For Early-Stage Founders

Get investment-ready. Raise better.

We work alongside ambitious founders preparing to raise capital, and support them as they navigate the fundraising process.

We bring an investor perspective to the business, help build a stronger investment case and provide experienced support through investor conversations, questions, diligence and negotiation. Our involvement can develop as the raise progresses.

Acquiring businesses rather than building one? See our embedded M&A capability →

How we support founders

Three ways we work with you.

Flexible rather than a single fundraising package — start where the business is, and deepen the support as the raise progresses.

01

Investment Readiness

Prepare the business for investment.

We review the business through an investor lens and identify what needs to be strengthened before going to market.

  • ·Investment proposition and equity story
  • ·Market opportunity and positioning
  • ·Business model and growth strategy
  • ·Financial model and funding requirement
  • ·Valuation and investment structure
  • ·Investor deck, teaser and supporting materials
  • ·Investor readiness assessment
  • ·Fundraising strategy and target investor profile

Typical engagement: 2–3 months, monthly retainer.

02

Fundraising Support

An experienced adviser alongside you throughout the raise.

Once fundraising begins, we stay alongside the founder to help navigate the process and add experience and capacity where required.

  • ·Investor targeting and strategy
  • ·Preparation for investor meetings
  • ·Advice on individual investors and approaches
  • ·Relevant contacts and connections
  • ·Responding to investor questions
  • ·Reviewing feedback and adapting the investment case
  • ·Valuation and term discussions
  • ·Diligence preparation and support through negotiation and completion

Typical engagement: rolling monthly retainer and / or aligned upside participation, including warrants where appropriate.

03

Selective Investor Introductions

Relevant introductions where we believe there is a genuine fit.

For selected businesses, we introduce founders to relevant investors within our network. This is a targeted extension of our advisory relationship rather than broad distribution of fundraising materials.

  • ·Institutional investors
  • ·Family offices
  • ·High-net-worth investors
  • ·Angels

Commercial model: success fee on investment secured from investors introduced by 9Miles47.

Founder journey

From review to close.

01

Review

Understand the business through an investor lens.

02

Prepare

Strengthen the investment case and materials.

03

Raise

Target the right investors and open conversations.

04

Navigate

Handle questions, feedback, diligence and terms.

05

Close

Support negotiation through to completion.

Investment Readiness → Fundraising Support → Selective Introductions

Why Operators?

We build conviction by working inside businesses, not by reviewing them from the outside.

Our model is advisory-led, not capital-led. We do not allocate capital from a distance and hope for the best. We form relationships through execution, sitting alongside founders as they build. The operator-led corporate finance and growth advisory work is delivered through Milestone Advisory, while 9Miles47 focuses on advisory relationships and alignment.

That proximity creates a different kind of understanding. We see how teams make decisions, how products win in market, and where real value is created. Conviction follows from experience, not from pitch decks or process.

When we consider alignment with a business, it is only after we have developed a genuine understanding of what the founder is building.

How we help

We connect founders to the experts they need.

Introductions are central to how we add value. We open our network of specialist advisers and operators to help founders solve problems, build capability and move faster.

Lawyers

Corporate, commercial and regulatory specialists who understand the pace and risk appetite of founder-led businesses.

Procurement experts

Cost optimisation and supplier management expertise to improve operating leverage and free up capital for growth.

Design and brand consultants

Brand strategy, creative identity and design systems that help businesses stand out and scale with clarity.

PR and communications

Media relations, messaging and communications strategy to build reputation, reach the right audiences and shape market perception.

Coaching and mentoring

Experienced operators and executive coaches who support founder development, leadership and decision-making.

Investment specialists

Capital strategy, fundraising and investor relationships to support the right financing structure at the right time.

Areas of Focus

The characteristics that define the businesses and founders we back.

Stage

  • ·Early-stage technology businesses
  • ·Founder-led growth companies
  • ·Strategic acquisitions and buy-and-build opportunities

Sectors

  • ·Applied AI
  • ·Vertical SaaS
  • ·Marketing technology
  • ·Creative infrastructure
  • ·Enterprise software
  • ·Innovative consumer and business services

Founders

  • ·Technical expertise
  • ·Commercial ambition
  • ·Capital-efficient execution
  • ·Long-term thinking
Deliverables

Shaping key outputs as standard.

These are practical materials we help founders create quickly as part of a platform engagement — not the full Milestone Advisory scope, but the building blocks that move a business forward. Where we introduce investors, we make connections to support your own fundraising conversations.

Elevator pitch

1-page supporting video overview.

Investor Teaser

1-page summary to open conversations.

Investor Deck Strawman

A first draft narrative and structure.

Financial Projections Review

Sense-check and refine your model.

Go-to-market strategy

Target customers, channels and sequencing.

Operational Plan — 12 months

Priorities, milestones and resource needs.

Business Road Map

Strategic initiatives mapped over time.

Investor Network

Relevant investors matched to your business. We make introductions to support you raising money.

Pitch practice review

Rehearse, refine and sharpen your story before investors.

How we select

Selective, deliberate and founder-first.

We are selective rather than transactional. We would rather work deeply with a small number of exceptional founders than spread ourselves across many engagements.

Founder quality matters more than volume. We look for people with the ambition, judgement and resilience to build something meaningful over time.

Our conviction is built through direct experience. We only consider alignment where we have developed a clear view of how we can add value and where the founder wants us involved for the long term.

Founder Services Guide

Prepare for a stronger raise.

A concise guide to how 9Miles47 helps early-stage founders build fundraising readiness, access specialist expertise and take the next step through the Founders Clinic.

  • •How the Platform works
  • •Core fundraising deliverables
  • •Specialist network and Founders Clinic

Request the PDF

We'll only use your details to share the guide and follow up if relevant.

Alignment

From advisory to long-term value creation.

Traditional advisers finish when the transaction closes. We prefer relationships that continue after the work is complete.

Warrants allow us to participate in the value we help create while preserving founder cash. Ownership follows contribution, not fees.

Instrument
Warrants over ordinary shares
Typical term
Negotiated, multi-year horizon
Strike
Case-by-case, usually low / nominal
Stage
UK seed and early-stage companies
Download

The Warrants Overview.

A concise explainer covering rationale, structure, typical terms and founder protections — how we align through contribution rather than fees.

  • •Rationale and commercial context
  • •Typical structural terms
  • •Founder protections & safeguards

Request the PDF

We'll only use your details to share the overview and follow up if relevant.

Important: References to equity and warrant participation describe our approach to long-term founder alignment and do not constitute an offer of securities or investment products. Please request our Legal & Regulatory guidance for further information.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Building through partnership

Whether you're raising capital, exploring strategic growth or looking for an experienced partner, we'd love to hear from you.