Welcome to our March Fundraise Feature, in which we bring you an overview of the Seed - Series B tech fundraises from across the United Kingdom and New York, that were announced in the past month.

On this episode of Venture Voices we are joined by Nicholas Wijnberg, Founder and General Partner at Lorimer Ventures, who dives into how they support scaling startups, the future of SaaS, AI’s impact on finance, and what makes a founder truly investable.

In our second edition of Fundraise Feature, we present the key announcements of deals that happened in the Seed - Series B tech space during the month of February, in the UK and New York.

Making the transition from VP Finance to CFO is one of the most challenging career moves for finance leaders. Learn from our guest CFO Tanya Andreev Kaspin on how to shift from financial operator to strategic leader, develop big-picture thinking, and master the key skills needed to thrive as a CFO.

After years of celebrating weekly fundraising achievements in the tech world, through our Friday LinkedIn post...we have decided to dive into more detailed monthly reports in blog form.

In this monthly article, we will present a recap of the key funding announcements from Seed - Series B venture capital deals, across New York and the UK, thanks to PitchBook research.

For the first episode of Venture Voices in 2025, we sit down with Jaja Liao, Principal at 25 Madison, a venture studio and early-stage fund focused on pre-seed and seed investing.

In this conversation, Jaja offers valuable insights into 25 Madison’s investment strategy, the role of AI in private equity-backed companies, and what makes a founder stand out in a pitch. She also shares why now is an opportune moment for startups to target PE firms as their first enterprise customers and highlights industries ripe for disruption, including industrial distribution and regulated sectors.

Global CFO at Octane Consulting, Carl Pombar shares his expertise on how to master startup cash flow. Learn the key strategies every CFO needs to optimize your startups financial strategy.

Is your startup ready for a CFO? Learn how to assess financial maturity, growth trajectory, and investor expectations to decide if hiring a full time CFO is right for your business now. Explore key milestones and team considerations to make the best choice.

In our final Venture Voices episode of 2024, we sit down with Laura Willming, Head of Talent at Octopus Ventures, to explore the intricate dynamics of company growth and founder challenges. From the critical role of the CFO to the art of nailing board dynamics, Laura shares unparalleled insights from supporting one of Europe’s most exciting VC portfolios.

For this episode of Venture Voices we sat down with one of the partners and directors at Fuel Ventures, Stan Williams.

Fuel Ventures 🚀is a Venture Capital firm that focuses on investing in early stage, European technology companies and Stan has been with the company for six and a half years, helping scalable tech deals on their journey toward exit.  

In this episode we dive into Fuel Ventures reputation and investment/growth metrics and post-funding support. Stan puts himself in a founder’s shoes and highlights the need for adaptability and resilience when fundraising.

Venture Voices has landed in Manchester and for this episode we are joined by Jessica Jackson, Investment Manager at Praetura Ventures.

Praetura Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Manchester, that focuses on backing businesses in the North.

In this episode we dive into how Praetura are supporting the growing tech ecosystem up north, what they look for in startup founders and the importance of hiring the right finance leader to scale your business.

For our second Venture Voices Interview, we have the privilege of featuring Ben Winn, Director of Communities at FirstMark.

FirstMark is an early-stage venture capital fund based in New York who over their 15-year history, have invested in notable companies such as Pinterest, Shopify, Airbnb, DraftKings, and Discord.

Ben joined us to discuss FirstMark's unique platform approach, how they support their founder's growth and how they assess potential platform partners. Dive into the interview to learn about why FirstMark value metrics, mentorship and fostering genuine connections.

A CFO can set the stage for success within the first 100 days —or even less, when joining a new company. The startup environment will throw unexpected challenges and opportunities your way, but having a solid action plan, combined with an awareness of personal strengths and blind spots, is key to making a significant impact early on.

So, how can the first 100 days look for a startup CFO? Let's break it down.

Forum Ventures, an early-stage B2B SaaS fund, accelerator, and AI studio, dedicated to supporting founders throughout their zero-to-one journey, joined us to launch our new interview series: Venture Voices. In this exclusive interview, we sit down with Partner & GM of Forum Venture’s Platform, Olivia O'Sullivan to explore the unique methodologies and forward-thinking strategies that set Forum Ventures apart in the venture capital landscape.

Discover how Forum Ventures’ successful investment strategies involve assessing startups' financial health, evaluating partnerships, and nurturing founders' growth. Gain valuable guidance for founders on how to stand out when pitching to VCs, and delve into the insights and expertise of one of the leading names in venture capital.

When stepping into a new role as CFO, one of the first areas to review is the finance department's structure. Whether you inherit an existing team or need to build one from scratch, the finance department's structure is pivotal for the success and growth of a business.  

In this article, we highlight how the structure of a finance team changes as your business scales and how you can assess your current finance department's structure to ensure it is optimized to support the desired growth plans

Navigating the intricacies of equity distribution is crucial for startups aiming to attract and retain talent while fostering a culture of alignment and accountability.

In this comprehensive article, we have included expert strategies and best practices for managing equity effectively.

Dive in to gain a deep understanding of the risk-reward ratio and how to implement vesting structures for both fractional and full-time employees. 

The role of FP&A has evolved significantly, becoming pivotal in driving strategic decisions and ensuring financial stability.

However, establishing and maintaining a top-tier FP&A team requires careful consideration of hiring practices, role evolution, team structure, and talent retention strategies, all of which we explore in this article.

In this article, discover how AI is reshaping the startup scene by streamlining everyday tasks, delve into the opportunities and hurdles CFOs face when integrating AI for enhanced financial performance and learn why AI will never fully replace the CFO!

Are you curious about the latest trends shaping the startup finance compensation landscape in the UK and New York?

We have created two empowering resources for our UK and NY startup network to utilise to confidently navigate the finance leader compensation market.

Learn about the fundamental aspects included in our 2024 Startup Salary guides such as salary, equity, and bonuses, alongside intriguing elements like satisfaction scores, and emerging market trends observed last year and anticipated for the current year.

January has seen an increase in startups wanting to hire senior finance leaders and in this ever-evolving landscape, companies need to strategically plan and execute their recruitment process with the aim of attracting and winning the top, most talented candidates.

In this article, we share 5 tips on how to best prepare and navigate the hiring process in 2024.