22
Weeks to wave 1
Today → Oct 27, 2026
What this is: the operational counterpart to the concept mockup. The concept document at /mockups/seasonal-intelligence-2026-05-21/ establishes what we're building. This document establishes how we get it to market: launch waves, critical paths per widget, foundation work, sales process, risks, decision gates, and the asks that have to be true by next Monday for October 2026 to hold.
Launch sequence (per user direction 2026-05-21):
· Wave 1 · Oct 27, 2026 · Flu & Cough Watch™ + Quit Watch™ · UK · NL · CH
· Wave 2 · Dec 8, 2026 · Weight Reset Watch™ (+ Holiday Stomach Watch™ ride-along) · same markets
· Wave 3 · Mar 22, 2027 · Pollen Pulse™ (+ Sleep Rhythm Watch™ DST ride-along) · markets TBD post-learnings
· Wave 4 · May 24, 2027 · Sun Shield™ · markets TBD post-learnings
The pivotal numbers: 22 weeks from today to Wave 1 launch · 12-week critical path on Flu & Cough Watch™ (commercial drives, not engineering) · €90k Phase 1 build budget · 3-language localization needed for Switzerland alone (DE-CH · FR-CH · IT-CH).
What I want feedback on: (1) is the Switzerland addition the right premium market to start with vs Belgium or Ireland? (2) does the HS ride-along on Wave 2 dilute the Weight Reset Watch™ commercial moment? (3) should the March 2027 wave include Sleep Rhythm Watch™ DST event (March 28-29) or defer to Phase 2? (4) which of the asks at the bottom can you commit to this week?
Phase 1 launches with two modules — Flu & Cough Watch™ and Quit Watch™ — across UK · Netherlands · Switzerland. Three more waves follow over eight months: Weight Reset Watch™ in December 2026, Pollen Pulse™ in March 2027, Sun Shield™ in May 2027. Each wave validates the platform against a different sponsor category, in a different demand window, with a real revenue gate. By May 2027 the platform has earned its annual subscription five times over — or we've found out exactly what to fix.
Today through October 2027. Foundation tracks at the top (everything that has to exist before any widget ships). Module tracks below, each showing build phase (hatched), live phase (solid), peak window (red), and launch event (●).
Five months of focused build, eight months of staggered launches, validation against four sponsor categories — and by May 2027 the platform has run a complete annual seasonal cycle across UK · NL · CH. That's the proof loop.
Modules in scope, markets in scope, target sponsors, target retailers, engineering deliverables, sales deliverables, and the per-wave critical path. Each card is a working brief — the launch lead opens this every Monday for 18 months.
Each module has its own dependency chain. The critical step (in red) is the one that locks the whole module — usually commercial, occasionally technical. These cards are the foundation of weekly stand-up.
These are the items that don't fit cleanly into any one module's critical path because they're shared infrastructure. Trademark filings, sponsor contract templates, the pitch deck, the embed bundle JS architecture — all have to be done once, before the first widget ships, and they unlock everything downstream.
The sponsor sale is the longest single step in the program. Each module's critical path is determined by how long it takes to sign one anchor sponsor. Below: the 8 stages, expected cycle time per stage, and the pipeline targets for Wave 1.
Target sponsors for FW + QW. Reckitt master agreement is the highest-leverage move — single deal covers 3 brands (Lemsip · Strepsils · Gaviscon ready for W2 add).
Two retailer pilot signings needed by Sep 2026. Boots UK is the highest-leverage retailer relationship in the program; Kruidvat is the easiest first conversation.
Every program has 30 risks; nine are worth tracking weekly. The three high-severity items below have the most mitigation cost; the medium ones have known workarounds; the low ones get checked monthly.
If you can't pass G2 by week 12, October 27 is not happening — and you should know that in week 12, not week 21. Each gate has a single GO/NO-GO decision; the founder is the final escalation for all of them.
Founder commits to ~€90k Phase 1 budget · Sep 2026 launch target · 22-week run. All naming + brand decisions locked at this gate. Module list confirmed at 7. Markets confirmed as UK · NL · CH.
Owner: Founder · Outcome: Project kick-off · contracts signed with engineering · IP counsel engaged
Trademark filings submitted (F1). Pitch deck delivered (F9). Pricing validated with 2 buyers (F8). Producer brand mark final (F2). Sponsor contract template signed off (F6).
Owner: Founder · Outcome: Foundation tracks parallel to widget builds · sponsor outreach engaged in earnest
At least one sponsor LOI signed (target: Reckitt master agreement covering Lemsip + Strepsils across UK + NL + CH). If no LOI by this date, Oct 27 launch slips by minimum 6 weeks.
Owner: Sales lead · Outcome: GO/NO-GO for Oct 27 · if NO-GO, slip to early Dec 2026
FW + QW widgets shipped to staging. 2 retailer pilots in active QA. Localization complete across 5 languages. Embed bundle tested against retailer CSP.
Owner: Engineering lead · Outcome: Begin sponsor activation week (stage 08 of funnel) · production deploy planning
All gates G0–G3 passed. Final QA clean. Sponsors activated. Retailer embeds live in staging. Press kit ready. Wave 1 contracts signed.
Owner: Founder · Outcome: Final go/no-go · 12-day notice for any delay
FW + QW live on labs.vantage-otc.com + 2 retailer surfaces + sponsor sites. Press release issued. Pharmacy trade press briefed. Boots + Kruidvat + Coop Vitality embed loads tested.
Owner: Founder + sales lead · Outcome: Wave 1 lives · Wave 2 build kicks off same week
Decisions, introductions, capital. Three columns of asks. None of them are work I can do for you, all of them are work I can support. The earliest of them needs to be true by next Monday for the timeline to hold.
Six locks needed this week. Each is a 5-minute call individually; together they're an hour. Without these, Foundation work cannot start.
Three intros from you · three sponsors lined up to talk. I can prep tailored 1-pagers per brand; you make the introduction. 30-min discovery calls within 2 weeks of intro.
Staged commitments — €30k week 1, €30k week 8, €30k week 16. Plus a 30-min weekly sync every Monday for 18 weeks (yes 18, this is the build phase).
/mockups/seasonal-intelligence-launch-plan-2026-05-21//mockups/seasonal-intelligence-2026-05-21/