Hi, I’m Mark!

I’m a venture capitalist, angel investor and multi-time startup founder who has mentored professionals across the US, UK, Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa. I’m a career coach with a recently built track record in helping people think through how to build a successful, dynamic and most importantly, enjoyable career in Venture.

My coaching style focuses on helping you build a brand to identify whether you are a good fit for a Venture Career or a career in the VC space. I am someone who can help you identify if you are a good fit, help prepare you if you aren’t and move you to take immediate action towards getting the outcomes you desire - whether these are:

• Improving your Brand to appeal to Angels/VCs
• Improving your Public image to appeal to Startups
• Re-working your Personality to be a better fit for a corporate or founder-led Venture Capital
• Finding a Venture or Private Equity Firm that Fits your Personality
• Other

What I Can Help You With

I can help you break into venture capital: I’ve worked for 7 venture funds and have a good sense of what it takes to break into the highly secretive industry. VC Roles account for less than 1 percent of roles in the US and less than 2 percent of roles globally. Recruiting for a job in venture can be frustrating - you often get zero or ambiguous feedback. Let me help you break down what VCs want, and how to tell them what they want to hear. Let’s position you for success.

I can help make you more appealing as an aspiring VC: I will help you present yourself best to VCs by exploring the uniqueness of your personality, your background and your experiences and helping you best present this in such a way where it makes Venture Capital Firms want you on their teams. I can also work through resumes, cover letters and discuss other branding tips to customize your presentability to VCs and Angel Groups.

I can help you think about fundraising: I’ve helped startups secure a total of $10m+ in VC financing. I’ve also helped VCs make strategic investments before in Eastern Europe, the UK, East and West Coast US. I can help you think about how you would position yourself to build up a fundraise. I will walk through your plan to fundraise and what you should have ready + what you should know about VCs + help you discover a Good VCs for you + lead you to put together you Startup Memo + Data room. Former 10x Value Partners, Flashpoint VC, Angelfund Ai, DigitalDx Ventures.

I can help you think through starting a company: I’ve invested in multiple companies and have graduated 30+ companies through my accelerator programs. I have seen what works, what doesn’t work and what is a waste of time. I’m happy to act as a sounding board to help you think through your idea, identify a potential business model, find product market fit, scale and prepare for your first institutional (Angel/Pre-Seed/Seed) funding.

I can help you think through whether joining a founding team makes sense for you: I’ve been a founder 4 times and have worked within a core founding team in UK, Singapore and East Coast US. I can give some suggestions and help you discover whether joining a founding team for an idea makes sense in general, and whether it makes it makes sense for you.

I can help you navigate your startup career: I’ve been brought on as a consultant for 30+ startups, have graduated a further 30 via my startup accelerator and have worked with a range of founders, executives, managers, analysts, fellows and interns alike across the early stage. My experience has included FinTech, E-Commerce, Enterprise Software, SaaS, Marketplace, FoodTech, EdTech and more. I’m happy to discuss how to position yourself for success or make the perfect pivot.

What’s Next?

I love working with people from all walks of life and am happy to coach someone regardless of their background. I am a strong believer than anyone with incredible hustle, experience, wealth or entrepreneurial spirit can break into VC. If you fit any of those 4 - just drop me a message and let’s get started.

Disclaimer

I’ve reviewed 2000+ Applicants for VCs, Startup Consultancies and Accelerators and one thing has always been very clear in recruitment and people management alike.

What You Put In = What You Get Out. If you want to excel, you need to have that mindset. If you believe you have what it takes, or want to help get into that mindset and are ready to run through walls - let me know.