Funding Clinic - 60 minutes online

Most founders find out what investors actually look for after they've been turned down. I'd much rather you found out before. I've spent my career on the funding side of the table. I worked across three of the UK's largest corporate banks, on the side that decides which businesses get money, and helped move over £1bn of funding. For more than ten years since, I've invested in and advised startups through their raises. Along the way I've helped 7,000+ founders, mentored 200+ startups, and worked with 120+ funded startups that have raised more than £50 million between them. That experience taught me one thing above all: most good businesses don't fail to raise because the idea is bad. They fail because the founder pitched the wrong investors, at the wrong time, with numbers that didn't survive the first hard question. Almost all of that is fixable, and usually faster than founders expect. Who I can help: Founders with an idea who want to know whether it's worth pursuing before they spend their savings on it Early-stage founders preparing for a first raise: pre-seed, seed, angels, SEIS and EIS Small business owners who need funding but aren't sure whether equity, a loan or a grant is the right route (often it isn't equity) Founders who've been turned down and want an honest view of why What I help with: Is my business investable? An honest read on your idea, traction and numbers through an investor's eyes Pitch decks: the structure, story and evidence investors look for, slide by slide Financial models and the numbers investors check first: gross margin, customer acquisition cost, burn and runway How much to raise, what it should buy, and how much equity to give away SEIS and EIS: eligibility, advance assurance and using the relief to close angels Finding and approaching the right investors, and what to say when you get the meeting Non-dilutive funding: grants, loans and other routes when equity isn't right How to use the latest AI tools to make all of the above more efficient and effective, especially as a solo founder General advice on the build, launch and growth strategy for your startup. How I work: I'm direct. You'll get honest feedback, not flattery, because that's what investors will give you, just later and with less explanation. Sessions are practical: bring your deck, your model or your question, and leave with a clear list of what to fix first. No jargon, and no success fees. AI for founders: I also run hands-on workshops and sprints for solo founders on using the latest AI tools to build and launch: validating an idea in days rather than months, doing thorough market research, getting to an MVP and launch far sooner, and putting AI agents to work on tasks you'd otherwise hire for, so you can save a lot of money along the way.  About Launchology: I founded Launchology to give every founder the kind of support elite accelerators give a lucky few. It's an online platform that helps early-stage UK and European founders validate, build, launch and fund a startup: a self-paced accelerator you can join with just an idea, an AI Co-Founder, practical courses and templates, tools to help build and launch a business, and an Investor List of 5,500+ investors with Smart Matching. There's no application and no equity taken, and founders can start free at launchology.co. For founders who want hands-on help, I also take on a small number of consultancy clients, from a one-off funding readiness health check to support through the whole raise. If you're thinking about raising, or wondering whether you should, book a session and let's look at it together. Services: Funding readiness health check. A one-off review of your business, pitch assets and funding plan, with a written list of what an investor would flag first and what to fix. Pitch asset sprint. A fixed-fee project to build or rebuild your pitch deck and financial model so they stand up to investor scrutiny. Fundraising advisory retainer. Monthly support through the raise: investor targeting, outreach, pitch practice and negotiation. The full programme. All three, bundled, from first review to closed round. Also: 5. AI build and launch sprint for solo founders. A hands-on workshop or short sprint where we set you up with the AI tools that do the work of a small team: rapid idea validation and market research, an MVP built without a developer, and AI agents for marketing, admin and customer support. You leave with the tools working on your own business, not just a list of apps. A final word: I generally love working with and helping startup founders - so feel free to connect with me anyway and tell me what you're building/working on. I enjoy connecting founders with the right people, and believe that often the best opportunities come from simply saying hello more and sharing your vision.