I think $3.5k is incredibly cheap, especially if you're really building a custom UI as well. That makes me think the quality is low.
I would consider:
1. Improving the website to something more high-end. The timeline asset in the header really doesn't inspire confidence - it all looks templat-ish and quickly stiched together.
2. Improve social proof by linking testimonial authors to their LinkedIn for easy validation.
3. Add something about you - name, experience, photo - works much better than a faceless, generic brand.
4. Consider a pricing cap so the price seems more realistic, perhaps by introducing sprints and charging by sprints.
I'd wage it's the post-mania return to median. This is how job markets tend to look outside of our comfy tech bubble.
Even assuming rates will start to drop H2 this year and cost of capital will be lower, some of the new-found productivity demand will be consumed by maturing AI tools.
I live in EU. Just spent four weeks in San Francisco and got back home last Friday. HOLY SHIT. Those few weeks in the eye of the cyclone catapulted my business and network into the future by at least a year or two. The number of new clients I landed, the insights from meeting my current clients and overall tailwind strength exceeded my expectations - by a few orders of magnitude. Sure, the cost of living is high, but if you optimize for growth, it’s almost comically worth it. I’m honestly considering putting my kids in suitcases and figuring out a long-term visa.
(Note: I run a service business with most of my clients being tech startups, so take this with a grain of salt.)
Curious as to why they didn't explore independence, moving from Oxford to a separate non-profit org. Getting funded doesn't seem impossible given the amount of high-profile e/acc advocates.