BLC / FOUNDER-LED CAPITAL ADVISORY
Not every good business is an obvious investment.
Especially when the product is complex, the market is early or the company doesn’t fit a familiar playbook.
We work with founders to understand what the business can prove, what investors need to believe and where the right capital might sit.
01 / THE WORK
A capital strategy starts with the business.
Sometimes the problem is readiness. Sometimes it’s the argument. Sometimes it’s simply the wrong investor universe.
We work out which, before a good company burns through its best conversations.
Pressure-test the business.
Examine commercial traction, financial assumptions, valuation, use of funds and what still needs proving. Better to find the weak points before diligence does.
Make the investment case.
Translate the business into an argument investors can understand, challenge and evaluate. What is genuinely distinctive? Who pays? Why now? What does the next round unlock?
Find the right investors.
Map mandates against sector, stage, geography, cheque size and investment appetite. An introduction needs a reason to exist beyond an email address.
Navigate the raise.
Support investor preparation, tailored communications, feedback and follow-through, within applicable permissions. Keep the investment case coherent as scrutiny increases.
THE INVESTOR LENS / 001
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What has to be true for this company to work?
It’s the question behind every serious investment decision.
We start there.
For founders, it means understanding what they need to prove. For investors, it means engaging with an opportunity through the commercial logic, evidence and unanswered questions, not just the pitch.
02 / THE FIRST CONVERSATION
Before we send a single email.
We establish what you’re building, where the business stands, what you’re raising and whether there’s a credible route forward.
01 / UNDERSTAND
The business, customers, market and commercial fundamentals.
02 / QUESTION
The assumptions, risks and gaps an investor is likely to challenge.
03 / DECIDE
The capital required, what it unlocks and whether the timing and terms make sense.
04 / ALIGN
A practical strategy, the right investor universe and the work required before engagement.
03 / BEHIND THE FIRM
I’ve been the founder asking for capital. And the investor asking why.
I’ve built and exited two businesses. I know what it’s like to be building a company while trying to raise the money to keep building it.
Customers still need attention. Products still need shipping. People still need paying. And somewhere between all of that, you’re expected to convince a room full of strangers that the future you’re building is worth betting on.
I’ve lived that side of the table.
I’ve also worked with venture funds in New York and Silicon Valley, spent time in private markets, and invested as an angel. I’ve seen how investors evaluate businesses, question assumptions and make decisions about risk.
That changes how you look at fundraising.
Founders see what a company could become. Investors need to understand why it has a credible chance of getting there.
Both perspectives matter.
That’s why I built Black Lion Capital.
Founders already have enough to deal with. They shouldn’t have to become full-time fundraising professionals just to find the right conversations.
And investors shouldn’t have to sift through endless recycled pitches to find a business worth understanding.
I believe good capital advisory should make both sides of that equation better.
THE TEAM / SMALL BY DESIGN
A small team is a choice. Small standards aren’t.
I work alongside a team of associates who bring depth, structure and discipline to every engagement.
Research. Commercial assessment. Investor mapping. Preparation. Process management. Follow-through.
We’re deliberately lean, but we operate with the rigour and accountability you’d expect from a much larger firm.
That means careful research, documented decisions, structured execution and attention to the details that can make or break a fundraising process.
Without layers of bureaucracy between the founder and the people doing the work.
Small team. Institutional discipline. No institutional baggage.
FWB / THE WRITING
Funding Without the Bullshit.
I also write Funding Without the Bullshit, where I unpack the less glamorous realities of raising capital.
The awkward questions. The investor psychology. The deals that looked promising until they weren’t. And why a “great meeting” and an actual commitment are two very different things.
Part commentary, part lessons from both sides of the table.
Because fundraising is serious business. It doesn’t mean we have to take all its nonsense seriously.
04 / THE RIGHT CONVERSATION
Good companies deserve serious consideration.
FOR FOUNDERS
You’ve got a business to build. We can help you work out whether you’re ready to raise, how to position the opportunity and which conversations are worth pursuing.
FOR INVESTORS
An introduction should come with a reason. Not just a deck.
We know your time and your mandate matter.
Our approach is to understand the businesses we work with, examine the investment case and make the rationale for a potential fit clear.
What has been demonstrated? What remains uncertain? Why might this opportunity deserve your attention?
If we bring a company to your attention, those are the questions we aim to answer before asking for your time.