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Where could my support make a difference?

Make your
portfolio count.

You have backed the companies. Where could the right support make a difference now?

Put considered research, relationship work and follow-through behind the question that matters to each company.

Choose a company’s next question
An investor considers four founders’ plants, each with different needs: a tiny plant, an unplanted sapling, a tangled plant with pruning shears and a large rootbound plant.
The answer was different at every company.

Does every company need the same support?

Each company needs a different next step.

One founder is looking for customers. Another is planning a raise. Start with the company’s question.

Who might need what this company is building?

Inspect the thinking

These are choices of support, not stages every company must pass through.

What do we know, and what are we assuming?

Choose the question before the intervention.

A useful support note makes the reasoning visible.

Keep the observation, the interpretation and the next check separate. The selected question shapes this example.

Illustrative work sampleInvented company and source context

One company / One question

A new market needs a more specific question.

Draft for review

  1. Observed

    In this example, the founder wants to explore a new customer segment.

  2. Interpretation

    A focused buyer map could help test who owns the problem and why they might care.

  3. Unknown

    We do not yet know whether this segment has the problem, budget or urgency.

  4. Next check

    Agree the customer problem with the founder before selecting people to research.

Source context. An invented founder brief is the starting point. It is a stated ambition, not evidence of demand.

What work would help us move forward?

Put the right work behind the decision.

Continuing the illustrative note

A buyer map built around one problem.

Turn the question into a small, reviewable research brief.

The possible owner

Research the role responsible for the problem, alongside the people who influence the decision.

The reason to talk

Document relevant context and separate a plausible need from a confirmed priority.

The first decision

Ask the founder to review the fit and agree a considered opening.

A relevant map helps prepare a conversation. It does not establish demand or promise a meeting.

Explore portfolio growth support

How do we help without taking over?

You keep the portfolio view. Each founder keeps their company.

Agree the question together. Be clear about who owns the work and who makes the decision.

  1. You, the investor

    Bring perspective.

    Contribute portfolio context, agree the support and stay close to the decision ahead.

  2. The founder

    Set the direction.

    Supply company context, approve the approach and own the commercial conversations.

  3. The StepUp professional

    Do the agreed work.

    Research, prepare and keep the follow-through visible, with AI supporting the work.

Where should we start?

Start with one company and one question.

Your question: Customers. Who might need what this company is building?

Bring one priority. Let’s look at the people, the work and whether we can help.

Discuss one portfolio company

Choose a time in our booking calendar.

06 / A useful first conversation
  1. The company and the question ahead.
  2. What is known, and what still needs checking.
  3. Who should be involved and what support could fit.