Max H.

For a long time, the conversation around women founders has centred on one thing: access to capital. But if you look at the data, the more interesting story is actually about outcomes. Women-led startups still receive only about 2% of venture funding. Yet many studies show they deliver stronger returns and tend to survive longer. That gap between funding and performance says a lot about where the real opportunity is. At the same time, things are clearly shifting. Women-led startup registrations have crossed 18,000, growing about 25% year-on-year. Nearly 40% of Gen Z founders are women. And women-led ventures are showing higher survival rates, often because they operate with sharper capital discipline. So this is no longer just a representation conversation. There’s a real economic argument here. Some estimates suggest that if this gap continues, the economy could miss out on as much as $700 billion in GDP by 2030. On the other hand, more inclusive capital allocation could unlock a huge amount of innovation and long-term value. As someone involved in the startup ecosystem, I believe capital should ultimately follow performance. And the performance signals are already there. This International Women’s Day feels like a good moment to look at the numbers again — and ask whether the ecosystem is moving as fast as the data suggests it should. #InternationalWomensDay #WomenEntrepreneurs #StartupIndia #WomenInLeadership #InclusiveGrowth

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Value in under a minute from Esther Trapadoux in the Community ROI podcast 👇 Too many companies launch community initiatives because the market says “you should,” not because their users actually want or need it. Esther talked about how, at Amplitude and now at Zed Industries, she always starts with understanding, not assumptions, not FOMO, not “best practices,” but real user struggles! When she realized new Amplitude users were getting stuck on their learning curve, a community became the bridge between the product and the person 💪 At Zed, open source contributors aren't incentivized. Team members are simply supporting, listening to, and celebrating them 🤗 🎯 Actionable step: Talk to 5 users this week. Not about community, but about their problems, their workflow, what’s frustrating, what’s missing. If the need is real, a community becomes a natural extension. If not, you just saved yourself months of misaligned work 😉 If you want to learn even more about how a community can help grow your business, go check the full conversation in the comments 🤓👇

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A New Year Isn’t About Bigger Goals. It’s About Better Systems. Every January, founders talk about growth. More revenue. More clients. More scale. But after working closely with businesses all year, I’ve realised something simple: Growth doesn’t fail because of ambition. It fails because systems don’t keep up. Last year, I watched strong teams struggle, not due to lack of effort, but because their tools were slowing them down. Too many spreadsheets. Too many workarounds. Too many “we’ll fix it later” moments. And the truth is uncomfortable: You can’t build a new year on broken systems. This year, I’m excited not because it’s a fresh calendar but because more founders are choosing clarity over chaos. Choosing systems that fit their business. Choosing software that adapts to people, not the other way around. Choosing to stop managing tools and start running businesses. That’s exactly why we build custom business software. Not to add complexity. But to remove friction. To give founders real control, real visibility, and real confidence in their decisions. So as this new year begins, here’s a simple thought to carry forward: Don’t just set bigger goals. Build better systems to support them. Here’s to a year where your software finally works with you. #HappyNewYear #NewYearThoughts #FounderMindset #BusinessGrowth #CustomSoftware #BuildInPublic #StartupLife #BusinessSystems #OperationalExcellence #ScaleSmart #LeadershipThinking #TechForBusiness #DigitalTransformation #FoundersOfLinkedIn #GrowthWithClarity

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BREAKING: Foras Ventures targeting a £20,000,000 (£20 million) Fund 1 We had Dec McLaughlin, Founding Partner at Foras Ventures on VENTURES to break down his team's approach to launching their investment fund. "I think initially around 20 million, and again, this is a long term, right. It might be a year, it might be a couple years or now as the team starts to grow and we get there."  Large enough to make meaningful bets • Small enough to be selective • Right-sized for our current team capabilities • Achievable without compromising investment thesis "That's what we think is achievable, again, with a bit of time enough that we can put some good bets." "I know micro funds being quite favorable in terms of returns and how that looks. So that's something that I've been interested in." You can listen to the full conversation with Dec below 👇 Follow viraj acharya & VENTURES 🚀 for more.

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What actually happens when a client starts working with us. Most founders expect a "strategy document". Something that sits in a drawer and never gets used. That's not what we do. Month 1 — Strategy. We get under the bonnet. Pipeline, revenue, team, process, numbers. Not the story the business tells itself. The actual reality. By the end of month one, we have a clear commercial plan, the right priorities, and honest answers to the questions most founders have been avoiding. Month 2 — Implementation. This is where most strategy work falls over. We don't stop at the plan. We build the structure underneath it. Sales process, pipeline discipline, team ownership, reporting, forecasting. The commercial engine starts to take shape. Month 3 — Delivery. Now the business feels different. Revenue is more predictable. The team knows what they own. The founder is no longer the bottleneck. Growth stops being reactive and starts being built. The shift founders feel first isn't revenue. It's clarity. For the first time in a long time, they know exactly what's happening, who owns what, and where growth is coming from. Revenue follows structure. Always. If your business is growing but it still all sits on your shoulders, that's usually where we start.

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What's the biggest mistake founders make when raising capital? According to Oliver Darwin from OIF Ventures, it's assuming investors have the same level of context you do. When you're deep in your business 24/7, it's easy to miss what's obvious to you isn't obvious to anyone else. But that blind spot? It's quietly costing you term sheets. OIF manages over $500 million with an LP network spanning high net-worth individuals, founders, operators, and family offices, writing cheques from $500k to $10 million. After seeing thousands of pitches (a year!), Oliver knows what separates the ones that win from the ones that don't. This is the first of our investor hot takes from On the Green with KCV, where we're unpacking lessons, trends, and what investors are really looking for in 2026.

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This is a first. Creating a #keytakeaway slider for an #article on #socialcommerce which was written based on an interview with ... well, me 💁‍♀️🩵 Rebecca Sentance and I sat down for Econsultancy to clean up with some of the crazy myths about #liveshopping and social commerce out there. With #tiptokshop grabbing almost 3% share of the Beauty sector's online GMV within 18 months of market entry in the USA, I think we can all agree that the time to put off #discoveryshopping is over. Here go my 6 key tipps for #retailers looking into social commerce.

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A couple of weeks ago I was talking to someone who's very well respected in the startup space about a funding problem that we both feel passionately about. Half way through the conversation (it was on LinkedIn, so, typed out) he said "I like what I just wrote, I think that's tomorrow's post". And it was (word for word), and it did very very well. Writing good (actually good, not engagement bait) content is very simple. Find things that you feel strongly about, that you know about, that you can make a point about and answer questions about - say it - and then write it and post it. You don't need a crazy hook or a ridiculous story to accompany it. Eventually, over time, when you talk about things you care about, others who care about that same thing will find you, and your name and display pic become the hook. Because they want to read what YOU wrote, regardless of what it says. Obviously, don't take advantage of that, and stay true to posting about what you believe in and feel strongly about. But that's basically how it works, and I promise it's simpler than you think. Post something now. Anything. Think about a recent conversation, and post!

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Wait, what do you actually do? If you’re in a Founder’s Associate role (or anything slightly “startup-y”), you’ve probably been asked this more than once. And honestly, fair. The role is usually a bit of everything, which also means it’s hard to explain without sounding like you’re making it up. But here’s some clarity on what it actually looks like 👇 → Product marketing Decks, one-pagers, visuals. Basically whatever helps explain what we’re building and why it matters. → Playing with cool tech Testing features, breaking things (on purpose or not), figuring out how to demo it. → Configuring the product Features. Environment. Overall setup. Lots going on here. → Modelling data Sometimes to see where users are dropping off. Sometimes to figure out if a new feature’s doing anything at all. → Talking to a lot of people Customers, quiet customers, partners, prospective partners. Trying to understand what’s working, what’s unclear, and what they secretly wish existed. It’s not a “defined” job. It’s the thing that happens between the lines. So yes, a little confusing. But you see why we'd like it here on most days 😌

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A lot of early‑stage advice floating around the UK start up ecosystem is well‑intentioned but outdated, generic, or copied from companies operating at a completely different stage. Here’s the truth I see every day: Founders don’t struggle because they lack ambition. - They struggle because they’re optimising for the wrong audience. - They build pitch decks for “investors” as a group not for the specific humans they’ll actually be speaking to. So here’s a simple shift that changes everything: Stop trying to impress investors. Start trying to make it easy for them to believe you. That means: - Show the real conversations you’ve had with customers - Be honest about what you don’t know yet - Explain the assumptions you’re testing next - Share the decisions you’ve made and the ones you’ve deliberately avoided - Anchor your story in the next 6–12 months, not the next decade When founders do this, the whole dynamic changes. Investors stop interrogating and they listening. Because clarity builds trust. And trust beats polish every time. If you’re a pre‑seed or seed founder and you feel like you’re “doing everything right” but still not getting traction, this is usually where the gap is.

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I've been thinking about why founders lie. Not big lies. The small ones. "Everything's great." "Just busy." "Next year will be different." We say them so often we forget they're lies. Last month at the Part Time CEO Retreat, I watched twelve founders stop. Three days in the mountains with nowhere to hide. No pitches. No wins to share. Just the stuff underneath. There wasn't one moment. It was all of it. Tears and laughter happening in the same hour. Sometimes the same conversation. People letting themselves feel things they'd been putting off for months. None of it was neat. Nobody had breakthroughs on cue. I don't know. Maybe that's the whole point. We spend so much energy holding it together. And sometimes the most useful thing isn't a plan. It's a room full of people who finally admit they're tired too. Grateful to the founders who trusted it. And to Zan Hussain and the Flat Earth Media Dubai team for making this video tell this story in a way I could never express! Anissa Boulahya Arushi Bhatnagar Deepika Vachhani Anand Dhiraj N Lochani Priyasha Corrie Satyen Babla Shabana Razzak Shaneabbas Yusufali Sunil Nagdev Varuna Mehta Zan Hussain Watch the video 👇

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If you’re transitioning out of solo selling to making the first few sales hires… Doing this one step will set you up for success. This is from when I was working with Ben Stephenson and Charlie Cowley at Impala. They were already doing a great job; founders were selling, and early hires were in place. But to really scale, we had to solve one thing: There had to be a good handoff system between the Founders and the first sales hires. How do you do this? -Build a simple Jobs To Be Done framework -Deconstruct your current sales process  -List the sales jobs currently being done -Set clear goals around each “job” -Hire people fit to do those jobs If you’ve already made the hire, teach them how to do those specific jobs Deconstructing your JTBD is one of the best ways to ensure a smooth transition. Check the video to get the whole story on how we discovered this at Impala. How did you make your first sales hires successful?

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I was recently invited onto Focus on Founders - a new podcast that dives into the real journeys of business founders. First of all, a huge thank you to Matthew for having me on. From the setup and lighting to the structure of the conversation and the overall attention to detail - it was all done really well. Even more impressive knowing it’s being built alongside a full-time job. Fair play 👏🏼 We covered a lot on the episode from my side - what’s worked, what hasn’t, and some of the realities of growing a business that don’t always get talked about. One area we spent a bit of time on was hiring, which feels particularly relevant right now as ORRJO continues to grow. I’ve always believed interviews shouldn’t feel transactional… Although thinking back to some of my early interviews trying to break into the corporate world, I probably treated them exactly like that. But going through the hiring process from the other side of the table, I know now that you’re not just hiring for a role - you’re bringing someone into your team and your culture. That's why at ORRJO, our process has more than one layer and, more importantly, more than one person involved. Everyone gets a say. I genuinely believe it matters that the team feels aligned on who’s joining, not just whoever’s doing the hiring. As we’ve grown, one thing I’m really proud of is how long people stay with us. In a sales and marketing business, that’s rare - and it only happens when there’s mutual commitment on both sides. So when we’re hiring, the question isn’t just “can you do the job?” It’s “can you see yourself here for the long term?” Thanks again for having me on, Matthew - really enjoyed it 🤝

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In the UK, we’re often hesitant about selling. There’s a cultural discomfort with it as if being direct about value is something to be avoided. But in business, selling isn’t optional… it’s essential. Every founder needs to learn how to sell. Not just how to talk about a product, but how to position it, how to create urgency and how to communicate its value clearly and confidently. Because no matter how good your product is, it means nothing if no one knows about it. Visibility is just as important as quality. You can have the best product in the market but if you can’t convince people to care, it won’t go anywhere. Selling isn’t just being pushy it’s a skill. And it’s one every successful entrepreneur inevitably masters, whether selling to customers or investors.

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Most founders don’t need more ideas. We need more direction. So this morning I’m reviewing our December workload, and I remember something from early last year: As a new founder, I had ideas everywhere. Notebook full. Voice notes full. Energy high. Results? All over the place. Like smoke in the air I was burning, but not building. The turning point wasn’t a new strategy — it was learning to remove the noise. As soon as I got my first client, they weren’t paying but I wanted to learn practically through their business Here’s what help me keep a grip on everything: 1️⃣ Choose one clear goal per week. If everything is important, nothing is. 2️⃣ Build one simple system around it. A checklist beats chaos every time. 3️⃣ Review the signal, not the noise. Likes don’t pay bills — clarity does. Since then, direction has done more for my business than motivation or creativity ever did. Durban teaches you this: When the tide is strong, you don’t swim harder — you swim smarter. ⚡ Clarity beats hustle. Direction beats noise. I’m Lindo Zuma — helping founders simplify the path, not complicate it. Image Chris Donnelly #Leadership #Clarity #DurbanBusiness #CopyWrite #Entrepreneurship #MarketingStrategy #Focus

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Some SME founders I meet are really busy. Their calendars are full. Reviews stacked. “Quick alignment” calls every other hour. Endless tweaks to decks, websites, campaigns. It looks like momentum. But it’s usually confusion. Busy calendars are sometimes a symptom of unclear strategy. Because when direction isn’t sharp, activity increases to compensate. More discussions, more iterations and... more explaining. And that internal fog doesn’t stay inside. It leaks into the market. And then the second problem begins: The “Obvious” Trap. You know your business inside out. You’ve lived the product. You’ve refined the service. You can explain every feature in detail. So, you assume the value is obvious. No, it isn’t. What feels crystal clear to you often lands as a confusing whisper in a noisy market. And when your positioning isn’t obvious: • Sales has to over-explain • Marketing keeps “trying new angles” • Prospects hesitate • Price objections increase • Founders get frustrated Then the cycle restarts. More meetings. More campaigns. More effort. But unclear thinking multiplied by effort doesn’t scale. It just gets louder. Clarity changes the equation. When positioning is clear: Work doesn’t speed up. It reduces. You don’t need five alignment calls. Just one sharp decision is enough. You don’t need louder campaigns. You need a sharper message. Here’s a realistic test for SME founders: Can someone outside your company answer these in 10 seconds? • What do you actually do? • Who is it for? • Why should I care? • Why you over others? If the answers require a paragraph, you’re in the obvious trap. And your calendar will continue to pay for it. Clarity isn’t branding polish. It’s operational efficiency. It’s sales acceleration. It’s strategic discipline. Before you add another campaign or book another “alignment” call — Ask: Is the problem effort? Or is it that the value still isn’t obvious? Because when clarity is present, the noise drops on its own.

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I just went live on LinkedIn (recording on my profile) and shared more about "What Founders Really Need from Your ESO Intake Experience". I covered insights from our conversations at Boost for ESOs and actionable steps you can take to improve your intake experience, increase team productivity, and boost founder engagement to create better outcomes for everyone. Here is the deck I walked through in case it is helpful to you and your team 🚀

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What are the clearest early warning signs you’re about to scale chaos in your business? These are a few from what I've seen so far this year from founders mixed in with some of my own personal experiences. Everyone looks flat-out busy but the outcomes aren’t actually moving which means: Team calendars are packed, yet response times, quality, or revenue per head are stalling. The same questions and mistakes repeat because everything still lives in people’s heads, not in simple systems. Instead of growth creating capacity, it just routes even more decisions back through to the founder. If “busy” keeps going up but actual output per person doesn’t, then this is chaos being scaled. What have you spotted as the earliest sign a team is heading in this direction?

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We're launching a mini Plinth Foundation 💷 - "Funding the Unfundable" 🔓 The funding is entirely UNRESTRICTED. We're happy for the money to go to absolutely anything - especially the things your other funders might be less keen on. Think coffee for the office, the good toilet roll, or even a CEO salary. ❓ As the UK's fastest growing* grant-making platform, we want to experience funding from both sides. The best way to build better tools for funders? Test it ourselves. 🤝 We'll be giving away a small amount of money (to start with), and a large amount of free tech tools and capacity building support. Struggling with data collection? Need help with impact measurement? Want to explore AI for your operations? Our platform and pro-bono support will give you capacity for those projects that never quite make it to the top of the list. 📍Join us for the launch event: October 6th, 5:30-8:30pm at Covent Garden Community Centre - one of the first charities to ever use Plinth. Expect an evening of food, drinks, more information about what we can help with, and plenty of discussion about charity funding. 👇 Let me know if you want to come, and I'll send you the sign up page (on Plinth of course). *almost certainly, though I have no data

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