3rd December 2015, London, UK: Following the launch of ScaleUp Group earlier this year, a new company ScaleUp Services Ltd. has been formed to focus on providing hands-on support in the 4 areas critical to success in moving from the Start Up stage to Scaling Up, as identified by last year’s report to the Chancellor of Exchequer*.
Chaired by John O’Connell, founder of Staffware, ScaleUp Services is made up of successful entrepreneurs and senior ex-corporate executives, who are seasoned operators in
- Coaching Entrepreneurs
- Identifying and retaining new Top Talent
- Developing effective Sales and Marketing operations- especially internationally.
- Applying appropriate Financial and Governance disciplines.
“There is more funding available to growing technology businesses than there is the right human capital – which can often be far more valuable than merely cash. Many founders, having come through the start-up phase, often under-financed, may well be ill-equipped to move up several gears by spending for growth, both effectively and quickly, without making sometimes critical mistakes along the way. Building out a board with the right balance of executives and non-executives, avoiding being unduly influenced by reputations earned often in wildly different circumstances can be very time consuming and error prone. Trial and error is an expensive, sometimes fatal process, much of which can be avoided with the right people on hand available to guide entrepreneurs. Keeping the right people and as importantly losing the wrong ones can be very distracting for entrepreneurs to the severe detriment of the business.” says John O’Connell, chairman of ScaleUp.
‘Being ready for growth funding, before securing it, is usually the right way round’ added O’Connell.
ScaleUp Services has appointed the initial 16 members of the ‘Active Supporters Group’, which between them cover the whole range of management areas and have experience and connections in all major trading areas , internationally, on top of which they have operated in most vertical industry sectors. Assignments currently range from wide ranging Chairman Roles to project specific tasks, such restructuring a Product Development Group or facilitating partnership initiatives internationally. Founding members include Duane Jackson – founder of Kashflow, one of the first ever SaaS businesses in the UK – and Neil Kipling Founder, Chairman and CEO of IDBS, a leading provider of software solutions to the Life Sciences industry.
‘Assignments are tailored to the needs of each technology business, there is no standard price list for our services as one type of relationship can morph into another one.’ observed O’Connell.
In addition to the Active Supporters Group who will be delivering services, ScaleUp has some high profile Strategic Advisors in the form of Dr Steve Garnett; Richard Holway MBE; Dr Mike Lynch; Anthony Miller and Michael Tobin OBE of Salesforce.com; TechMarketView; ex-Autonomy and ex-Telecity respectively.
For more information contact:-
John O’Connell
john@scaleupgroup.uk
+44 (0)7795 662081
or
Natascha Scholten
natascha@scaleupgroup.uk
+44(0)7866 597430
*The Scale-Up Report on UK Economic Growth. Sherry Coutu CBE, November 2014.