Steve Phillips on building Zappi“Nobody I know has done this before.”
Your old circle can't help with what's next. You need people a few years ahead.
What is Helm
A board of founders who've been there.
Helm is the private club for founders and CEOs of scale-up businesses. Members meet founders who have raised, scaled and sold, and get honest answers no adviser, investor or employee can give.
We started in 2003 as The Supper Club. The no-sales rule has held ever since.
Why founders join. Every big decision starts as a gut feeling. Test it first.
Your team needs you to be sure. Your investors want the plan. Helm gives you a room of founders a few years ahead of you, with no stake and no agenda but yours.
400+Founders and CEOs
£21mAverage member turnover
180+Events a year, plus your Forum
23 yearsSince 2003, as The Supper Club
How Helm works: one membership, all of this included. Not one thing. Everything a founder needs.
Forum is the bedrock, but it's one part of the membership. Use what fits you, when it fits you.
- 01How Forum works
Forum
Six to eight founders at your stage, chaired by a founder who has built and sold a business. A second board, on your side, matched on stage, experience and personality.
- 02See events
Events and guest dinners
Dinners, roundtables, breakfasts and masterclasses in London and online, plus guest dinners with the founders of Reebok and Vinted and Dyson's former CEO.
- 03Inside a retreat
Retreats and trips
Time away with other founders: Founders' Retreats in Menorca and Tuscany, and the members' ski trip, with invited guest speakers.
- 04About Investment Day
Investment Day
Four times a year, member investors hear pitches from up to 10 businesses. Come to raise, to invest or to learn how others do it.
- 05Member benefits
Introductions and the member community
Put any question to a community of 400+ founders and CEOs, and we'll help you find the right person to talk to.
- 06Watch Founders' Brew
Expert sessions and Founders' Brew
Expert-led online sessions, a library of recorded talks to watch when you like, and filmed interviews with founders who have been there.
- 07See the perks
Founder perks
Savings on the workspaces, software and services you already pay for, from Runway East to HubSpot.
When you join. What happens next
Most members are in the room within a week, and in their Forum within three months.
- 01A call with the Helm team
We get to know you, your business and what's keeping you up at night, and check Helm is the right fit.
- 02Events from week one
Book straight into dinners and roundtables of up to ten founders, in private dining rooms, at a similar stage to you.
- 03Ask the community
Put “that” question to 400+ founders in the members' community and hear from people who have already solved it.
- 04Expert-led sessions
Short, practical online sessions on the subjects that matter now, from pricing and AI to planning an exit.
- 05Join your Forum
Within three months you join a Forum of six to eight founders, chaired by a member who has built and sold a business.
- 06Give back
Stepped back or exited? Later-stage members chair Forums, mentor and invest in the founders coming up behind them.
Helm Forum Chairs. Every Forum is led by a founder who has done it.
A few of our Chairs. All have built and sold businesses. They run the room, keep it honest and bring what they learned the hard way. How Forum works
Swipe to meet the Chairs
Forum ChairRob Hamilton
Founded The Instant Group, sold to private equity. Now an angel investor in Grubby, Frameworks and Revvies.
More about Rob
Forum ChairDavid Lester
A serial founder who has built and sold businesses, and now chairs a Helm Forum.
More about David
Forum ChairStuart Miles
Founded Pocket-lint, sold in 2022, and then Squirrel. Now a strategic adviser and board member.
More about Stuart
Forum ChairMark Colquhoun
Founded Solar Communications, sold to private equity. Now an angel investor and adviser to scaling businesses.
More about Mark
Forum ChairStephen Sacks
Founded muubaa, sold to management. Now an angel investor and founder of Funding Nav.
More about Stephen“It's really rewarding to see many of the things I've learnt running my own businesses helping others.”
Stuart MilesForum Chair, founder of Pocket-lintIn members' words. Don't take our word for it
“Membership of Helm has been invaluable for me both personally and professionally. The support from other members is incredible, and I'm always blown away by how generous and open other business owners are with their time, advice and ideas.”
Louise DellFounder, Kyero“I have been a member of Helm for almost 20 years now, and the learning and network it has given me has been invaluable in helping me on my journey.”
Stephen SacksForum Chair, founder of Funding NavWho Helm is for: founders and CEOs at £3m+. For founders who've outgrown their old network.
Founders and CEOs of businesses with £3m+ revenue. Every sector. These are the moments that bring them to us.
“I can't afford to get this hire wrong.”
First CFO, first chair, first time letting go. Learn from people who got it right.
“Is this offer as good as it looks?”
Valuations, private equity, due diligence, warranties. From founders who have sold.
“So what do I do now?”
Investing, chairing, starting again. Or giving back as a Forum Chair.
Helm is not for you if you're pre-revenue, you're an adviser or service provider, or you're here to sell. We say no to keep the room honest.
Helm FAQs. What founders ask us first
Something else on your mind? Talk to our team
What is Helm?
Helm is a private club for founders and CEOs of scale-up businesses. It started in 2003 as The Supper Club. Members join a chaired peer Forum, choose from 180+ events a year on top of Forum and join a community of 400+ founders. There is a strict no-sales rule.
Who can join Helm?
Founders and CEOs of businesses with £3m+ revenue. Every sector is welcome and every application is reviewed. Advisers and service providers cannot join.
How much does Helm membership cost?
Membership is a small monthly business cost that should pay back many times over. It includes your Forum, Helm's events and the member community, and we'll talk you through the options on a short call. You can cancel any time, with one month's notice.
What happens in a Helm Forum?
A Forum is six to eight founders at a similar stage, chaired by a founder who has built and sold a business. It meets ten times a year for about three hours. Members bring real challenges and opportunities, from hiring and fundraising to selling the business, and leave clearer on what to do next.
How much time does it take?
Your Forum meets ten times a year for about three hours. Helm runs two to three events a week, and nobody expects you to come to them all: most members join an event every month or two.
Will members try to sell to me?
No. Helm started in 2003 as a reaction to being sold to at networking events, and the no-sales rule has held ever since. Advisers, service providers and recruiters cannot join.
Is what I say at Helm confidential?
Forum is fully confidential: nothing leaves the room. Other Helm events run under the Chatham House Rule, so you can use what you hear but never say who said it.
YouThere's a seat at the table.
It's yours.
Join 400+ founders and CEOs who know exactly what this job feels like.