Comparison · October 27, 2026
Veyra vs Big Consulting Firms for Your AI Strategy
Large consulting firms sell AI strategy and transformation programmes. Veyra builds a working AI product with you, prototype first. An honest comparison for established service businesses.
When a business decides to take AI seriously, a large consulting firm can feel like the safe choice. They have big names, deep benches and experience with large companies. For some businesses, that is exactly right.
For an established service business that wants to get something real in front of customers, the fit is often different. Here is how they compare.
The short version
- Choose a big consulting firm if you are a large organisation that needs an enterprise-wide AI strategy, change management across many departments, and a name your board recognises.
- Choose Veyra if you run an established service business and want a working, customer-facing AI product, built quickly, with a partner who is paid partly on results.
Side by side
| Big consulting firm | Veyra | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Large organisations and enterprises | Established service businesses with an owner who decides |
| Typical first deliverable | Assessment, strategy and roadmap | A working prototype you can click through |
| Before you pay | Usually a paid discovery phase | The prototype is free |
| How you pay | Fees for the team's time, often by phase | One fixed build fee, then a share of what the product earns |
| Who does the work | Often a mix of senior and junior staff | Entrepreneurs who build the product themselves |
| Speed | Programmes often run over many months | Prototype first, build measured in months rather than quarters |
| After the project | A new engagement, or hand-over to your team | We stay on as head of product |
| Focus | Transformation across the organisation | One product that wins market share |
What big consulting firms do well
- Scale. They can put many people on a large, complex organisation.
- Breadth. Strategy, technology, change management, training and governance in one place.
- Credibility. A known name can help with boards, investors and regulators.
- Enterprise experience. They know how large organisations make decisions.
If you have thousands of employees and many departments to bring along, that matters.
Where the fit is harder for service businesses
- Strategy before product. Many engagements start with assessments and roadmaps. Useful, but you may wait a long time before customers see anything.
- Paid for time. Fees usually depend on hours and phases, not on whether the product succeeds.
- Built for large organisations. Processes designed for enterprises can be heavy for a business where the owner can decide in one meeting.
- Hand-over at the end. When the engagement ends, someone still has to own and grow what was built.
How Veyra works
- We start with your business, with the people who talk to your customers.
- Prototype before you pay. A working product to click through, not a deck.
- One fixed fee covers the product decision and the build, agreed after the prototype.
- We stay on as head of product, paid as a share of what the product earns.
Read more on how we work and our offer.
When a big consulting firm is the better choice
- You are a large organisation with many departments to align.
- You need an organisation-wide AI strategy and governance, not one product.
- A recognised name matters to your board or regulators.
- You have the budget and timeline for a longer programme.
When Veyra is the better choice
- You run an established service business and the owner can decide.
- You want something customers use, not only a strategy document.
- You want to see a working prototype before you pay.
- You want a partner whose income depends on the product succeeding.
Frequently asked questions
Do you write AI strategies?
Not as a separate document. We decide with you which product to build, and the prototype shows the strategy working. For an organisation-wide AI strategy, a consulting firm is the better fit.
Can we work with both?
Yes. Some businesses use a consulting firm for overall direction and a product partner to build specific products.
How do I compare quotes?
Compare what you get before paying, who does the work, what happens after launch, and how much of the fee depends on results. Our guide should you hire an AI agency? has nine questions to ask.
Who owns what you build?
You do.