Funding Chat

Government Grants Won't Save Your Startup (But Here's When They're Worth It)Quick question. What's your time worth per hour? If you're a startup founder it's probably somewhere between £30 and £100 depending on how you calculate it. Innovate UK grant application takes about 40 hours. So before you've even submitted - before you know whether you'll get a penny - you've spent £1,200 to £4,000 of your time. On something with a sub-20% success rate. Would you take those odds in a casino? Probably not right? And yet. AND YET. For certain types of startups at certain stages, government grants are genuinely the smartest money available. Non-dilutive. Non-repayable. Tens of thou…

So you're gearing up for your next funding round, and someone's asked you the dreaded question: "What's your startup worth?" Don't worry: it's not as complicated as it sounds, even if you're pre-revenue and working out of your spare bedroom. Valuing a startup isn't like valuing a house or a car. There's no Rightmove listing you can point to. Instead, you're dealing with potential, risk, and a healthy dose of educated guesswork. But here's the good news: there are proven methods that investors actually use, and once you understand them, you'll be far better equipped to walk into that pitch meeting with confidence. Let's break down exactly how a startup valuation calculator…

Starting a business isn’t just a professional journey – it’s a deeply personal one. You’ve put your heart, time, and probably your savings into building something meaningful. But even with your best efforts, there can be moments where the cash just doesn’t stretch far enough. Perhaps a client payment is late. A supplier unexpectedly raises their costs. Or you simply hit one of those tough months where everything lands at once. When things get tight, a business overdraft might seem like the answer. But is it the right safety net – or just a temporary plaster on a deeper cash flow issue? Let’s dive into the pros, the cons, and whether overdrafts are truly a wise move for UK…

With my FounderCatalyst hat on, I love talking about all things funding legals - and especially the term sheet. To get the conversation started, I thought this article on Term Sheets would be useful - it walks through term sheet basics and what 'market standard' looks like for different types of investors. https://www.foundercatalyst.com/blog/avoiding-toxic-term-sheets-everything-you-ever-wanted-to-ask-answered