Making The Grade

In the start-up ecosystem, there are a few truths that never change - scaling is harder than it looks, over-hiring can kill momentum, and knowing when to hand over the CEO reins might be the hardest call of all. 

In this episode,Ed Barltett, Founder & CEO of Hicomply, unpacks how to successfully scale with a lean team and build a GTM engine that actually produces an intent-led pipeline. 

Ed breaks down why stage-fit leadership beats vanity headcount and how to plan a smooth CEO transition when the time is right. 

If you’re a founder starting to think about what might be next for you, then this is the perfect episode to listen to.

Episode Chapters

02:02 - Ed’s path into Tech 
10:40 - Finding your niche in a $500B market 
12:44 - Comparing the UK and US markets 
17:02 - Staying lean & focusing on speed of execution 
19:10 - Building a realistic GTM stack in an AI-driven world 
31:58 - Founder transition & handing over the CEO reins 
36:47 - Exit prep 101 in 2025 and beyond

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What does it take to build a category-defining SaaS company when your biggest competitors have raised 40x more funding than you?

In this episode, Tom Lavery, Founder & CEO of Jiminny, joins us to share how he bootstrapped for years before raising, why staying in control beats chasing hype, and how to layer AI into GTM without over-engineering your stack.

Expect pragmatic tactics for capital-efficient growth, candid lessons from fundraising in a downturn, and a no-BS view on what’s truly changed in sales. 

Episode Chapters:

03:34 - Jiminny’s origin story 
05:53 - Competing in a category with 40x more capital  
09:21 - How to pick your investors & navigating the SaaS recession 
17:20 - What’s changed in sales 
21:18 - Successfully implementing AI 
31:18 - The European ecosystem 
33:18 - Slowing down and getting hiring right

Enjoyed today's episode of Making The Grade?

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Start-up headlines are often dominated by fundraising announcements and the latest valuation. 

But the Venture Capital route isn’t the only option or the best to take. 

In this episode, we’re joined by Emeric Ernoult, Co-Founder & CEO of Agorapulse, one of Europe’s most successful bootstrapped SaaS Founders.

Emeric is a serial entrepreneur and has seen Agorapulse through several pivots and international expansion, all while bootstrapping. 

This often painful journey has come with its fair share of lessons - some of which Emeric shares with us in today’s conversation. 

This is definitely not a highlights reel, so if you’re currently going through the trenches or facing a pivot, this episode is one you don’t want to miss. 

Episode Chapters

03:37 - Building Agorapulse from the ashes of a previous business 
07:20 - The signs to know when it’s time to pivot 
13:31 - Bootstrapping vs VC funding - the hard truths
17:44 - Understanding VCs beyond the money 
23:25 - The Do’s & Don’ts of international expansion
27:28 - Growth metrics that actually matter
34:07 - How AI is transforming data-driven growth

Enjoyed today's episode of Making The Grade?

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✔️ Leave us a rating and review on your favourite podcast platform.
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Every founder thinks they’re focused on growth. But too often, hidden mistakes in their go-to-market (GTM) strategy quietly erode their chances of success.

In this Making The Grade episode, we’re joined by Keji Mustapha, CMO at Partech, to unpack the 5 Silent Killers of Go-To-Market. 

From undefined ICPs and premature scaling, to misaligned leadership and ignoring the voice of the customer, Keji shares practical advice founders can use today to avoid costly mistakes and scale more wisely.

If you’re a founder, operator, or investor looking to understand why so many companies fail to “make the grade” and why their GTM strategy has a lot to answer for, then this episode will be the one for you. 

Episode Chapters

01:40 - Keji’s unconventional journey from law to tech and venture capital
05:10 - The day-to-day of a CMO in venture
07:30 - The biggest challenges founders face in 2025
09:15 - The 5 Silent Killers of GTM
15:40 - The misalignment trap
18:50 - Why hiring for shiny logos often backfires
23:45 - How to build customer obsession into your culture 
28:00 - Keji’s predictions for GTM 
32:40 - What really needs to change to improve startup graduation rates

Enjoyed today's episode of Making The Grade?

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✔️ Leave us a rating and review on your favourite podcast platform.
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Too many startups hire ahead of demand, invest in the wrong leaders, or scale sales without a clear ICP - all mistakes that can cost millions and kill momentum.

Today’s Making The Grade guest knows exactly how to avoid those pitfalls.

We’re joined by James Bagan, Investor at Frog Capital, Chair and GTM advisor for investors. 

James has been on both sides of the scaling journey. He’s built world-class sales functions, turned around broken go-to-market engines, and led multiple exits. 

In this episode, James joins Tom to unpack what it really takes to build a GTM engine that lasts. From the shift to capital-efficient growth, to why RevOps is the unsung hero of scaling, to the leadership traits VCs should be hiring for, but so often overlook.

Whether you’re a founder, CRO, or investor, you’ll walk away from this conversation with practical strategies to help you scale sustainably and avoid the most expensive mistakes. 

Episode Chapters:

01:30 - James’ unconventional path to multiple exits

05:30 - How GTM has changed: the shift from growth at all costs to sustainable growth

08:40 -  The 3 biggest mistakes founders make when building GTM teams

14:30 - Why RevOps is the ultimate GTM alignment tool (and when to hire them)

19:40 - Finding the right fit: fractional vs full-time RevOps teams 

22:30 - The underrated traits of top GTM leaders in 2025

29:30 - Leadership stage-fit: the danger of hiring for tomorrow’s problems instead of today’s

35:20 - The number 1 skill every commercial leader must have (hint: it’s not closing deals)

Enjoyed today's episode of Making The Grade?

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✔️ Leave us a rating and review on your favourite podcast platform.
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Too many founders stay in the CEO seat for too long. Often to the detriment of their company, their teams and themselves. 

It’s not about giving up. It’s about knowing when you are no longer the best person to lead the business into its next chapter. 

One example of a founder who knew the time was right and made that leap with clarity and intention is today’s Making The Grade guest, Robert Newry. 

After 11 years as CEO of Arctic Shores, Robert chose to step aside and take on a brand new role as Chief Explorer, allowing him to focus on the things that energise him most: thought leadership, customer evangelism and rethinking how we assess human potential. 

In this conversation, we explore what it really takes to scale a venture-backed company sustainably, and why sometimes the boldest thing a Founder can do is to let go. 

Whether you’re a founder thinking about what’s next for you, or you’re currently going through the trenches, fundraising, this episode is packed with lessons on resilience, reinvention and scaling wisely. 

Episode Chapters:

01:30 - Robert’s early failures and family roots in entrepreneurship

03:50 - Learning from failure: Hong Kong’s startup mindset

05:30 - The origin story behind Arctic Shores

08:10 - Rethinking psychometrics: uncovering potential beyond the CV

13:00 - Designing AI-resilient hiring tools in the age of ChatGPT

18:00 - Why stepping down as CEO wasn’t a failure — but a growth move

21:00 - Creating the role of Chief Explorer & transitioning out of CEO

36:00 - What founders need to stop doing when they raise capital

Enjoyed today's episode of Making The Grade?

If you took something valuable from the episode, we'd love for you to...

✔️ Leave us a rating and review on your favourite podcast platform.
✔️ Share your ideas or guest suggestions with us at [email protected]
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See you again next week!

While VC news often dominates the headlines, more often than not, the VC route isn’t the best fit for a business. 

So, what do you do if venture capital isn’t the right path for your start-up?

In today’s Making The Grade episode, we’re unpacking the evolving world of start-up funding and why VC might not be the best fit for every founder or business. 

To help us do that, we’re joined by Eyal Malinger and Oren Peleg, the co-founders of Resurge Growth Partners - a new kind of investment firm pioneering a model they call venture equity, blending the best of venture capital and private equity to better serve ambitious, capital-efficient founders. 

From investor dynamics and growth expectations to exit strategies and go-to-market missteps, we’ll be challenging the traditional narrative and exploring what alternative paths to scale could look like in 2025 and beyond. 

Episode Chapters: 

01:30 - From PE & Consulting to building a new investment model

03:30 - The gap between VC expectations and real-world business performance  

05:10 - Introducing Venture Equity & the huge opportunity it presents 

10:30 - Funding beyond VC & the silent deal killers 

18:10 - Lazy marketing, broken models & other founder mistakes 

21:30 - The metrics that really matter 

30:00 - What it takes to be a successful early-stage founder & what’s really at stake 

34:15 - Where to start if you want a successful exit in 2025 

Enjoyed today's episode of Making The Grade?

If you took something valuable from the episode, we'd love for you to...

✔️ Leave us a rating and review on your favourite podcast platform.
✔️ Share your ideas or guest suggestions with us at [email protected]
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See you again next week!

What does it really take to graduate from seed to exit in today’s start-up climate?

In our first episode of our Making the Grade Podcast, we’re joined by serial founder and currently CEO of ESG Book, Justin Fitzpatrick, to unpack the real story behind startup growth. 

From the messy pivots, M&A strategies, co-founder dynamics, and what it really looks like when you fall off the VC track, Justin shares his first-hand experience of growing and exiting multiple businesses, and leaves us with plenty of practical advice to help you scale more wisely.

Episode Chapters: 

02:04 - Justin’s career journey as a serial entrepreneur 

04:55 - From scaling pains to pivoting and product-market-fit reality checks 

09:42 -  Finding the right co-founder 

15:15 - Why poor win rates aren’t always a sales problem 

17:34 - Building resilience as a CEO 

21:41 - M&A lessons from the trenches & what makes an acquisition work 

28:40 - Falling off the VC Track & finding alternatives 

31:42 -  What founders actually need to graduate to the next round 

33:54 - Why sustainable growth is smarter growth

Enjoyed today's episode of Making The Grade?

If you took something valuable from the episode, we'd love for you to...

✔️ Leave us a rating and review on your favourite podcast platform.
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Investors typically expect 8 out of 10 of the businesses they invest in to fail.

Less than 1 in 100 start-ups manage to achieve funding beyond Series D or an exit.

These humbling stats often leave founders less than optimistic. 😩

So, how can building a successful business feel less like an uphill battle?

And how can you scale a business with actual options to exit in 2025, and beyond?

💥 To help us get answers to all of the above questions, and more, we’re excited to share the upcoming launch of our brand new podcast: Making The Grade.

Every Thursday, you’ll be able to tune in and hear first-hand experiences from Founders, Investors and senior Go-To-Market Leaders as we explore the factors driving the decline in graduation rates.

But we won’t just be discussing the obvious problems at hand.

You’ll be leaving every episode with actionable insights, expert advice and hopefully, feeling a little bit more optimistic about thriving in a competitive market and scaling more wisely.

Our first episode will launch next Thursday, July 31st. But until then, make sure you tune into our season trailer to get a preview of some of the fascinating conversations we had.

Enjoyed today's episode of Making The Grade?

If you took something valuable from the episode, we'd love for you to...

✔️ Leave us a rating and review on your favourite podcast platform.
✔️ Share your ideas or guest suggestions with us at [email protected]
✔️ Stay in the loop with the latest from Making The Grade and ScaleWise by following us on LinkedIn or YouTube.

See you again next week!