The process
Matching done by people, deliberately slowly
Software can produce a list. It cannot tell you whether two people will still respect each other in the quarter where the plan is missed by forty per cent. That judgement is the product.
Founder side
From application to partnership
Typically six to ten weeks from acceptance to first introduction.
- 01
Apply and get read properly
A short application, then a real conversation. We look at traction, market and the founder, not just the deck.
- 02
Get investment-ready
Model pressure-tested, narrative rebuilt, go-to-market sharpened. Six to ten weeks with an operator who has done it.
- 03
Meet the right three, not thirty
Hand-picked introductions to investors and experts whose thesis, sector and temperament actually fit yours.
- 04
Keep the partner after the wire
The expert stays on through hiring, board build and the next raise. The match is the product, not the intro.
Investor side
From thesis to a short list
Every founder arrives screened against what you actually said you back.
- 01
Tell us your thesis
Stage, cheque size, sector, geography and the kind of founder you actually enjoy backing.
- 02
We screen against it
Every founder is vetted, coached and diligence-prepped before your name is ever mentioned.
- 03
See three, not a pipeline
You get a short, curated list with the work already done: model, references, market view, red flags included.
- 04
Back founders who are ready
Companies arrive with a plan, a hiring map and an operator alongside them, so your capital starts compounding sooner.
Vetting standards
What we check before anyone is introduced
Commercial evidence
Cohort retention, fully loaded margin, named pipeline with honest probabilities.
Founder track record
References taken, including from the things that did not work.
Structure and cleanliness
Cap table, vesting, customer contracts and any relief implications of a future flip.
Market view
A bottom-up market number we can defend, not a slice of a research report.
Team gaps
What is missing, when it gets hired, and how the raise pays for it.
Temperament
How the founder handles being challenged, because investors will do it for seven years.
Questions
Everything else
Who is LAUNCH. for?+
Founders in the UK and US who are past the idea stage, have early evidence that the thing works, and want to raise from investors who understand their sector. We also work with a small, referred group of investors and exited operators on the other side of the match.
Is it really invitation only?+
Applications are open to anyone, but places are not. We take on a limited number of founders at a time because the matching work is done by people, not software, and quality collapses at volume.
What does it cost?+
There is no charge to apply or to be matched. Where a founder takes on a readiness programme with one of our operators, the fee is agreed directly and transparently before any work begins.
How long does the process take?+
Typically six to ten weeks from acceptance to first investor introduction, depending on how much readiness work is needed. Founders who are already investment-ready move faster.
Do investors pay to see deal flow?+
No. Nobody pays for placement or priority on either side. If they did, the introductions would stop being worth having.
What happens after an introduction?+
The relationship is yours. We stay involved through the process, and the matched expert usually continues working with the founder well beyond the round.
Start where it makes sense
Two minutes on the readiness check, or a full application read personally by the specialist who would make your match.