Ask HN: Collaboration alternatives with CEO of software agency

[mxmpawn]

Hi, I'm a Software Engineer focused for about four years on Artificial Intelligence products. I'm now trying to start my own company, the main focusis to build and sell AI related products but I would consider doing consulting projects in order to get to know problems in the industry.

An old coworker started a software consultancy doing general software project for different companies and I'm going to meet him and talk about how can we collaborate.

I've been thinking about different alternatives and I'd like to discuss with you.

A) Ask him for potential clients, offering him a percentage of the deal.

B) Suggest him to build an "AI department" inside his company where I would act as the department lead and get a big percentage of the revenues of this department and a low percentage of the revenues of the whole company.

C) Offer him my services as an "AI consultant" so he could get contracts for AI products and I can help/educate his team to build projects.

D,E,F...Z) Your great suggestions, clearly better than mine.

What do you think? What would you do? Do you have similar experiences to share with us?