01
The Brief
Get sandbox access to a brand's Klaviyo and Shopify data. Find what's leaking, rank the fixes, and send a 90-day plan in ten slides and a five-minute Loom.
Diagnose a real brand. Forecast the result. Defend it live. The winner takes the prize and a job offer.
| # | Alias | 90-day forecast | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | HeronRevised after critique | +$41.2K | 87.5 |
| 02 | OtterDefended original plan | +$28.9K | 84.0 |
| 03 | LynxRevised after critique | +$63.0K | 81.5 |
| 04 | KestrelDefended original plan | +$19.4K | 79.0 |
| 05 | MartenRevised after critique | +$35.7K | 76.5 |
Each round tests something a portfolio can't. Thinking first, then whether you'll stand behind a number, take feedback, and hold your ground in a room.
Get sandbox access to a brand's Klaviyo and Shopify data. Find what's leaking, rank the fixes, and send a 90-day plan in ten slides and a five-minute Loom.
A senior strategist sends you one hard critique. Resubmit. We score what you changed and what you were right to defend.
Present to a panel playing a sceptical founder and CFO. Twenty minutes, real pushback.
Win the cash, then run a real account for 30 days on a paid trial. We compare what happens against your forecast.
Prize amounts, dates and shortlist sizes are published with the Season 1 brief.
Tools are learnable. These four traits are what separate a strategist clients trust from one they tolerate.
Do you find the problem that actually matters, or list every problem you can see? Prioritisation beats coverage.
Every entry commits to a revenue forecast with the reasoning behind it. No number, no score.
Strong beliefs, loosely held. We look for people who concede the weak points quickly and defend the right ones.
Can you hold a position when a founder pushes back, and say "I don't know yet" when that's the honest answer?
The short version: bring your thinking, we bring the data.
Anyone who works on email, SMS, CRM or retention for ecommerce brands, at any level and in any country. Years of experience don't count for points. Results do.
No. Every entrant gets the same sandbox account with the brand's data loaded, so nobody starts with an advantage.
The brief uses a sandbox or a brand that has agreed to take part. No agency client data is ever shared.
The winner takes the top cash prize and a paid 30-day trial that can lead to a full-time offer. Shortlisted entrants are paid for their Round 2 time, and strong entrants may be invited to paid freelance work. Exact amounts are published with the brief.
Retention Open is run by Chronos, a retention agency for ecommerce brands, and judged by senior strategists and founders. Questions go to hello@retentionopen.com.
Season 1 entries open soon. Get one email when they do.