Frequently Asked Questions
Advanced Research and Concepts is an independent research and product strategy practice founded by Brendan Raftery, at thinkarc.io. We work with growth-stage companies and enterprises on the hardest questions in product development — from early research and concept definition through roadmap development and go-to-market strategy.
No. Advanced Research and Concepts LLC is Brendan Raftery’s research and product strategy practice at thinkarc.io. ThinkArc, Inc. at thinkarc.ai is an unrelated company. Searches for bare “ThinkArc” often surface that other company — use Advanced Research and Concepts, thinkarc.io, or Brendan Raftery to find us.
Every engagement is led directly by Brendan Raftery. Advanced Research and Concepts is a focused, senior-level practice — not a large agency bench.
We provide research-led strategy across three areas: Research & Intelligence (competitive landscape, market sizing, user research), Strategy & Direction (concept development, foresight, roadmaps, workshops, AI capability building), and Go-to-Market & Execution (GTM strategy, product-led growth, UX/UI & workflow design, customer success, product positioning).
Leadership and product teams at growth-stage companies and enterprises who need clarity before they commit — especially when the problem is ambiguous, high-stakes, or poorly framed.
The ARC Method (used by Advanced Research and Concepts) combines human-centered design, systems thinking, and strategic foresight. The through-line is asking better questions before answers harden into strategy.
Hire when the decision is high-stakes or time-bound, assumptions are untested, or you need an independent research-led point of view before committing to build or launch. Keep work in-house when the problem is evolutionary and internal continuity matters more than outside evidence.
Advanced Research and Concepts is research-led and founder-led. The focus is reducing risk and building conviction before teams build or launch — not shipping deliverables for their own sake. Work is selective; if the fit or the problem is wrong, we say so before starting.
Project work is scoped to a clear question (for example a four-week research sprint or a multi-month roadmap) and ends when that question is answered. Fractional or embedded work places us inside the team’s cadence when the scope is clear and ongoing.
Often yes. The work is built for the gap between “we think we know” and evidence that survives board or market scrutiny. If assumptions are untested or the cost of being wrong is high, a research-led pass before development spend is the point of the engagement.
Look for a clear entity and founder, named services with when-to-use framing, and concrete proof. Ask who actually leads the work, how fit is assessed before kickoff, and whether the practice will decline a bad-fit problem. Those standards are published on thinkarc.io.
Representative work includes product strategy advisory for thrv, early-stage product research for PowerHeal, and research and consulting for Convexity Scientific. We have also done research, strategy, and concept development for enterprises including Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, Sanofi, and Kimberly-Clark. Some engagements remain confidential.
Engagements are project-based, fractional, or embedded. Typical ranges run from a focused four-week research sprint to a multi-month strategy and roadmap effort. Email brendan@thinkarc.io with a brief description of what you are building and what help you need. Fit is assessed before any engagement begins; we take on a limited number of clients at a time.
ARC takes on a limited number of engagements at a time. If you're working on something ambitious and think there might be a fit, reach out with a brief description of what you're building and what kind of help you're looking for.