Steve Phillips on building ZappiHelm's story, since 2003
Founders in a room. No selling. For 23 years.
Duncan Cheatle started The Supper Club in August 2003 by getting a group of founder friends together over dinner. There was nowhere for founders to have open, honest, practical conversations without being sold to. The no-sales rule he set then still holds today.
Helm at 20 Members on two decades of founders helping founders · 1 min 53- 2003
- Founded as The Supper Club
- 400+
- Founders and CEOs today
- B Corp
- Certified since 2022
Helm at 20. Twenty years of founders helping founders.
Members at Helm's 20th anniversary party in 2023, on what the club has meant to them.
Where it all began. A members' club with a difference.
We started with dinners, hence the name, so founders could share experience and practical advice to help each other. Much has changed since. The principles haven't.
- 2003The Supper Club startsDuncan Cheatle gets a group of founder friends together over dinner. Nobody sells.
- 2010National recognitionSFEDI's Enterprise Network Builder of the Year.
- 2022The Supper Club becomes HelmA new name, and a Certified B Corp the same summer.
- 2024A national voiceMembers quoted in the FT, The Times, The Telegraph, City AM, Sifted and Fortune. See Helm in the press
- Today400+ membersFounders and CEOs of UK scale-ups, with average turnover of £21m.
What we believe. Every founder is steering towards their own north star.
In 2022 The Supper Club became Helm, to reflect that every founder's journey is their own, with its own destination. You're at the helm. You don't have to steer alone.
Duncan CheatleFounder of Helm, which started as The Supper Club in 2003- 01Give and getMembers support each other by sharing what they've learned, so everyone saves time and avoids the costly mistakes.
- 02Discretion guaranteedAbsolute confidentiality in Forum: nothing leaves the room. Chatham House Rule at other events: use what you hear, never who said it.
- 03A peer group that gets itGrowing a business is hard and there's no handbook. Helm is where you meet people who know what it feels like.
- 04No selling. Ever.Helm began as a reaction to being sold to at networking events. Advisers and service providers can't join.
Certified B Corp. Business as a force for good.
Helm became a Certified B Corp in 2022, and a significant share of members are certified or working towards it. We help scale-up founders deliver innovation and impact.
How Helm became a B Corp“Helm are big advocates of the B Corp movement and the power of business for delivering good. They already have a significant proportion of their members certified or going through the process.”
James PerryCo-founder, B Lab UKWho leads Helm. The founder, the CEO and a few of our Forum Chairs
Duncan Cheatle started The Supper Club in 2003 and Andreas Adamides leads Helm today. Every Forum is chaired by a founder who has built and sold a business. Here are a few of them.
Started The Supper Club in 2003 and co-founded StartUp Britain. Twenty years helping UK founders grow, raise and sell.
Serial founder behind BuyQuick, Wileyfox and FinluxDirect. Leads Helm and talks to every founder who applies.
Founded The Instant Group, sold to private equity. Now an angel investor in Grubby, Frameworks and Revvies.
A serial founder who has built and sold businesses, and now chairs a Helm Forum.
Founded Pocket-lint, sold in 2022, and then Squirrel. Now a strategic adviser and board member.
Founded Solar Communications, sold to private equity. Now an angel investor and adviser to scaling businesses.
Founded muubaa, sold to management. Now an angel investor and founder of Funding Nav.
YouThere's a seat at the table.
It's yours.
Join 400+ founders and CEOs who know exactly what this job feels like.