Towards Better failed - here's why

“There’s no mission without margin”

You’ll be familiar with this saying. But there’s a lesser-known predecessor:

“There’s no impact without investment”

This is especially true for early-stage companies, and particularly those in Climate and Health, which often involve hardware and dealing in the physical realm.

For the last 8 years, I’ve helped founders of these companies fundraise, scale and exit.

After facing-up to the failure of Towards Better v1.0 (more on that below), I’ve refocused on this work.

And a new version of the Towards Better Insider will launch soon, focused on how mission-driven founders can raise better and scale better.

2 min read

Painful lessons

I’ll be honest: the first incarnation of Towards Better failed.

People loved the ‘Purpose x Profit’ ethos, and whenever I gave a talk it was really well received.

But the problem was, no-one really understood how it worked in practice: where it would fit into their organisation, or exactly what I’d do to realise that optimistic vision of a high-performing, purpose-led company.

The breakthrough

Whenever I spoke to the founders using technology to make a real difference, one thing kept hitting me:

The conversation kept moving towards fundraising.

If a founder had a raise approaching, it became the only thing that mattered - and it had to be done within a certain timeframe.

They were completely focussed on it.

I’ve been through dozens of fundraises as a CFO and advisor, so it was easy to provide a few targeted bits of advice.

Founders quickly realised I could help, and that I knew what I was talking about.

Towards Better v2.0

It was too obvious to ignore: fundraising was the most valuable thing I could help these founders with.

There was a perfect fit between their need and my expertise.

So, over the summer I ran a beta test.

I created a 4-week fundraising program, which I ran with a small number of founders - all of which building incredible, impactful tech companies.

The feedback was amazing (see for yourself here). And I loved it - more than I expected.

I’ve implemented some improvements to the program and have now opened the doors to more founders.

Raise better. Scale better.

A new version of the newsletter will launch soon, focussing on how to fundraise successfully and grow your company - the right way.

Raising and scaling is hard enough - but even more so when you are trying to create positive change at the same time.

If that’s the journey you’re on, you’ll love the new version of the Towards Better Insider.

If it’s no longer relevant, no hard feelings if you unsubscribe - thanks for your readership and support over the last year or so. I wish you the very best in your pursuit of a more purposeful and high-performing organisation.