UK Investment Readiness Programme
Investment readiness platform for founders raising their first round.
Raised by cohort 1 within 3 months
Guest speakers incl, Ada Ventures & Sure Valley Ventures
Founders per cohort, deeply supported
WHAT IS ROUND ONE
Round One is an investment readiness programme that gives pre-seed founders everything they need to raise their first round, with direct links to the most active pre-seed investors in the UK.
What you get
Supported by
“The most in-depth, practical investment readiness programme running in Scotland.”
8-MODULE CURRICULUM
Every session is practitioner-led, practical and immediately actionable.
Investor types, what VCs look for, round structures
How to build a deck that actually gets meetings
What investors want to see in your numbers
Targeting the right investors and getting introductions
Equity, dilution and managing your cap table over time
Term sheets, shareholder agreements & due diligence
Cold outreach, warm intros and pitch preparation
Investor relations and corporate governance after the raise
THE TEAM
Founded and delivered by founders who've built inside the UK startup ecosystem.
Founder, Sun & Planet
10+ years in the UK startup ecosystem. Early employee at gohenry (sold to Acorns), helping raise £8m+. Former Head of Investment at an advisory firm supporting 200+ startups and £60m+ raised in 6 years. Fundraising advisor since 2024 across FinTech, Consumer, CleanTech and BioTech.
alex@sunandplanet.vc →
Founder, Ecosystem Ventures
15+ years supporting high-growth startups across the UK and internationally. Founder of FutureX — alumni raised £180M+ including Current Health ($400m BestBuy exit), Zumo (£30m) and Cyacomb Forensics (£13m). Former venture scout and angel investor with Ada Ventures.
bruce@ecosystembuilders.network →TESTIMONIALS
Feedback from founders who've been through the programme.
Each session has delivered sharp, highly actionable insight on preparing to raise a seed round, followed by afternoon conversational sessions with a founder and an investor. Founders who have raised and scaled — happy to share the guts, the graft, and the glory of their journey, and VCs and angel investors who are actively looking to back founders at pre-seed and seed stage. Round One feels different — a focused, curated, no fuss and very clearly GAME ON environment for founders who are preparing to raise.
When we started, we had a working product but lacked clarity on our fundraising strategy. Through the sessions, the guest speakers, and the peer learning, we've transformed our approach.
We've refined our pitch deck, built proper financial projections, and developed confidence in articulating our vision to investors. The quality of speakers was exceptional — from Danae's journey with Valla to Dan's investment perspective from Solidbond. Having founders paired with their actual investors gave us invaluable insights I haven't seen on any other programme.
I just wanted to say a big thank you for the past eight weeks. I have been on many different entrepreneurial programmes in the last two years and the quality of your materials and the format of the weekly workshops have been outstanding. I was going through them all again this last week and was equally impressed at the slides.
We were successful in securing £750k via SE New to Equity and we took the deal. Thank you for your excellent support.
It helped us get our ducks in a row and be better prepared for due diligence. What I've learnt and the new connections will continue helping as we seek follow on.
Having been involved in other accelerators, we found Round One's programme offered a completely different angle by focusing deeply on the specific mechanics and preparation required to raise capital. We left with a far stronger understanding of how to navigate the investment process, make more informed decisions about our company's future, and confidently assess when the timing is right to raise.
The programme was genuinely really valuable for us as founders, and we feel much more prepared now in how we approach the business and investor conversations.
As a startup we have struggled to navigate the world of fundraising. Round One has been unique in that it is solely focused on investment readiness.
It was impressive to see high calibre investors and founders visiting and sharing best practice. Through the introductions made from Round One, we have secured commitment and are looking to close our funding round within the next month. I appreciate the openness of Alex and the ability to reach out quickly for guidance.
Round One provided a clear, structured process that helped us refine our narrative, strengthen our investment case, and better understand how investors evaluate early-stage companies. Alex's guidance was refreshingly practical and grounded in real fundraising experience. Programmes like Round One play an important role in helping ambitious Scottish startups become investment-ready — more founders should have access to this kind of support.
FAQ
The questions we hear most often from founders preparing to raise — answered honestly, from inside the rooms where deals get done.
APPLY NOW
Applications for the next cohort are now open. We select 10 high-potential founders for each programme. Tell us about your startup and where you are in your journey. We'll be in touch within 5 working days.