E349 | Fundraising Playbook: Process, Pitfalls & Power Plays with Paul Archer (Duel), Jo Saxby (Spruce) & John Readman (ASK BOSCO®)

Fundraising playbooks often skip the messy middle. This one doesn’t.

In this panel episode, three founder–CEOs who actually closed rounds in the last year unpack how fundraising in the UK really works - from brutal pre‑seed rejections to Series A droughts, and everything in between.

They break down the tactics that moved term sheets, the traps that wasted weeks, and how to run a tight process: negotiating with leverage, surviving due diligence, and choosing investors you’ll still want to text when the wheels wobble.

We get into ARR “magic numbers”, family offices, co‑leads, board control, and why capital = time - so if you’re going to raise, spend it to move faster.

What You’ll Learn -

• Running a process: staged “sexy → deep” data rooms, deadlines, partner‑first intros, FOMO at events like SaaStock.
• Numbers that matter: why $5m and $10m ARR are real gates for many funds; how fund size dictates your exit math.
• Investor fit: difference between US vs EU/UK funds, VCTs, growth equity, family offices - and what each expects from you.
• Negotiation & leverage: controlling access, not sending the deck without a meeting, co‑lead trade‑offs, when to push back.
• Due diligence without burnout: what to prepare, what to outsource, and why you still need extra hands even if you’re “organised”.
• People and pace: raising to move faster (recruiters, senior hires), opening in the US, and hiring outside London.



About the Guests -

Jo Saxby- Co‑Founder, Spruce

Software for heat‑pump installers; accelerating decarbonisation of buildings. Latest raise £3m+; ARR moved from hundreds of £k to ~£1m run‑rate by Christmas. Pre‑empted round, sequencing, and pitching smarter.

Paul Archer - CEO & Founder, Duel

Enterprise brand‑advocacy platform powering growth via passionate fans for top fashion/beauty/retail brands. Recently raised $16m; ~$4m ARR at raise, targeting $10m ARR near term. Co‑lead lessons, NYC expansion, beachhead strategy.

John Readman - Founder & CEO, ASK BOSCO®

AI marketing & e‑commerce analytics. Raised £4.1m from a VCT; ~£3m ARR. Four‑day week with full pay/benefits; board structuring before the round; due‑diligence war stories and wins.

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