Where ambitious founders
meet ambitious capital.
A London capital studio. We prepare founders to raise, and bring investors a short list of companies worth their time.
Most of a round is decided before it opens. The work that matters happens long before any investor is approached.
We work with founders to sharpen the story, tighten the materials and structure the round, so the first investor conversation starts in the right place.
“Northwood gave us the language for what we were actually building. The materials and the team finally sounded like one company.”
Three stages, from first draft to closed round.
Refine the proposition.
We pressure-test the narrative, the numbers and the operating logic, then rebuild whatever will not hold up in front of an investor.
Align with the right capital.
A considered shortlist of investors whose stage, sector and mandate genuinely fit the company in front of them.
Convert the interest.
We run the process so momentum holds and the round closes on terms that reflect the work behind it.
For both sides of a serious raise.
We prepare founders before they go out, and bring investors a short list of companies that have already done the work.
For founders
IRaise on stronger terms.
- Story, model and metrics tightened
- An investor list matched to mandate
- Warm introductions, not cold sends
- A process built to hold momentum
For investors
IIFounders worth your time.
- Prepared before introduction
- Matched to stage, sector and thesis
- EIS and SEIS eligible where relevant
- Built for a long working relationship
The shape of an early-stage raise, in the data.
Two figures, drawn from industry research. They describe the problem we work on, not a promise about outcomes.
Figure 01 · Industry data
Why companies don't make it to the next round.
Capital strategy and market clarity sit at the top of the list. The work we do upstream is built to address exactly these failure modes, before they decide a round.
Source · CB Insights, top reasons startups fail, 2021
Respondents could cite more than one reason. Figures reflect share of startup post-mortems analysed.
Figure 02 · Founder time
The hidden cost of a raise is attention.
For most of a round, the founder is the round. Structure and sequencing recover the weeks that otherwise drain into investor logistics.
Source · DocSend Startup Index, early-stage benchmarks
Founder attention during an active raise
Indicative
During an active early-stage round, fundraising tends to dominate the founder's week. The remaining capacity is what the company runs on.
12.5wks
Median time from first investor meeting to a closed early-stage round.
62.5
Investors a founder contacts on average across a single early-stage raise.
30+
Investor meetings held in a typical Seed to Series A process.
How an engagement actually runs.
From first draft to closed round. Most engagements run about twelve weeks, occasionally fewer.
Refine
We review the story, the numbers and the assumptions behind both, and rebuild what doesn't hold up.
Holds up under diligence
Position
We frame the company for the investors most likely to understand it on the first read.
Better fit, fewer meetings
Connect
Warm introductions to a short list of investors whose mandate fits.
Conversations worth having
Refine
We review the story, the numbers and the assumptions behind both, and rebuild what doesn't hold up.
Holds up under diligence
Position
We frame the company for the investors most likely to understand it on the first read.
Better fit, fewer meetings
Connect
Warm introductions to a short list of investors whose mandate fits.
Conversations worth having
A few numbers worth knowing.
The rounds that close well tend to share a pattern. A clear story, a credible team, and investors who actually fit the company.
0%
of an early-stage VC decision is weighted to the founding team, ahead of product or market.
NFX, founder survey
£0.0bn
raised by UK companies through EIS in 2023/24, a long-standing pool of patient British capital.
HMRC, EIS statistics 2024
£0m
raised through SEIS in 2023/24, supporting the earliest stages of company building.
HMRC, SEIS statistics 2024
0.0min
average time an investor spends with a successful deck. Narrative quality earns the next conversation.
DocSend, pitch deck benchmarks
A better raise starts
with the work beforehand.
We work with a small number of founders and investors each year. Introductions are by referral or considered enquiry.