Engagement, Auth & Cost

How we build, who logs in (and how), and why your monthly stack costs almost nothing.

How we'd execute

Step 1 is me sitting in on your day, not a Gantt chart. We don't write code until we've watched the work.

1 · Roadmap consult
Scott + Meridian lead

A focused working session (or two) with Meridian leads to walk the live workflow, the workbook edits, the side conversations, and the email chains. We agree on scope and priorities. No code yet.

Deliverable: Annotated flow doc + the 3 changes worth the most time
2 · Model the deal
Scott

Translate your workbooks into typed schemas (deal, party, document, cell, signoff). Round-trip a single Meridian deal end-to-end in the model before any UI is built.

Deliverable: Schema + read-only deal view
3 · Build & wire
Scott + your reviewer

Build the views from this pitch one at a time, with you reviewing each before moving on. Iteration is cheap because the model is already right.

Deliverable: Working app, one view per cycle
4 · Handoff & docs
Scott

Runbook, admin training, model docs, and the audit story for your buyers/lenders.

Deliverable: Self-serve ops; you own the platform

Third-party stack · the bill stays small

Every third-party we add is a recurring bill, a security review, and a vendor risk question on every sale. Default is: build it ourselves on the MLL stack. The rare exception below has a clear ROI story.

Brave Search API Essential
Public-web fact lookups for diligence (news, filings, sanctions screens)
~$3 / 1k queries
Let's Encrypt + Apache Essential
TLS termination on your subdomain
$0
MadLadsLab AI API Optional
Optional LLM inference (or run local)
Flat monthly, no per-token
Stripe Optional
Only if you bill end-clients through the app
2.9% + 30¢ per charge
Things we explicitly will not bolt on
  • No analytics SaaS (we self-host)
  • No third-party data-room vendor (we are the data room)
  • No third-party CRM tie-in (your CRM exports CSV, we ingest)
  • No usage-based AI billing exposed to your clients

Auth tiers · three levels, one user store

Each user is at a tier. Buyers and partners on Staunch. Most operators on Medium. Outside reviewers and assistants on Magic-link, scoped tight.

Staunch
Meridian team + buyer principals + lender principals
Method
Email + password + TOTP 2FA (Authy / Google Authenticator). Hardware key (WebAuthn) optional.
Session
8h sliding, IP+device fingerprint
Audit
Every login, every action, signed
PartnersVPsLender risk officersCounsel of record
Medium
Buyer team members, seller employees with reviewer roles, junior associates
Method
OAuth (Google Workspace / Microsoft 365) OR local strong password (≥14 chars, breach-checked)
Session
8h sliding, no IP pin
Audit
Every signoff, file open, comment
Buyer analystsSeller controllersCounsel associates
Light · magic link
One-off reviewers, expert witnesses, assistants needing read-only access
Method
Emailed temporary magic link, scoped to a single folder or document, expires in 24h–7d
Session
Per-link, no persistent account
Audit
Link issued, link redeemed, doc opened
External tax advisorQofE reviewerBuyer's assistant gathering docs

Client consolidation + org hierarchy

You said 'Buyer / Seller / Meridian' — we both know it's actually six layers deep. The platform takes that as a feature, not a problem: client consolidation + a proper hierarchy is where this stops being a single workbook and starts being your repeatable product.

Meridian (your firm)
  • Partners
  • VPs / Directors
  • Diligence associates
  • Assistants
Buyer-side org
  • Buyer principal
  • Buyer team
  • Buyer counsel
  • Buyer's assistant
Seller-side org
  • Seller principal
  • Seller controller
  • Seller counsel
External (per-deal)
  • Lender
  • Tax advisor
  • QofE reviewer
Why it pays off
  • Consolidation — one login, every deal a user has ever touched at Meridian is in one place.
  • Hierarchy — partners see firm-wide; associates see their deals; assistants see what they're delegated.
  • Recurring revenue — once a buyer/seller is in the system, they re-engage on the next deal without re-onboarding.
  • Audit — every action carries the org + role of the actor, forever.

Add to scope

Check items to build your estimate. Totals update live in the cart.

  • Working session with Meridian leads, annotated workflow doc, agreed scope.

    8 hrs Firm $2,400 MLL $600 save $1,800
  • Typed schemas: deal, party, document, cell, signoff. Round-trip one Meridian deal.

    14 hrs Firm $4,200 MLL $1,050 save $3,150
  • TOTP enrollment, optional WebAuthn, IP+device fingerprint, audit log.

    12 hrs Firm $3,000 MLL $900 save $2,100
  • Google/Microsoft OAuth, local strong-password with breach check.

    9 hrs Firm $2,025 MLL $675 save $1,350
  • Email magic links with scope + expiry, single-folder grants, audit trail.

    8 hrs Firm $1,800 MLL $600 save $1,200
  • Firm / client / external orgs with parent-child roles; permissions inherit.

    12 hrs Firm $2,700 MLL $900 save $1,800
  • One login → every deal that user has touched, across buyers/sellers/counsel.

    10 hrs Firm $2,250 MLL $750 save $1,500