Founders

I work with founders who want outside perspective that is practical, rigorous and geared to the next decision.

My focus is health, care and technology, with experience in regulated and public sector facing markets.

When it is useful to bring me in

Most founder support starts when at least one of these is true:

  • You need sharper strategic choices and the current plan feels like too many priorities

  • Your story is not landing with customers, partners, hires or investors

  • Execution is slipping because roles, decision rights or cadence have not kept pace with growth

  • You are operating in complexity such as regulation, multiple stakeholders or long sales cycles

  • You want a clear thinking partner for a high-stakes moment such as a pivot, partnership or scale-up push

Stage matters less than ambition and willingness to focus.

What I help founders do

Strategic clarity

  • Tighten the story and focus

  • Define the customer, the problem and the wedge

  • Set priorities and what to stop

Growth and value

  • Sharpen pricing and packaging

  • Improve conversion, retention and expansion

  • Build a simple view of unit economics

Make it executable

  • Turn the plan into owners, milestones and measures

  • Set a cadence for review and decisions

  • Design lightweight governance that does not slow you down


Fundraising and investor readiness

Support on narrative and assumptions so the strategy stands up to scrutiny, without making fundraising the centre of the engagement.

First call agenda

What we cover on a first call:

1) Where you want to be in the next 6-12 months

2) Where you feel stuck

3) The decision in front of you

4) What a sensible first step looks like

5) Timelines and ways of working

Ways we can work together

I can support full-time or part-time, including interim and fractional roles.

  • Short, focused sprint (typically 2 to 3 weeks)
    Best when you need clarity quickly. Output is a concise strategy, a small set of priorities and a 90 day plan.

  • Fractional or interim strategic support
    Best when you want ongoing help making decisions and turning them into delivery, with a steady cadence and clear accountability.

  • Strategic adviser
    Best when you want a regular sounding board and independent challenge.

I am also open to co-founding where the fit is exceptional.

Mini case study

Exabler

Context: Strategic support to a founder led healthtech business.
Work: Narrative and plan, KPI set, cashflow model, operating rhythm, investor materials.
Outcome: Clearer priorities, better grip on execution and a stronger investor story.

“Over the course of our engagement, Lester has given me very useful advice for our company, including advice on setting meaningful KPIs, improving fundraising decks, and prioritising resources for growth. He has proved himself a good, critical sounding board at various key junctures who has a wealth of experience and commercial understanding with which he has helped us stay focused on results.”

Ramin Takin
CFO and Founder, Exabler

Send me a message

I’ll aim to respond within a business day.