Office leases are long, expensive, and surprisingly hard to exit. Run yours through a CFO, an Operator, a Strategist, a Lawyer, and a Skeptic — and avoid the 5-year mistake.
The Operator and CFO debate how much space, for how long, given your hiring trajectory and remote policy.
The CFO models rent + buildout + utilities + escalation + exit penalties as one number.
The Lawyer pushes back on the landlord-favorable clauses most leases hide.
The Strategist weighs sublease rights, expansion options, and exit triggers — usually the variable that determines whether the lease is a tax or a tool.
Real questions. Multiple expert perspectives. Every time.
“Should I sign a 5-year office lease at this stage or sublet flexibly?”
“Sublease vs direct lease vs coworking for 20 people?”
“Landlord is offering 3 months free rent for a 5-year term. Worth the lockup?”
“How much space do I need for a team that will grow 2-3x?”
“Tenant-improvement allowance — how do I evaluate $50/sqft?”
“Should I include a contraction/expansion option even if I have to pay for it?”
Each expert thinks independently — they won’t just agree with each other.
The CFO
Pressure-tests unit economics, runway, and capital allocation.
The Operator
Turns strategy into the boring, sequenced work that actually ships.
The Strategist
Maps competitive dynamics and strategic options across multi-year horizons.
The Lawyer
Flags legal exposure and contract risk before they become incidents.
The Skeptic
Questions every premise. Finds blind spots others miss.
A synthesized recommendation from your team of experts — not just opinions, but structured analysis.
Moderate Agreement
Key Recommendations
Synthesized Recommendation
Do not sign the 5-year lease. Sign a 3-year with a 2-year extension option at locked rate; that gets you 80% of the discount without the full lockup. Include a sublease right with landlord approval not unreasonably withheld, and a contraction option at year 2 if your team is more than 30% remote. Take the TI allowance but cap your contribution at $20/sqft.
Full analysis continues with detailed reasoning, trade-offs, and next steps...
Watch Out For
Expert Opinions
The CFO models the full lease cost across all years, including escalation and exit — most leases look cheaper at headline price than they are.
The Lawyer flags landlord-favorable terms (personal guarantees, recapture, exclusive use) most non-real-estate founders miss.
The Strategist forces expansion, contraction, and sublease rights into the negotiation, not as afterthoughts.
The Skeptic blocks signing for the team you imagine instead of the team you have.
The questions people ask before they sign up.
For startups, plan for the team you'll have in year 2, not year 5 — usually 80-120 sqft per person depending on density and meeting-room needs. The Operator will calibrate against your specific situation and work model.
Shorter than landlords prefer. 3-year terms with extension options match startup uncertainty; 5+ year terms make sense only at later stage or for unique build-out value. The Boardroom will pressure-test for your stage.
Sublease rights with reasonable landlord approval standards. Without them, you have no flexibility if the team's shape changes. The Lawyer will insist on them in any lease over 12 months.
Always try to avoid; if required, cap the amount (often 6 months rent) and the duration (often 24-36 months, declining over time). The Lawyer will design specific language to push back.
For teams under 15 people, coworking often wins on flexibility and total cost. The Operator and CFO will pressure-test for your specific case.
Yes — paste the key clauses and the panel will flag what to push back on. Not a substitute for tenant-rep counsel, but a useful first pass before incurring billable hours.
Adjacent decisions, audiences, and methods inside SynthBoard.
The upstream decision driving lease needs.
ExploreAdjacent contract-negotiation patterns.
ExploreRecurring operator advisor.
ExploreSaaS-specific space patterns.
ExploreHow AI debate compares to broker advice.
ExploreHand the proposed lease to the Skeptic.
ExploreHow multi-Synth debate works.
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