I help first-time founders raise their first round of capital.
Direct, structural feedback on the documents investors actually read — pitch decks, business plans, investor memos. Backed by a methodology and a track record across UK and Ireland accelerators.
How it Works
I work directly with founding teams. Every engagement starts with a free 30-minute call. From there, we'll pick the level of support that matches what you actually need: a focused review, or a full multi-document engagement.
Why it Works
Most pitch deck feedback is one person's opinion on one document. The result is advice that's hard to act on - vague, contradictory between reviewers, and shaped by whoever happens to be in the room.
My approach is structural. Every document is reviewed against 150+ specific questions covering what investors actually evaluate: team credibility, problem framing, market sizing, traction, ask logic, exit narrative. The questions are the same every time, the analysis is grounded in what works rather than what sounds clever, and the feedback is prioritised by what will move the needle on your raise.
The methodology is powered by StartSmart — a platform built specifically for advisors managing investment-readiness work at scale.
Case Study: PeopleWith
PeopleWith is a digital health company licensing data infrastructure to the pharmaceutical industry, with over £1m in lifetime revenue and contracts with Novo Nordisk, Bayer, BMS, Oxford and Imperial. By the time they crossed my desk, they were already serious - but the pitch needed work.
Initial versions placed the solution ahead of the problem, which was framed academically rather than commercially. Traction was buried in a route-to-market slide. There was no "why now," no exit narrative, and the ask read as a budget rather than an investor return.
The work was structural, not cosmetic. Six things shifted: the problem was quantified in financial terms, a "why now" was added, the existing traction was reframed as market validation, an exit narrative was built from comparable acquisitions, the ask was restated in investment terms, and the opening line stopped describing the platform and started describing what pharma actually pays for.
Services
One-off Consultation
A diagnostic conversation, not a sales pitch. Send me your current pitch deck or business plan ahead of the call and I’ll come prepared with a structural read on it - what’s working, what isn’t, and what to prioritise fixing.
By the end of the call you’ll have a clear sense of what your documentation actually needs, and we’ll both know whether further work together makes sense.
Best for: founders who want a direct second opinion before deciding what to do next.
Document Review
A focused engagement on a single document - typically your pitch deck, business plan, or investor memo. I review the document against the StartSmart structural framework, produce detailed written feedback, and walk you through it in a structured workshop at a time and place that suits you.
You leave with a clear, prioritised set of structural changes to make and the judgement behind why each one matters.
Best for: founders who have a draft they think is right but want to pressure-test it before sending it to investors.
Full Engagement
Multi-iteration work across your full investment documentation suite - pitch deck, business plan, investor memo, financial projections, and all supporting materials. We will work together through several rounds of revisions, with the StartSmart methodology applied at each stage.
The goal is investor-ready materials that hold up to scrutiny across the full investment lifecycle.
Best for: founders preparing for a serious raise who want a thinking partner across their whole documentation suite.