Less Goudarzi · Synthesize Leverage, LLC
I founded OnLocation in 1984, led it as CEO for 36 years, and sold it to KeyLogic Systems in 2020. Today I work with investors, founders, and boards on diligence, market entry, M&A, and other high-stakes calls. I use an AI-assisted research process I built myself, so you get a clear recommendation in weeks, with the evidence behind it and an honest account of what's still uncertain.
Founder & CEO, OnLocation, 1984–2020 · Acquired by KeyLogic Systems · Early-stage investor since 2016 · Advisor, Hometown Grid and Space Coast Valley
Background
I started out at MITRE and the Synthetic Fuels Corporation. In 1984 I founded OnLocation, Inc., an energy and economic modeling firm that grew into a long-term partner to federal energy research and policy analysis. I led it as CEO for 36 years, until KeyLogic Systems acquired it in 2020, and I stayed on afterward as founder and strategic advisor.
Since 2016, through Synthesize Leverage, I've invested in and advised early-stage companies, mostly in space, energy, and AI. I invest through Space Angels, Balerion Space Ventures, OurCrowd, and direct syndicates. I advise Hometown Grid, which brings AI productivity to energy utilities, and the Space Coast Valley initiative.
That combination is what I bring to an engagement: years of running a business and making payroll, policy modeling, and writing checks into young companies. I'm not a consultant reading the market from the outside. I've had to live with the consequences of decisions like yours.
The Deliverable
You bring a decision. I bring a clear recommendation, the evidence behind it, and a straight answer on what's still uncertain.
A clear read on a company before you commit: market, competition, IP exposure, team, and the specific risks that would change the answer. Sized for a deal timeline.
Market entry, M&A, pivots, and repositioning. A recommendation you can act on, with the trade-offs and the alternatives laid out honestly.
A short, independent view of how shifts in AI, energy policy, space, and supply chains affect your company, and where the real uncertainty sits before a vote.
Ongoing senior strategy support for leadership teams that need an experienced operator in the room without a full-time hire. Includes board and advisory roles.
I use an AI-assisted research and review process I built in-house. It lets me cover more ground, faster, and check conclusions before they reach you. The judgment, and the accountability, stay with me. What you get is audit-ready strategic intelligence — a written assessment with recommendations, the supporting evidence and sources, and the open questions worth watching.
Most assessments take two to three weeks. You get a written assessment with recommendations, the supporting evidence and sources, and the open questions worth watching. Scope and fees are agreed up front.
Use Cases
VC and PE funds, family offices, and angel groups. Pre-commitment diligence and portfolio questions, on a timeline that fits the deal.
Deal screening Company assessment Investment-committee prepInflection points like market entry, a pivot, an acquisition, or a raise strategy, where an outside operator's view is worth having before you commit.
Go-to-market Pivot analysis Board-ready deliverableAn independent strategic view ahead of major decisions, especially where several shifts (AI, energy, space, onshoring) hit at once.
AI adoption Energy & space Supply chainReach Out
Tell me briefly what you're working on and your timeline. I read every note myself and will reply within two business days if it looks like a fit.
Reach me directly at Less.Goudarzi@synleverage.com or connect on LinkedIn.