# Subversive Ventures - Complete Context

Upstream, fractional intervention for organisations where activity outpaces meaning.

## Core Purpose
We tune the business engine. Most organisations have capable people and coherent parts—the engine runs, it just doesn't produce useful work. We align attention, context, and narrative so execution compounds instead of cancelling itself out.

## Key Pages
- [Home](/) - Core positioning
- [About](/about) - Founder context and philosophy  
- [Insights](/blog) - Field notes and observations

## All Published Insights
- [>-](/blog/apparently-has-already-been-decided-when-certainty-arrives-david-qx9je)
- [>-](/blog/design-coup-cosmetic-fix-washingtons-new-chief-officer-david-ashenden-ort8e)
- [A Consultant’s Guide to Actually Having a Christmas Break](/blog/consultants-guide-actually-having-christmas-break-david-ashenden-wawce)
- [A proper narrative](/blog/art-storytelling-part-1-dave-ashenden)
- [AI Chat Has Become Everyone’s Handy Best Friend](/blog/ai-chat-has-become-everyones-handy-best-friend-david-ashenden-km0ze)
- [AI Doesn’t Fail at the Model. It Fails at the Data](/blog/ai-doesnt-fail-model-fails-data-david-ashenden-bu93e)
- [AI in the Boardroom: Talk is Easy, Adoption is Hard](/blog/ai-boardroom-talk-easy-adoption-hard-david-ashenden-3pnoe)
- [Are profits making a comeback in the startup lexicon?](/blog/profits-making-comeback-startup-lexicon-david-ashenden-gjvhe)
- [Beyond Product: The Power of Ecosystem Thinking](/blog/beyond-product-power-ecosystem-thinking-david-ashenden-auxne)
- [Bridging the Gap](/blog/bridging-gap-dave-ashenden)
- [Can I have your attention please...](/blog/can-i-have-your-attention-please-david-ashenden-zccfe)
- [EU Inc. Simplifies. The UK Has to Differentiate](/blog/eu-inc-simplifies-uk-has-differentiate-david-ashenden-ozlye)
- [Embrace the Chaos: How Disorder Ignites Creativity and Resilience in Brands](/blog/embrace-chaos-how-disorder-ignites-creativity-brands-david-ashenden-zqyae)
- [Feeding the Cloud Monsters: Why AI Is Moving Back Inside the Building](/blog/feeding-cloud-monsters-why-ai-moving-back-inside-david-ashenden-mcj8e)
- [Generative AI Needs Governance Before It Causes Trouble](/blog/generative-ai-needs-governance-before-causes-trouble-david-ashenden-ppzze)
- [How to Spot a Startup Idea Inside a Working Business](/blog/how-spot-startup-idea-inside-working-business-david-ashenden-gtqxe)
- [In a crisis, is the hero really the one doing the saving?](/blog/crisis-hero-really-one-doing-saving-david-ashenden-xyvpe)
- [Intrinsic Value in a World Obsessed with Multiples](/blog/intrinsic-value-world-obsessed-multiples-david-ashenden-ekfue)
- [Is the Growth-First Mindset Losing Its Grip?](/blog/growth-first-mindset-losing-its-grip-david-ashenden-yo1se)
- [Maximilism, and the uncomfortable cost of being reasonable](/blog/maximilism-uncomfortable-cost-being-reasonable-david-ashenden-q9bie)
- [Mindset: Noise, Order, and the Person We Hide](/blog/mindset-noise-order-person-we-hide-david-ashenden-tnwve)
- [Narrative Capital: Why Storytelling Builds Brands That Outlast Technology](/blog/narrative-capital-why-storytelling-builds-brands-outlast-ashenden-0vtye)
- [Roadmaps explain the future nicely. They don’t deliver it.](/blog/roadmaps-explain-future-nicely-dont-deliver-david-ashenden-nilxe)
- [Second Order Effects](/blog/second-order-effects-david-ashenden-3e8ae)
- [Skunkworks: the Last Real Advantage Left in Enterprise?](/blog/skunkworks-last-real-advantage-left-enterprise-david-ashenden-mj1ue)
- [The Automation Mirage](/blog/automation-mirage-david-ashenden-uyaxe)
- [The Interface Will Be Back](/blog/interface-back-david-ashenden-0kube)
- [The Magical Box of Guaranteed Progress](/blog/magical-box-guaranteed-progress-david-ashenden-hoaze)
- [The Philosophy of Intrinsic Value: Brands as More Than Valuations](/blog/philosophy-intrinsic-value-brands-more-than-david-ashenden-2ltle)
- [The Prize and the Pitfalls: What AI Could Really Deliver for UK SMEs by 2030](/blog/prize-pitfalls-what-ai-could-really-deliver-uk-smes-2030-ashenden-q1uge)
- [The Productivity Illusion Created by Generative AI](/blog/productivity-illusion-created-generative-ai-david-ashenden-xpt5e)
- [The Story That Won’t Be Rewritten](/blog/story-wont-rewritten-david-ashenden-wjbuc)
- [The Two Types of Agile Coach (and why I fire one of them)](/blog/why-i-fire-agile-coaches-david-ashenden)
- [The UK–US Tech Deal: Ambition, Reality and the AI Investment Gap](/blog/ukus-tech-deal-ambition-reality-ai-investment-gap-david-ashenden-io86e)
- [The UK’s AI Ambition Has Jumped. Organisational Capability Can Rise With It.](/blog/uks-ai-ambition-has-jumped-organisational-capability-can-ashenden-76gqe)
- [The UK’s AI Ambition: Some notes on the challenges](/blog/uks-ai-ambition-some-notes-challenges-david-ashenden-ewl1e)
- [The UK’s AI Ambition: Why Lasting Change Still Feels Out of Reach](/blog/uks-ai-ambition-why-lasting-change-still-feels-out-reach-ashenden-7z5se)
- [The Vapourware Index: How to spot fake progress in 30 minutes](/blog/vapourware-index-david-ashenden)
- [The Version of Truth That Survives the Outcome](/blog/version-truth-survives-outcome-david-ashenden-nyoye)
- [The truth of balance.](/blog/truth-balance-david-ashenden-hsu0e)
- [Value vs Growth: Old Cars, Real Buttons, and Elegance.](/blog/value-vs-growth-old-cars-real-buttons-elegance-david-ashenden-ic4re)
- [What Restaurants Actually Use AI For (And Why It Works)](/blog/what-restaurants-actually-use-ai-why-works-david-ashenden-c6gce)
- [What the UK is doing ( and not doing) for SME A.I. Adoption](/blog/what-uk-doing-sme-ai-adoption-david-ashenden-jlw2e)
- [When Hype Clouds Judgment](/blog/when-hype-clouds-judgment-david-ashenden-oggde)
- [When the Man Selling the Shovels Mentions a Bubble](/blog/when-man-selling-shovels-mentions-bubble-david-ashenden-nvfse)
- [Why AI Feels Familiar to Anyone Who Lived Through Multimedia](/blog/why-ai-feels-familiar-anyone-who-lived-through-david-ashenden-idqke)
- [Why Looking Expensive Means Less Now](/blog/why-looking-expensive-means-less-now-david-ashenden-djfne)
- [Your Future Self Is Not Coming to Save the Business.](/blog/your-future-self-coming-save-business-david-ashenden-11qke)

## Contact
Find out if you're wrong. Forty-five minutes to map the blockage.
- Email: hello@subversive.ventures
- Phone: +44 (0) 1392 535 900