Advising: non-executive director, board adviser and investor diligence
A board seat, a regular adviser or an independent view before an investment, from someone who has been the operator, the investor and the board observer.
A board seat for tech and non-tech firms
A non-executive director sits on your board without running the business day to day. The job is to help the people who do run it make better decisions, and to ask the questions nobody inside has time to ask.
I bring the same toolkit to board level: growth strategy, marketing, raising money and practical use of AI. It suits founder-led and investor-backed businesses that want to grow faster than their sector, or run more efficiently.
I've been a board observer at Wercker and Glow Digital, and a NED and board adviser to early-stage companies. As a NED I'm the person who asks the useful question, and who can also show you what the answer looks like in a week.
Growth and marketing
Pressure-test the strategy, the pricing and the sales pipeline.
AI, done sensibly
What to adopt, what to ignore, and how to keep your data safe.
Capital and exits
Raising money, keeping investors informed and preparing for a sale, from someone who has sat on the investor's side of the table.
A typical engagement is a day a month plus board meetings.
Observer, adviser or director
- Board observer. Attends board meetings, often for an investor, but isn't a director and doesn't vote.
- Board adviser. Advises the board or the owner, formally or informally, without being a director.
- Non-executive director. A full member of the board, with a vote and a director's legal duties.
I've done all three. Which one suits you depends on how formal your board is and how much accountability you want from the role.
Board adviser and mentor
Not every business needs a formal board seat. Sometimes the right help is an experienced person you can call, who knows how growing companies and their investors think.
Due diligence for investors
If you're a fund or an individual looking at a company, I give you an independent view of the business, the market and the people before you commit. For wider market, competitor or regulatory questions, see Research.
I've done this from inside a fund and from outside one. At Notion Capital I reviewed more than 500 SaaS businesses at seed and Series A, sat on the investment committee for around 26 deals, and led technical due diligence. As an independent consultant from 2018 to 2021, I supported venture capital firms and investors with due diligence. I'm also a Venture Partner at 7percent Ventures, an early-stage fund backing frontier technology.
For agtech and climate companies, the same work draws on my MSc and advisory history: Agri-food and regenerative · Climate, biodiversity and impact
What it takes
- Time. A typical engagement is a day a month plus board meetings.
- Price. A clear fee, agreed up front.
- Capacity. I work with no more than three clients at once, so each one gets my full attention.
How it starts
- A 30-minute conversation about the business, the board and what you need from it.
- A closer look. I read the latest board pack, accounts and plan, and we meet again to see whether it's a fit on both sides.
- An agreed role. Observer, adviser or NED, with the time, the fee and the term written down.
A board seat can also follow a project, once you've seen how I work. Consulting · Building
Common questions
Will you get involved in the day-to-day?
Not as a NED; the role is to support the people running the business, not to run it. If you also want work delivered, such as a growth plan or a tool, that's a separate, fixed-scope project with its own price, so the two roles stay clear.
We're not a tech company. Is this still for us?
Yes. Growth strategy, marketing, raising money and preparing for a sale matter to any growing business, whatever it makes. The AI knowledge is an extra, not the point.
Do you work with businesses outside the South West?
Yes. I'm based in Wiltshire and work across the South West, London and further afield, in person or remotely.
Talk about your board
Thirty minutes, in confidence. Tell me where the business is going and what the board needs to get it there.