one messy decision into a traceable evidence brief.
Built by Zhen helps small organizations turn messy public information into traceable evidence and a clearer next decision.
When this is useful
Research tied to a real decision, not research for its own sake.
Market or competitor mapping
What public evidence distinguishes a capped set of organizations, products, competitors, or alternatives?
Evidence verification
Which claims are supported, conflicting, incomplete, contradicted, or still not verified?
Organization or role mapping
Which organizations or public-facing roles appear relevant to the decision, and where does the evidence stop?
What I research
One clearly bounded research universe.
I research a defined set of public sources, organizations, funders, programs, products, competitors, claims, geographies, or public-facing roles. The exact universe and decision criteria are agreed before work begins.
The goal is not to research everything. The goal is to research enough of the right evidence to support one specific next decision.
What you receive
A concise decision package with the evidence attached.
Decision brief
Approximately 4–7 pages synthesizing the findings, implications, priorities, and remaining uncertainties.
Source-linked evidence table
A structured record of the organizations, claims, opportunities, or evidence reviewed within the agreed cap.
Priority matrix
A transparent comparison showing why items rank higher, lower, or remain unresolved against the agreed criteria.
Evidence-gap & uncertainty register
An explicit record of what the public record cannot establish, including conflicts, missing evidence, and open questions.
45-minute handoff discussion
A final walkthrough of the findings, decision implications, and unresolved points. The call is for clarification, not an unlimited revision cycle.
How it works
Four phases across 7–10 business days.
Frame the decision
Agree on the decision question, research universe, evidence fields, source expectations, deadline, and definition of a useful answer.
Research the bounded universe
Review public primary sources first, then credible secondary sources where they add useful context. Record links, dates, observations, and limits.
Verify and prioritize
Reconcile sources, separate observation from inference, classify the evidence, identify gaps, and rank findings against the decision criteria.
Deliver and hand off
Deliver the decision package and walk through the highest-impact findings, priorities, and uncertainties.
Evidence standards
Traceability before certainty.
I prefer original and primary sources whenever available: official organization pages, filings, public reports, announcements, program documents, and original publications. Material findings are linked to their sources and checked against the date and context available.
VerifiedSupportedPartially SupportedContradictedNot Verified
Repeated reporting from the same source family is not treated as independent confirmation. If public evidence cannot establish an internal fact—such as private budgets, procurement authority, undisclosed agreements, or active buying intent—I say so rather than filling the gap with assumptions.
Scope boundaries
What a standard Sprint does not include.
- Primary interviews or survey recruitment
- Unlimited lead generation or list building
- Paid database procurement
- Cold outreach or guaranteed contact information
- Proprietary intelligence
- Implementation work
- Legal, clinical, investment, or other regulated advice
- Unlimited revisions
Selected research work
Real engagements and independent method samples.
Completed volunteer engagement
BirdSEED Foundation
Grant prospect research
Completed a 25-hour pro bono funder research engagement supporting Philadelphia homeownership initiatives. Evaluated grant eligibility and organizational fit; delivered a prioritized pipeline of 10 funder prospects, a research/outreach tracker, and a 90-day follow-up plan.
Pro bono collaboration · Research package delivered
San Antonio Area African American Community Fund
Elementary literacy programs & district coverage
Completed a 40-hour pro bono elementary-literacy research engagement: mapped 34 local entities and 63 evidence relationships, examined coverage across 22 school districts, screened 52 national program candidates, and prepared 28 evidence-supported comparisons. Delivered source-linked research records and follow-up validation guidance.
Independent research sample
AssemblyAI
Decision-maker & authority verification
A decision-maker and authority-verification sample showing role analysis, source comparison, and evidence boundaries. It separates public functional responsibility from purchasing authority and buying intent, with explicit Not Verified states where evidence is insufficient.
Independent research sample
Render
Evidence verification & original-source tracing
An evidence-verification sample demonstrating claim decomposition, original-source tracing, and uncertainty handling. It identifies an unresolved $1M funding arithmetic discrepancy between published figures and separates announcement evidence from unverified transaction details.
The independent AssemblyAI and Render samples are portfolio demonstrations, not client engagements. The nonprofit engagements above are volunteer work and are not represented as paid commercial client outcomes.
Timing & price
Introductory paid Sprint: starting at US$1,500.
A standard Sprint takes 7–10 business days when the decision and research universe are clearly bounded. Final scope depends on the number of entities or claims, source complexity, and required synthesis.
If the question is smaller than a full Sprint, the work should be reduced to a smaller evidence-verification task rather than expanding or discounting the standard scope.
Start with the decision
Send me the decision you are trying to make, the information you already have, and the date by which the decision matters.
Send a research inquiry