Customer needs underlying the investment
Before comparing proposals, investigate the customer outcome each investment aims to create and the underlying needs that support it.
Investment Prioritization
An investment can be profitable and still be the wrong decision.
A proposal can look good in isolation. But is it the best choice among the alternatives competing for the same budget?
An initiative may promise returns while consuming resources that would create more value elsewhere. Compare alternatives before turning isolated project assessments into a portfolio decision.
For CEOs, CFOs, boards and investors.
A good proposal must still outperform the alternatives.One project's return does not reveal the value of the opportunity left behind.
How these teams made their decisions
- 500+Companies served by George Eich
- 650+Startups mentored through Startup SC
- 60+Startups supported through Cubo Itaú
Companies served by George Eich
- Techne
- Climoo
- PSA
- Ambev
- Evous
- Locates
Institutions and startup programs
- Sebrae
- ACATE
- MIDITEC
- Cubo Itaú
- Startup SC
EVOUS
The team used customer evidence to decide when to strengthen its core product and when to expand its offering.
Locates
While switching platforms, the team used customer needs to decide which features to include and which to defer.
“We gained a more strategic view of the product and were able to prioritize the roadmap and the company’s positioning.”Feedback shared with the Institute · English translation
George Eich InstituteDirection for the choice. Evidence for the decision.
500+companies advised by George Eich
10+ yearsof experience in strategy and execution
3 to 6 weeksreference for research and executive analysis, depending on scope
When several proposals look promising
Two projects may both deliver returns. The budget may support only one.
Expansão, tecnologia e novos produtos apresentam projeções positivas. Analisadas separadamente, todas as iniciativas parecem justificáveis. Juntas, disputam o mesmo capital e a mesma equipe.
Feasibility
“A conta fecha.”
Retorno
“O projeto se paga.”
Alternativas
“Outro projeto pode gerar mais?”
Choice
“What do we stop doing?”
Are we comparing opportunities or merely approving projects that look feasible? Which choice creates more value, with returns that justify the costs and risks?
Da decisão à geração e captura de valor
What should be funded, preserved or stopped when teams compete for the same budget?
A need may exist without justifying strategic priority. Research tests relevance, while leadership also considers capacity, feasibility and economic returns.
01 / Situação de compra
What is at stake
The budget gets tied to initiatives that keep consuming resources even when the expected value does not materialize.
02 / Strategic Prioritization Study
What to investigate
Teams divide their attention among competing initiatives. The most important work has to compete with everything else.
03 / Need-Based Value Matrix
How to apply
Every new solution adds integrations, routines and commitments the company must maintain.
The Value Matrix guides decisions across three horizons: strengthen Core Business, expand through Expansion and create through Innovation. The Study supplies evidence, while value creation, capture and ROI also depend on economic conditions and execution.
The impact of the choice
The cost of choosing includes what you leave behind.
Approving a profitable initiative may consume resources that could support a stronger opportunity. Decisions must consider the full investment portfolio and its consequences.
Retorno isolado
A project can pay for itself and still create less value than another available alternative.
Competing resources
Capital and delivery capacity become unavailable to other initiatives.
An unbalanced portfolio
A collection of viable projects can disperse the company across many initiatives with limited reach.
Read more7.38%of needs reached at least half of customers in their respective bases.
2,88%
alcançaram pelo menos 80% da base.
The most widely shared needs se concentram em poucas oportunidades.
Em The Need Gap 2026, apenas 105 of the 1,423 needs (7.38%) were prioritized by at least half of customers in their respective bases. At the 80% threshold, only 41 needs (2.88%).
This result shows why comparing the reach of the underlying problem matters. One investment opportunity may address far more customers than another.
Source: The Need Gap 2026, based on 59 companies and 1,423 mapped needs.
Explore The Need Gap 2026 ↗Investment prioritization
Compare as oportunidades. Prioritize the investment portfolio as a whole.
An executive interpretation that connects evidence to the decision your leadership needs to make. The deliverables reflect the agreed business context and scope.
Customer segments and revenue
Quantitative validation shows how widely needs are prioritized. Segmentation by ICP and revenue helps interpret their economic significance.
Economic assumptions
Compare relevance and fulfillment with costs, risks and value-capture assumptions. The study informs analysis; it does not alone prove financial returns.
I want to prioritize investments
Bring us the decision your company needs to make.
Priorities with a clear foundation. Evidence to invest.
Executive analysis focused on your company's decision, including priorities and resource-allocation recommendations.
Comparing alternatives
An executive review of opportunities competing for the same resources.
Decision criteria
Relevance to customers, value created and the conditions required to capture it.
Portfolio direction
Recommendations on where to concentrate investments and which initiatives to reconsider or defer.
As entregas são definidas conforme a decisão e o escopo contratado.
About investment prioritization.
What is business investment prioritization?
It means deciding where to focus capital, people and technology among competing opportunities. The analysis considers which investments preserve current value, which may expand results and which need more evidence before they receive resources.
Which decisions does the Institute help guide?
The engagement guides resource allocation across products, technology, expansion, innovation and strategic initiatives. Scope begins with a concrete company decision and connects opportunities to business context.
Who is this engagement for?
For CEOs, CFOs, boards and investors choosing between competing investments, reviewing a portfolio or defending a budget decision.
Is this useful if we already have AI pilots?
An executive analysis connecting evidence with investment decisions. Deliverables are tailored to the leadership decision. Direction for priorities: where to focus attention and which opportunities deserve investment consideration. Decision rationale: which evidence supports each priority and what remains uncertain. Portfolio recommendations: what to preserve, expand, reconsider or defer in the allocation of capital, people and technology. Specific deliverables depend on the agreed scope.
How long does the engagement take?
A typical reference is three to six weeks for structured research and executive analysis, depending on scope. Timing depends on the decision, access to information and participant availability. The first conversation helps determine the appropriate format.
Which opportunity deserves your company's resources?
Bring the investments competing for budget. We will discuss how to compare alternatives before approval.
I want to prioritize investmentsRequest a conversation with the George Eich Institute.
NEXT DECISION
Assess investments
Briefly describe the decision, investment or challenge you need to assess. We will follow up to understand your needs and agree on an appropriate scope.
