Steve Phillips on building Zappi19 guides and articles
Raising money and running the numbers.
Whether to raise, who from, and on what terms are some of the biggest calls a founder makes. So is the quieter work: cash, runway and what the bank is asking you to sign.
These guides come from Helm members who have raised from angels and VCs, borrowed, refinanced and bootstrapped, and from Helm's Investment Day, where founders pitch to exited founders and angels.
Start here. The three guides to read first
Angel investors vs venture capital: how to choose the right fit
Raising capital is one of the biggest decisions you'll make as a founder. But it's not a binary choice between angel investors and venture capital firms: it's…
Read the guideEssential fundraising strategies for 2025
You've built a company to £1m-£20m revenue. You've proven the market wants what you're selling. You've hired a team, established product-market fit, and…
Read the guideFractional CFO vs full-time: when to make the switch
Every scaling UK founder goes through the same finance evolution, in roughly the same shape.
Read the guideQuestions founders ask. Raising money and finance: the short answers
Should I raise from angels or venture capital?
Angels often invest earlier, in smaller amounts, and bring experience; VCs bring larger rounds and expect a much bigger outcome. The right choice depends on how big and how fast you want to grow. Our guide sets out the trade-offs.
Should I sign a personal guarantee?
Think hard, and get advice first. Founders who have borrowed and refinanced know which terms to push back on, and it's one of the questions members bring to Forum most often.
What is Helm's Investment Day?
A day where selected founders pitch to an audience of exited founders and angel investors from the Helm community, and get feedback from people who have raised and invested themselves.
- 11 Nov 2026 · Bvlgari Hotel LondonDinner with Anthony Rose, Founder of SeedLegals: From Inventing iPlayer to Completing 1,000 Funding Rounds a Year
- 24 Nov 2026 · OnlineThe SME Funding Playbook: Are You Missing Out on Millions?
- 8 Dec 2026Investment Day
- RecordingDiscover R&D Grants and Tax Credits: Fuelling Innovation for Your Business
- RecordingCryptogeddon: Life after the Crypto Crash
Raising money and finance. Every guide, article and interview on raising money and finance
First ops, finance and sales hires: a founder's guide to specialist hiring
There's a moment in every founder's life when the spreadsheet stops working.
Read the guidePost-funding playbook: your first 90 days after seed or Series A
The cheque has cleared. The press release went out. Your team is celebrating. Your inbox is full of congratulations. And somewhere, quietly, a clock has…
Read the guideHow to scale when VCs want profit
Somewhere between your 2021 Series A and your 2026 board meeting, the rules of the game quietly changed.
Read the guideHow to scale when customers cut budgets
Scaling a business when your customers are cutting budgets is a fundamentally different exercise to scaling into a market that's still spending freely.
Read the guideHow to scale without raising capital
Scaling a business without raising external capital used to be a compromise. In 2026, it is increasingly the prestige route.
Read the guideHow small business investors can fuel your growth strategy
Raising capital is only half the equation. The other half, one many founders underestimate, is managing the relationship that capital brings with it.
Read the guideSecuring start-up funding: a step-by-step guide
Raising capital for a growing business is one of the most important strategic decisions you'll make as a founder. Yet most scaling businesses approach…
Read the guideA CEO's guide to smart financial planning
Financial planning and budgeting might appear daunting if you’re juggling multiple priorities. Yet for anyone wearing the CEO hat, particularly in scaleups…
Read the guideHow business coaching can improve your financial decisions
You didn't start your company to do accounting. You did it to solve a problem, build a product, and create a business. But somewhere around £2-5m revenue…
Read the guideThe ROI of diversity: how it drives success for scale-ups
Diversity is more than a box-ticking exercise. It is a strategic opportunity to discover new perspectives, boost profitability, and cultivate a vibrant…
Read the guideProfit vs growth: how to strike the right balance as a founder
There's a moment every scale-up founder faces, usually between £2m and £5m revenue, when the question becomes unavoidable: Do we chase profit or growth?
Read the guideAngel investor insights: Matt Cooper’s journey
Discover Matt Cooper's journey as an angel investor and gain valuable insights into the world of investment and entrepreneurship.
Read the articleThe three pricing hacks that could transform your business, drive growth and boost profits
Pricing hacks and strategies to transform your business, drive growth and boost profits
Read the articleDo founders make the best investors?
Discover why founders often excel as investors, leveraging their unique insights and experience to drive innovative success in startups.
Read the articleHow to retain talent using non-financial rewards
Discover effective non-financial rewards to enhance talent retention and boost employee satisfaction in your organisation.
Read the articleEverything you need to know about equity crowdfunding
Equity crowdfunding helps startups to raise capital by selling company shares to investors. Find out more crowdfunding here with insights from our network of…
Read the articleHelm campaigns for the tax reliefs that let founders build and sell: read Stop the Creep, our open letter on founder taxes, and see Helm in the press.
YouThere's a seat at the table.
It's yours.
Join 400+ founders and CEOs who know exactly what this job feels like.