Roei Samuel

Connectd

Launched Connectd.com in November 2020
Raised over $14m funding (>$12m equity, $1.8m debt)
Generating $9m+ ARR (February 2025)

CEO & Founder

Intro

Expert

Various

Angel Investor

PEF Community

PEF is the biggest community of Post Exit Founders with a global network of world class builders with exits

Member

Barclays

On the Independent Advisory Board for the UK Government's Digital Growth Grant, being overseen by Barclays

Independent Advisory Board

ETA Technologies

Board Advisor

Forbes Business Council

NEC Trust

I sit on the board of trustees for the NEC Trust, investing in CleanTech, poverty alleviation; and AgriTech projects in the third world.

Trustee

The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

Mentor at the London School of Economics' socially conscious spin-out accelerator.

LSE Generate supports students and alumni to build a socially responsible start-up, in the UK and beyond. Our year-round programme is packed with funding competitions, events and networking opportunities.

LSE Accelerator Mentor

Founder Institute

Mentor

Exited Founder | Angel Investor | Host of Big Risk Energy Podcast | BBC Million by 30

I'm on a mission to lower the barriers to entry for those who want to build and scale a business. 

After exiting my last business RealSport 101, I began investing and noticed a distinct lack of diversity and accessibility in growth opportunities for startups.

In 2019, I launched Connectd to fix this broken system, making opportunities more accessible and diverse  for startups by giving founders access to expert talent and investors.

Since then, we've made incredible progress:

🗣 Conversations between startups and fractional talent: 117% increase from Q1-Q4 2024

💰 Biggest raise through Connectd: $3m

💼 Fractional talent recruited by startups per month: 90+

⬆️ Connectd ARR: 4x YoY, 3 years in a row

🚀 Connectd Seed Funding: $14m+

We're also partnered with Google Cloud, Capchase, Pearson, Vestd, Barclays Eagle Labs and more—helping thousands of startups unlock growth.

Alongside this, I have been a Virgin Startup Mentor, sit on the Independent Advisory Board for Barclays Eagle Labs as well as being an expert on Intro.

Here’s how you can connect:

📧 Join 15,500+ amazing folks from the startup community and subscribe to my 'Founder' newsletter for insights on launching, scaling and leading a winning startup from day zero including lessons from my 12-year founder career.

🌐 Come and join our Connectd community alongside 6,000+ members at www.connectd.com

And if you’re not ready yet? Stick around—I talk about startup development, scaling, and the future of work.

Feel free to jump into my inbox if you want to chat 📩

#startups #fractionaltalent #angelinvesting #startupfunding

Launched Connectd.com in November 2020
Raised $9m seed funding
Generating $6.8m ARR (May 2024)

Imagine building an £800m company… and walking away with nothing!

That’s what happened to 2 founders a VC associate told me about last week.\

Both businesses exited for >£800m.

Both founders ended up with only a £500k bonus and a few KPI earn-outs.

Why?

They stacked prefs on prefs on prefs.
Raised too much.
Optimised for headlines instead of health.

The deal I’d done was to avoid this.


In 3.5 years we’ve grown from $0 → $11m ARR on $17m raised…
With 0 prefs.


He asked me how.
Here’s what I told him:

Everyone said “optimise for signal.”
Instead, I optimised for fundamentals.
No crazy burn multiples.


No endless runway gaps to fill.


Always close to profitability (even if we held off in favour of growth).


Founders: it’s 2025. If you’re still chasing venture signal instead of building a business, you’re missing the point.

Stay lean.
Hire fractional.
Focus on cash flow and fundamentals.

You can grow big without venture terms if you free yourself from the VC mind game.

1x Exit | Current: $0 to $11m ARR in 3.5 years

Saw this from Simon and had to pause on it.
“Survivorship bias is real.”

“They haven’t built wealth through property or business. 
They’ve built wealth (if any) by selling you the dream of it.”

Truth.

We’re in an era where it’s easier than ever to package up “advice” and sell it.
But harder than ever to spot who’s actually lived it.

I speak to hundreds of founders and operators every month.

The difference between real experience and recycled noise is obvious after one call.

People who’ve been through it don’t talk in blueprints.

They talk in nuance. They’ve seen what breaks.
They admit what nearly broke them.

I built my first business from scratch.
Got it acquired.
Started again.
Nearly lost everything twice.
Now I teach from that.

It doesn't make me more qualified.
 it makes me honest.

Simon’s point is spot on:
“Only take advice from people who’ve done the thing, who live a life you’d actually want, who can teach based on experience.”

If you’re following someone online, ask yourself
Would you switch lives with them?

If the answer’s no, think twice before following their advice.

The 9–5 career path is disappearing.

Klarna is looking to slashing jobs ahead of its IPO. 

Their reasoning? AI is making roles redundant, and full-time teams are no longer efficient.

This isn’t just a Klarna thing. 
It’s a trend.

Tech giants, banks, consultancies—they’re all cutting headcount as automation and AI reshape work.

But businesses still need expertise, just not in the old way.

That’s why professionals who diversify their careers are winning.

Instead of relying on one company, they’re building portfolios of work, working with multiple businesses on their own terms.

The benefits?

💡 More stability—less risk from one employer’s decisions

💼 More opportunities—work with businesses that need your skills

⏳ More flexibility—control over your workload and career direction

If AI is making companies leaner, your career should adapt too.

The future isn’t about one job, one employer. 
It’s about being in demand across multiple businesses.

Are you ready to rethink how you work?

Let me tell you a bit of a horror story.

It’s December.
I’m wrapping up the year, feeling good.

We’re growing. We’ve got investor interest. I send a shareholder update saying:
“We’re in a great spot. Might raise later next year. No need for cash right now.”

A week later, I open the accounts…
And something’s wrong.

Massively wrong.

After payroll and VAT, we had 60% less cash than expected…

I realised we were 6 weeks away from not making payroll.
I’d just told all our investors we didn’t need funding.

And now I had to raise £400K fast without making anyone panic.

By March, we had 10 days of runway.
I was the only director. If it collapsed, it was on me. Personally.

I was genuinely preparing to sell my house.
But we kept growing, 10% month-on-month with almost no cash.
We kept pitching. Kept building.

And somehow, we pulled in interest. 
Term sheets. A lifeline.
 
We’re now in the strongest position we’ve ever been.
As a founder, it’s not just about strategy and execution.
It’s about belief.

Unshakable belief when it feels like the whole thing is falling apart.

If you’re in the middle of your own version of this story, keep going.
There’s always a way through.

"You can't share 100% of your knowledge."

You sure? 

Everyone saw Alex Hormozi break a Guinness World Record and walk away with $100+ million during a single live stream.

What people forget is that he started posting content 5 years ago.
He wrote his first book before he ever posted content.
He’d already been in business for years.
And he failed 9 times before things really clicked.

Social media loves to sell the overnight success story.
But the truth is slower.
It looks like:
– Late nights where no one is watching
– Days when you think it’s over
– Months of work before anyone even cares

That’s the life of an entrepreneur.

The spotlight comes at the end.
The blood, sweat and tears come first.

What do you think people underestimate most about the time it takes to succeed?

The first time I pitched an investor, I was 20 years old.
It wasn’t in a Mayfair boardroom or on a yacht.
It was at Bills in Holborn.

I walked in nervous, ordered a coffee, and walked out with a $13k cheque.
That led to $80k.
Then $465k.
And eventually, $665k.

That business, Realsport, grew, and years later I sold it.

Fast forward to age 27.
I had just started working on Connectd.
My first investor meeting came through with Nick.
I asked where he wanted to meet.

His answer? Bills in Holborn.

And in that moment, I thought:
“If I don’t take this meeting here, is the business even meant to succeed?”

It felt full circle.
Proof that when the right doors open, they often open in the places you least expect.

For founders, investors and advisers, success rarely starts with glamour.
It starts with conversations.
With the courage to show up.
And sometimes, with a simple coffee in a noisy café.

Where did your first big opportunity begin?

Want to lead growth at one of the UK’s fastest scaling startup platforms? 
Connectd is hiring a Head of Growth.

This is a chance to shape the engine that already drives over 8,000 meetings a month.

A rare opportunity to join our scaling journey:
→ We’re #43 on the Sifted100 list of fastest-growing startups in the UK
→ grown >190% CAGR two years in a row
→ #6 on LinkedIn’s Top Startups in the UK for 2024

You’ll take ownership of our growth marketing strategy, as we evolve to our next chapter of scale.

What we’re looking for:
 – 4–6+ years in growth marketing (B2B SaaS, marketplaces, or startups)
 – Proven track record across LinkedIn, Meta, SEO, and email
 – Experience launching referral programs and organic growth initiatives
 – Data-driven mindset with tools like GA4, Hubspot, Mixpanel
 – Strong understanding of funnels, CRM and content marketing
 – Comfortable strategising and rolling up your sleeves

What you’ll do:
 – Lead performance marketing across channels
 – Scale referral and partner-led acquisition
 – Optimise funnels from ads through to landing pages
 – Own reporting, attribution, and ROI
 – Work hand-in-hand with Sales to fuel pipeline


We’re moving fast, and this role will be central to how we grow.

Our process:
Submit your CV
Video call with our CMO

Task-based interview (30 mins) with questions (45 mins) - this will be completed face to face

Final call with CRO, CMO & CEO

London based

If this feels like the role you’ve been waiting for, 
apply now or tag someone who should.

This one rule is why we’re growing so fast:
No Asshole Policy.

I know it sounds cliché, but I truly believe the old saying: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”

Because every single team member makes the difference.

What I’ve learned about building culture:
Make every voice matter.
Promote not just performance, but personal growth.
Show people they belong before expecting them to belong to a plan.

When you get this right, strategies will become right too.
Culture becomes the soil where every plan takes root and flourishes.

Because at the end of the day, culture is the heartbeat that powers strategy.

When people feel respected, promoted, loved, and valued, strategy becomes unstoppable.

So I’ll leave you with this:

How do you create that kind of impact in your teams?

And who has surprised you with their quiet brilliance once you took the time to see them?

At 26, After selling Realsport, I spent far too much on clothes.
It felt like the moment I’d been waiting for.

Growing up, I couldn’t afford much. Suddenly, I could.
So I bought it all.

And then I realised something: it meant nothing.

Ended with me throwing my Rolex in the bin.

Most of us are sold the dream that happiness comes when you can finally consume as much as you want.

But that dream ends empty.

I see the same pattern every morning in Canary Wharf.

Bankers grinding 14-hour days for the next promotion.

Unlocking the new suit.
Upgrading the watch.

Collecting titles that sound impressive but feel hollow.
It’s Fortnite with better tailoring.
Grind → unlock → repeat.
The sad thing?

Most people don’t realise it until it’s too late.

When they’re older. When they look back.

And the regret isn’t about not buying the suit.

It’s about not doing meaningful work, building real memories, living fully.

I was lucky to learn that lesson early.

I want more people to break free from the game before they reach the end of it.

What would you do differently if you stopped playing for the next “unlock”?

As a founder, it’s easy to forget this.

You are not your thoughts.

A bad email.
A lost deal.
A big win.

Your mind runs with it, up or down.

The danger is when you start to believe those thoughts are who you are.

But they’re not.

They’re just noise, shaped by what you ate that day, who you spoke to, the news you saw, the stress you felt.

The people who get the most done know one thing: it’s not about how many times you fall.

It’s about how quickly you stand back up.
Observe the thought.

Let it pass.
Get back to work.
That’s the game.

How fast can you get back up?

90% of startups fail because founders were sold the dream of being an entrepreneur…

…rather than the reality

But who wouldn’t want to when you’re constantly fed the idea that entrepreneurs work from a beach club, wear a nice watch and drive the latest car?

However, I didn’t do any of that when I started—and neither did any of the real founders I know.

Unfortunately, individuals seeking happiness and status from ‘founder-ship’ wont find their answers in building a business.

Pro-tip: happiness is all about internal validaton, not-external

Here’s the brutal reality for first-time and potential founders:

👉 It’s 24/7. You’ll feel like there’s always a tough decision waiting for you.

👉 You’ll bail on friends and family because your to-do list is never-ending and gives you crippling anxiety. Worse? You’ll bail even on yourself when you ‘take time off’.

👉 Dark days are real. Imagine trying to sell your product while it feels like everything behind the scenes is falling apart.

👉You’re going to hear “no” a lot to the point you may even doubt what you’re building 

👉 You’ll worry about paying your personal bills and covering business expenses as your startup fights to stay alive in the early stages.

👉 Weekdays will blur into weekends. While everyone’s out enjoying life, you’ll be trying to catch up or get ahead.

👉 You’ll carry the weight of not wanting to let people down—your partner, your customers, your team, your friends and even social media followers. It’s heavy.

Those early days? Brutal. Hyper stressed, flat broke, working around the clock.

There’s no “get rich quick” in entrepreneurship - it’s the complete opposite actually.

So if you’re in it for the Instagram highlights, you’re going to flop.

However, if you know the realities and stay consistent? You’ll reap incredible rewards.

Anything I’ve missed here? 

 

#Startups  
#Founders  
#PreSeed

We tore up our brand and started again.

It was a bold move and a bit messy.
Some team members were heartbroken.
Investors had backed a different vision.

But standing still was the bigger risk.

What happened next surprised even me.
The market’s reaction.
The team’s energy.
The impact on growth.

I’ve written the full story in this week’s newsletter: why we made the leap, how we managed the chaos, and what happened after the launch.

If you’ve ever thought about rebranding or feared it this one’s for you.

Read it here!

Where we started: Connectd began life as a platform called Link Exec. The focus was purely transactional: matching startups, investors and non-execs. 

Open article: Everything about the Connectd rebrand: Why We Tore Up Our Brand and Started Again
 by Roei Samuel • 4 min read

Everything about the Connectd rebrand: Why We Tore Up Our Brand and Started Again

The hardest part of building isn’t shipping features.

It’s deciding what not to build.

We had a team session this week.
The ideas on the table were strong.

Every idea sounded right.
Every idea could add value.

But from my last company I learned that when everything looks important, nothing gets done properly.

Focus is brutal.

It means killing ideas you know are good.
It means admitting that sequencing matters more than ambition.
It means reminding yourself that your job as a founder isn’t to make everyone happy.

At RealSport we built too much too soon.
The roadmap turned into a graveyard of half-finished features.
It looked busy, but it didn’t move the needle.

Now I think about it differently.

A roadmap is not a wish list.

It’s a contract with yourself: 
This is what we’ll do, and this is what we won’t.

If you can pick the one outcome that changes the game, you’ll get further than chasing ten “priorities” that each move an inch.

Founders, ask yourself: 

What’s the one outcome that, if achieved in the next 6 months, makes everything else easier?

I’ve built an audience of over 46,000 people here on LinkedIn.

I’ve seen how powerful this platform can be for bringing the right people together.

Advisers meeting founders. Founders finding investors. 

Collaborations starting in the comments.

Let’s make it happen here.

Here’s how:

Comment below with:

Your LinkedIn URL

Your name

The kind of founder or adviser you want to connect with

A short intro (200 characters max)

Don’t just drop your details and leave. Scroll through the comments, reply, and connect with people you could work with or who could help you.

Repost this so your network sees your intro. More eyes = more opportunities.

Advisers and founders often ask where the best opportunities come from. The answer is usually simple: conversations.

By engaging, you open doors.
By being seen, you get remembered.
By showing up here, you might meet the person who changes your next chapter.

👇 Drop your intro below 👇

This is by far my biggest productivity hack.

Learn how to control energy.

Because energy creates momentum.
And momentum creates progress.

The challenge? Energy isn’t easy to manufacture.
Some days it flows. Other days it feels impossible.
But if you can generate it through your habits, your mindset, your team, you change the game.

Momentum is just energy sustained over time.
It’s why some founders feel like they’re surfing while others feel like they’re dragging a boat upstream.

Your real job as a founder is to be a cause, not an effect.
To create the spark, to protect it, to keep it rolling.

Because once momentum kicks in, it does more work than willpower ever could.

How do you generate the energy that keeps your momentum alive?

I don’t feel sorry for grads who can’t find jobs because of AI.
In 2025, the world is at your fingertips.

You’ve got YouTube, ChatGPT, Notion, and £2 domains.
You’ve got more power in your browser than I had when I started in business 10 years ago
If you can’t get hired, listen to what the market is telling you.
It’s not rejecting you.
It’s rejecting what you’re offering.
Employers are automating low-leverage roles.

AI can do what you said you can in your CV half of it faster, cheaper, and without lunch breaks.
So what do you do?
You build your own job.
You start creating.
You get obsessed with solving real problems and learning in public.

Because the uncomfortable truth is: even if you get the job today, you might lose it to AI tomorrow.\

Degrees used to signal capability.
Now, curiosity, velocity, and outcome do.

That doesn’t mean it’s easy. But it is possible.

If you’re waiting for permission, you’re already behind.

What’s one skill or tool you’ve self-taught in the past year that’s unlocked new opportunities?

screenshot from BBC news

If you haven't done a video intro, now might be the time!

I’m Roei, a founder, and someone who deeply believes the future is fractional.

A few things you probably don’t know about me:

•I used to do standup comedy 
•I believe I got really lucky on my first company - 
 I felt super green when I started my 2nd.
• I do 30 minutes of sauna a day
• I've been meditating and manifesting daily since 2016 

You’ll see me posting about:
→ future of work post AI mass adoption
→ real startup lessons (not the sugarcoated stuff)
→ the journey of scaling Connectd beyond $10M ARR

Whether you’re a scaling founder or a C-suite exec figuring out what’s next, there’s a place for you here.

My no.1 hiring lesson: Always look for coachability

The reason? It’s the single most important trait for scaling a business.

Because everything comes down to being coachable.

Retention = Coachability
Learning speed = Coachability
Team growth = Coachability
Culture = Coachability

When you master hiring for it, everything else compounds.

That’s how Ron Noden helped scale a business from $10M to $105M in four years.
They only hired people who were coachable.
The result? 90% passed probation and 90% stayed for at least two years.

So what does being coachable look like?
• High curiosity
• High will
• Low ego
• Appreciation of delayed gratification
• A growth mindset

Hiring for it is one thing.
Living it is another.

How do you measure coachability when you hire?

How not to be a victim:

Raise expectations of yourself.
Lower expectations of others.

You can take ownership, and you might be wrong…

But you’ll grow stronger either way.

There’s a moment when every man realises no one is coming to save him.

And that’s when he decides to save himself.

Some never get there and stay children forever.

Be the man.

Stop living by someone else’s playbook.
Most people are running on rules they never chose.
Rules written by people who don’t have to live with your results.

Cut the noise.
Trust the gut that’s been quietly guiding you all along.
It already knows where you’re meant to go.

Taplio

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