shipshape.vc

shipshape.vc is a free investor search engine, enabling you to search investors and investments by topics.

CEO and Co-Founder

Cambridge Judge Business School

Guest speaker for MBA and MFin lectures on the importance of Investor Fit in the Venture Capital industry and how technologies currently being developed will make this easier.

Guest Speaker

TAINA Technology Limited

-	Produced financial model, collateral and managed prospective VC and institutional investor communications that ensured valuations between 8-10X end of year ARR, leading to term sheets
-	Delivered 60% of new revenues in 2019
-	Won key first clients in the crypto and stock-trading segments
-	Negotiated key customer contracts, ensuring the business could price higher than competitors through a superior offering
-	Established a presence in the USA as part of international expansion (pre-US incorporation)
-	Co-designed and produced a retail customer-facing web and mobile web application to early adopter clients, from a business (non-technical) perspective (B2B2C distribution model)
-	Managed the successful go-live of said app, ensuring customer and compliance needs from application were met by the Technology and Compliance teams
-	Created training manuals and processes for client customer service teams to manage exception handling
-	Solicited and fed customer feedback into roadmap, produced business cases and championed customer needs with high value generating potential
-	Managed, maintained and upsold key client relationships
-	Designed and produced marketing and sales collateral, managed website re-design
-	Responsible for prospect demonstrations in key growth segments
-	Trained new users on the platform, requiring a detailed knowledge of the system and architecture
-	Invited on the Oracle podcast to discuss TAINA, Data & Analytics
-	Represented TAINA at events and in publications, including a DIT event in Frankfurt and in L39 publications.
-	Managed market communications specific to B2B and B2B2C distribution model of the business, ensuring regular feeds of market news.
-	Co-ordinated office move
-	Trained team members in production of collateral, account management and demonstrations 
-	Key decision maker for non-technical business hires
-	Successfully applied to the Morgan Stanley Multi-Cultural Innovation Lab as part of a team

Commercial and Communications Lead

Axis Corporate

Leading European Fintech: 
- Building a business on DLT for international remittances and lending platform. Activities include economic modelling, business analysis, competitor analysis, vendor negotiations, pricing strategy, customer journey mapping and client relationship management.  
- Creating Funding applications; Strategy, Product road map, commercialisation of core technology, financial sector partnership and distribution model strategy.
Leading European Fintech:
- Producing a report on market entry strategy and product alignment. Including TAM, SAM, SOM analysis, assessing likely demand for a groundbreaking financial product.
Other:
- Advising Fintechs and FIs on application to the Alternative Remedies Capability and Innovation Fund

Senior Consultant

Leading UK Bank: 
  - Assisted Branch rationalisation and Bank digitisation Programme
  - Digital tool selection, business case writing, Fintech partnership co-ordination

UK Challenger Banks and Fintechs:
  - RBS Alternative Remedies package Capability and Innovation fund strategic advisory

Head of Fintech partnerships: 
      - Ecosystem integration and evolution (technical and process)
      - Regulated DLT e-money payments and micro-payments projects 
      - Durable Media Proof of Concept
      - Business Case and senior stakeholder buy-in

Consultant

UKIMUN

Games and events company specialising in competitive game-ification around elections and other political scenarios. 
Basic data model creation for US and UK election scenarios.

Co Founder

Public Sector Security Services  – Project Manager and Business Analyst					
Led Software as a Service based project. Including: 
- Led process design for new software development marketplace project
- Management of multiple stakeholders senior to him both inside CSC and from other towers in a SIAM model
- Supported the transition of new joiners to CSC, acting in an ambassador role to multiple new work streams
- Delivered several process analyses, delivering better value to the client

Global Insurer Next-Generation IT Operating Model - Business Analyst				
- Assisted the design of a Digital TOM to enable more rapid product and service development. 
- Ensured digital strategy cohesion; combining the CSC digital vision for a Global Insurer's Operations with the vision of the client. 
- Managed internal stakeholders in an engagement with multiple moving parts.

MiFiD II impact assessment for Global FS Institution 
- Organisational impact analysis
- Recommendations on impacted business areas

Next-Generation IT Operating Model 
- Produced impact analysis for IT TOM for future integration of big data, BI, automation and hybrid cloud capabilities 
- Produced technology maturity matrix for future integrations as part of strategic change roadmap

Achievements:
- Created CSC viewpoint on the new EU-US Data Privacy Shield Agreement (data privacy)
- Co-authored CSC's thought leadership on Next-Generation Digital Target Operating Models
- Impact Analysis of MiFID II regulations on a Global Financial Institution
- Assisting with development of a Future Target Operating Model and future strategy for a global Financial Services firm
- Software Development Marketplace for Public Sector
- PRINCE II Foundation certified

Associate Consultant

thisislanguage.com

- Led business development in the UK market and assisted with US market growth
- Assisted the design of future growth strategy following a successful funding round
- Produced a phased business growth plan based upon demographic hotspots
- Assisted agile product development feedback loop from customer interactions

Account Executive & future strategy planner (Edtech startup)

- KYC reviews of High Risk and Ultra High Risk institutional clients

Senior Associate

CfBT Education Trust

- Business process re-engineering
- Business Analysis
- Proof reading of policies and standards

(Hays Contractor) Data Analyst - Agresso Project

Sovereign Housing Association

- Communications with stakeholders throughout the group
- Housing Market Research & Review for Sovereign Living Operations Manager
- Research project for Board into possible compatibility of Islamic Finance with Social Housing
- Legal Administration of complex Shared-Ownership property sales (6 party conveyancing procedures)
- Internal and external stakeholder management

(Hays Contractor) Conveyancing co-ordinator and Market Researcher

shipshape.vc | the free investor search engine

building the free to use investment search engine at shipshape.vc

Daniel Sawko

FundingHero

Simplifying the startup fundraising process for technology startups

Founder

Connected Places Catapult

Providing programme mentorship for cohort members as a CFO and investment advice to raise external funding to scale up.

HS2 Accelerator Programmme Mentor: CFO & Funding Expert

FoAM Accelerator Programmme Mentor: CFO & Funding Expert

The Startup Fundraising MBA

Proud Author ✍️ of The Startup Fundraising MBA and creator of The 6 Pillars of Fundraising showing founders how to secure millions in funding from Idea stage to Series A. Available via Amazon.com

Author The Startup Fundraising MBA

Founder + Lightning

Creating and delivering the scale up strategy for ucreate to achieve their mission to build tech founders ideas into successful businesses, quicker, better, stronger.

CFO & Board advisor

Growthpreneur

Financial expertise guiding your scale up business success www.growthpreneur.co.uk

CFO & Founder

Aspiring Point Group

BrewBroker

Fourpure Brewing Co.

- Responsible for managing the commercial aspects at Fourpure. Covering areas such as pricing 
  strategy, cost control & optimisation, owner of contract services, investment appraisal, managing 
  planning for operations and general business guidance. 
- Providing M&A advisory and due diligence expertise
- Member of Senior Leadership team directing the business strategy and operations.

Commercial Director

Responsible for growing, developing and managing the finance function with FOURPURE BREWING whilst on its exciting journey with an absolutely brilliant team of people. Inspired by adventure.....

Finance Director

Six Degrees Group

Group Finance Director

Head of Finance Managed Data Services

Head of Commercial Pricing

I was recruited into an extremely fast paced and time constrained environment in a new position made to oversee the management accounts, forecasting and budgeting production. 

My immediate objective was to stabilise, motivate and develop the finance team following a very difficult merger (the business doubled to £55m T/O). 

I was required to review the complex business model for all current accounting practices and make the team work smarter, provide more accurate, relevant information and develop the bespoke IT system to deliver better reporting outputs.

Chief Accountant

With 2 exits & over 20 acquisitions I'm an experienced CFO, Angel investor & Founder of Tech platform FundingHero.co.uk 

My focus is on helping Tech Startups raising funding from Initial Seed to Series A. 

My Angel investments are into a Venture Builder & Studio which has a portfolio of over 20+ startups and most recently into a data driven AI matchmaking platform for early stage venture funds.

I provide advice for advisor equity to early stage companies, my value & experience helps founders;

- Stop them burning huge sums of money by avoiding hugely costly mistakes early on.
- Define a powerful commercial strategy that lets then get to revenue quickly and be more investable
- Create realistic financial models that make sense and get founders funded
- Help them understand how to build a company towards an exit with a real strategic focus 
  
My platform & consultancy FundingHero.co.uk focuses on simplifying the startup fundraising process. 

My career has been focused on delivering shareholder value in high growth platforms. 

Founder + Lightning:	Successfully raising £2.4m in Angel & Venture debt for growth
Fourpure Brewing Co:. 	Exit to Multi national trade, rapid growth & high exit revenue multiple.
Six Degrees Group. 	Buy & Build, 15 acquisitions. Sold to PE, double digit EBITDA exit. 

I enjoy playing a strategic role in the business towards engineering an exit whilst being very hands on running the day to day to ensure the team is aligned and all working towards creating a highly scalable & valuable business. 

My strengths are in financial modelling & commercial strategy, coupled with understanding the reality of how businesses operate and scale. This enables me to quickly show a range of scenarios so founders can make informed decisions to execute their businesses plans successfully.   

Over 20+ years experience covering;

- Fundraising equity & debt
- Strategic exits to PE & Trade 
- Execute high organic growth strategies
- 20+ Acquisitions & mergers from DD to Integration
- IT systems design & Integration
- Finance function build & centralisation
- Business restructuring
- Financial modelling & analysis

Jim Shirley

🚨 Before You Pitch to a Single VC… Ask Yourself One Question

“Am I actually raising the right type of money?”

I see this every week…

A brilliant founder and early traction but stuck in a 6–12 month grind because they chased VCs before they understood what VCs are built to fund.

And the cost isn’t just frustration.

It’s lost time, lost momentum, and missed opportunities to grow while you were stuck in inbox purgatory.

Here’s the reality nobody tells founders early enough:

💡 VCs don’t fund just potential. 

They are looking for the best of the best of the best 😎

They are looking for that select few that sit in the 0.5% of companies they chose to back. 

If your stage, revenue model, team, market size or traction don’t match the VC template, it doesn’t matter how good the pitch deck looks.
You're simply in the wrong queue. 😩

But once you understand the VC mindset, what they prioritise, how they filter deals, and what signals matter,  the whole fundraising journey becomes 10x clearer and the type of money suitable for you.

That’s exactly why we’re running this session 👇

📢 Inside the VC Mindset: Raising Smarter, Raising Bigger

Free webinar — still time to register

📅 Wednesday 26 November 2025
⏰ 12.30pm – 1.30pm
🎤 Speakers:
• Jim Shirley, FundingHero  
• Lewis Stringer, British Business Bank
• Hannah Tapsell Chapman - Mercia Ventures, Mercia Ventures
🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/eWAVtDqS

We’ll break down:

👉 How VCs assess a deal in the first 3 minutes
👉 What they look for that angels may not
👉 The real signals behind traction and team
👉 How due diligence actually works at the institutional level
👉 What founders must do 3–6 months BEFORE raising

If you’re building something innovation-led and raising £500k–£3m, you cannot afford to guess this stuff.

Spend one hour now 🎯
Save six months later. 💪

#Startups #Founders #fundraising #venture capital #vc #tech

Author ✍️ The Startup Fundraising MBA | Helping Founders Successfully Fundraise & Scale | Founder FundingHero.co.uk

taplio

The Battle

Daniel Sawko

Jim Shirley

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreJim Shirley's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Daniel Sawko

Jim Shirley

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Jim Shirley's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreJim Shirley's LinkedIn Performance