Discovery Sprint
Find what is worth building.
Embedded listening with your leaders, staff, and the people you serve, turned into a clear view of where to grow.
You leave withAn opportunity map and a short list of prioritized bets.
Embedded innovation for mission-driven growth
Pull up a chair. Let's build what's next, together.
The Uplift Table is an embedded innovation partner for growth-stage businesses and mission-driven organizations. We take a seat at your table, find the opportunities worth pursuing, prove them with evidence, and help you bring them to market.
Why we exist
Big ideas need more than a brainstorm.
Most organizations know where they want to grow. What they lack is the time, the method, and the people to get there. Three things usually stand in the way.
Everyone is busy running the business.
Innovation becomes a side project that never gets a full seat at the table.
Decisions run on opinion.
Budgets go to the loudest idea in the room instead of the one with the best evidence.
Outside help leaves too soon.
A strategy deck arrives, the consultants move on, and the momentum fades with them.
So we join your team, work side by side with your people, and leave the capability behind when we go.
How we work
Discover. Validate. Launch.
Every engagement follows the same three moves, guided by idea.X, Kerel's original innovation framework.
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Discover
We listen across your leaders, staff, and the people you serve to find the opportunities worth pursuing.
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Validate
We test the strongest ideas with prototypes and real customers before you commit a budget.
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Launch
We build and bring the winner to market, with measures in place so you know it is working.
Ways to work together
Four ways to pull up a chair.
Validation Lab
Prove it before you fund it.
Rapid prototypes and real-world experiments that test your strongest ideas with real customers.
You leave withEvidence for a confident go, pivot, or stop decision.
Launch Partnership
Bring it to life.
Kerel leads the build and go-to-market with a vetted bench of product, design, and engineering specialists.
You leave withA launched offering and the measures to track it.
Uplift Roundtables
Solve shared challenges together.
Facilitated sessions that bring non-competing organizations together around a common challenge, from volunteer capacity to responsible AI.
You leave withPilot-ready ideas and new partners.
Who we serve
For organizations that grow with their communities.
Growth-stage businesses
Small and mid-sized companies ready for a new product, service, or market, without an in-house innovation team.
Mission-driven organizations
Nonprofits, foundations, community development financial institutions, and social enterprises ready to scale their impact.
Corporate impact teams
Social impact and community investment leaders who want programs with measurable outcomes.
Focus areas
Where we help you grow.
Financial sustainability
Find and test new revenue streams, from earned income to partnerships, so one lost grant does not set your agenda.
Staff and volunteer capacity
Redesign roles, handoffs, and volunteer pathways so your people spend their time on the mission, not on workarounds.
Compliance-ready operations
Build clear processes, documentation, and data habits that make audits, grant reports, and reviews easier to pass.
Donor relationships and fundraising
Turn one-time gifts into lasting relationships, with donor outreach tested against how real supporters respond.
Technology and responsible AI
Move from scattered tools to shared workflows, with clear guardrails for how your team uses AI and data.
Advocacy and public awareness
Make the case for your cause with clear stories and real evidence for your community, funders, and policymakers.
What you can expect
The house rules of our table.
A seat at your table.
We work inside your organization, side by side with your people.
Evidence before investment.
Every idea earns its budget through real-world proof.
Impact that compounds.
We design for growth that lifts your team, your customers, and your community.
Enterprise experience, right-sized.
Methods proven at Delta, Hilton, and Truist, adapted for teams without enterprise budgets.
Who you'll work with
Kerel Fryar
Principal, The Uplift Table
Kerel has spent his career helping large organizations turn new ideas into results, leading innovation at Delta Air Lines, Hilton, and Truist. He founded and exited Dynheer, a food-experience marketplace, and holds a B.S. in Computer Engineering and an MBA.
Today he brings that enterprise experience to the organizations that need it most and can least afford a full-time innovation team. Every engagement is led by Kerel personally.
Certified in IEEE AI Ethics and Georgia Tech Innovation Management. Six Sigma Black Belt. ICAgile certified.
Track record
- 16%
- Increase in corporate bookingsHilton, $3M Innovation Gallery
- 45%
- Fewer departure delaysDelta Air Lines, ML and IoT solutions
- 3,000+
- Associates engaged in innovationTruist innovation ecosystem
- 2,000+
- Data professionals enabledTruist, with a 20% lift in analytics maturity
- $350K+
- New annual advisory revenueBlueFletch
Results from Kerel's prior leadership roles.
Start the conversation
Pull up a chair.
Tell us where you want to grow. Our first conversation is about listening.
Book a discovery conversation (opens in a new tab)
Or email
hello@theuplifttable.com