Founders & Founder Eco-system

Our Path | Your Journey

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We help tech founders build the commercial case behind their product, based on evidence rather than assumptions.

We partner with investors, universities and accelerators to strengthen the commercialisation skills across their portfolio.

Product-market fit isn't a single destination.

It shifts as your market shifts, and the founders who survive are the ones who know how to keep finding it.

A startup is an experiment to find a repeatable, scalable and sustainable business model.

Our framework is built around the key foundations you need to work out as your startup evolves into a business and gets ready for funding and growth. We have tiers that flex with your budget.

Not speaking to customers first is one of the most ignored founder principles. We show you how to get the commercial signals you need from real conversations.

    Our Path: Journey Towards Product Market Fit
  
Explore
Customer Discovery
Validate
Demand Validation
Build
Product Testing IRL
Acquire
GTM / Distribution
Grow
Product-Market Fit

    Your Journey: For Founders
  
Review +
Diagnostic
Find out where you stand
You've done some research. You're not sure if it's the right research, or if it's enough. We assess the quality of the evidence you have, identify the gaps, and show you where you are in the journey and what you need to do next.
Consultancy
Sprint
One stage, done properly
One stage of the framework, focused and intensive, structured around producing the specific evidence you need right now. Whether that's testing demand, willingness to pay, or validating a channel.
Fractional
Leadership
Ongoing commercial rigour
For founders who've raised and need validation built into how they work. We embed into your process, helping you interrogate commercial decisions before they're made.

Guiding You Toward PMF

Becoming obsessed with the problem. Extracting commercial signals from customer conversations.
Taking your solution through real-world tests to understand what resonates and sells. Building a successful business behind the product and strong data room evidence for investors.

Independent Learning, Review + Diagnostic and One-Stage Sprints

For pre-seed founders who suspect they've found a problem worth solving, but haven't yet proved it exists at scale. Most founders at this stage are working from assumptions and not insights, and investors can tell the difference immediately. Investors need evidence you understand your market better than anyone else: who the customer is, how severe the problem is, and whether people are desperate enough to change behaviour. You'll learn to extract commercial signals from real conversations, build an evidence base grounded in primary research, and arrive at your first investor conversation knowing your market, not just your idea.

For founders who know the problem is real and need to find out if people will pay to solve it. Seed investors are increasingly expecting early revenue or signed commitments, so enthusiasm and interest don't count. This is where most founders get it wrong, mistaking positive conversations for commercial proof. You'll test willingness to pay with real experiments, gather commitment signals from potential buyers that go beyond "sounds interesting," and build the evidence that distinguishes genuine demand from polite encouragement. The output is proof that someone will hand over money.

For founders with early product who need to know if it works in conditions they don't control. Getting your first customers is one thing. Knowing whether your product actually delivers value consistently, without you in the room, is another. Investors at this stage want to see DAU/WAU metrics, feature engagement, ROI from real users, and evidence that you respond to what users tell you rather than defend your original assumptions. You'll build the measurement infrastructure for pilots, run structured product tests, and produce the evidence that tells you what to fix, what to double down on, and whether you're ready to scale.

For founders ready to move beyond founder-led sales. Series A investors aren't interested in promising products, as they fund repeatable revenue models. They want to see CAC by channel, conversion rates through a defined funnel, a sales cycle that doesn't depend on the founder closing every deal, and early evidence of distribution advantage. You'll validate which channels convert at economics that work, build a sales motion that runs without you, and produce the GTM evidence that turns investor conversations from "interesting" to "here's a term sheet."

Fractional Leadership and Leadership Coaching

For founders who've proven the model and need to build the business behind it. PMF is temporary and it's not based on intuition. It's when retention, acquisition and unit economics compound over time into something a Series B investor recognises as category leadership. What they want to see: NRR above 100%, retention cohorts that hold, LTV:CAC that improves with scale, and inbound demand you didn't manufacture. You'll build the systems, revenue model and operational infrastructure that turns a validated startup into a scalable company and generates the 24 months of evidence that serious growth capital requires.

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Independent Learning + Coaching

Our methodology in your hands.

Online courses and AI agents built around our framework, with templates, resources, and prompts that guide you through each stage. Supported by coaching so you don't lose momentum or focus.

Your Customer Discovery Toolkit

Online Courses

Currently in Private Beta, our Customer Discovery Toolkit, combines multiple AI agents to guide you through key stages of your Founders Journey, using our Validation Framework.

Based on 25 years of academic work and combined with the latest commercial strategies, our Framework will help you on an end-to-end journey to understand and measure market signals.

You will define your hypothesis and ICP, complete a market analysis and design interview questions. You will analyse your interview transcripts and receive a report on signal strength, hypothesis validation and a go/no-go recommendation.

All you need to do are the interviews.

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A practical guide for entrepreneurs and product teams on how design thinking, lean startup, UX, and Agile fit together, bridging research, validation, and implementation into one coherent approach.

Learn more

Grant Funding Fundamentals gets you ready to apply before the right opportunity appears, so you're not scrambling when it does.

Design Thinking for Deep Tech adapts the Double Diamond for the realities of high capital costs and long R&D cycles, covering customer empathy, systems thinking, and how to translate complex science into something non-technical audiences can act on.

The Book

Grant Funding Fundamentals

Design Thinking for Deep Tech

The founders that fail commercially often fail for the same reasons.

They haven't spoken to enough customers. They can't articulate why people would pay. Their evidence base is thin.

These are fixable problems, but they need a structured approach most accelerators don't have time to embed.

We work with accelerators, universities and investor networks to strengthen the commercial foundations across their portfolio or cohort. Not as a one-off workshop that gets forgotten, but as embedded capability that changes how founders think about evidence.

We bring the same framework we use with founders directly, adapted for cohort delivery, 1:1 clinics, and programme integration.

The founders who can't raise aren't missing a good idea. They're missing the evidence that turns a good idea into an investable case. We help you build that into your programme.

    Your Journey: For Accelerators, Universities and Investors
  
1:1 Founder
Clinics
Individual portfolio support
Structured sessions with individual founders in your portfolio or cohort. We assess the commercial evidence they have, identify the gaps, and give them a clear view of where they are in the framework and what to do next. Works as a standing arrangement or intensive pre-pitch preparation.
Commercial
Workshops
Cohort sessions with real output
Hands-on cohort sessions built around the commercial questions founders need to answer: customer discovery, demand validation, willingness to pay, channel testing. Each workshop produces output founders can use, not just frameworks they've heard about.
Programme
Module
Delivery
Built into your programme
A full module integrated into your accelerator or educational programme, covering the commercial validation framework end to end. Built around your founders, your timeline, and your outcomes. We deliver it, or we train your team to run it themselves.

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What our clients say

“Moses, a last-mile EV solution, hadn’t used user research before this project to develop one of our in-house projects. I was really surprised and intrigued by the insights that Dr Chloe Sharp had found for us. She really challenged our assumptions and gave us something concrete to work with when iterating the Alpha product, based on evidence. We felt reassured that the iterations of the product are in line with user needs and our future product roadmap is based on evidence rather than assumptions. In the future, we’ll certainly do user research again as we gained so much from it.”
— Terry Yoelle, Founder of Moses
“Chloe conducted research with Islington residents for us to explore how linking datasets would be perceived. I was impressed with how they took a complex project and distilled it into an easy-to-use card-sorting activity that generated relevant and interesting insights. They were flexible and adaptable throughout the project and worked well as part of our team.”
— Mubasshir Ajaz, Programme Manager, Islington Council
“Chloe has a razor-sharp mind, a heart of gold, and oodles of experience. A true startup wizard, she is steeped in the counterintuitive research findings and practical methods that drive exceptional business results. She has consistently challenged by business strategy and priorities with clearly-reasoned insight, creativity, candour, kindness, and humility”
— Oliver Bramford, Founder
“We collaborated with Dr Chloe Sharp and worked together on observing and researching the premium estate and letting agents in London. She was able to help us with a survey ahead of the observation and structure the insights to ensure that the research focused on the company’s repositioning exercise.”
— Laura, Account Manager, BEAR London
“Through her work on our advisory board, Chloe has guided and supported Nightingale's growth, providing ideas, advice and constructive criticism of our methods and processes. She has helped to open up new avenues for development and kept our team accountable, ensuring that we stay on track and achieve our goals.”
— Frances Brown, CEO, Nightingale
“Chloe conducted research with Islington residents for us to explore how linking datasets would be perceived. I was impressed with how they took a complex project and distilled it into an easy-to-use card-sorting activity that generated relevant and interesting insights. They were flexible and adaptable throughout the project and worked well as part of our team.”
— Mubasshir Ajaz, Islington Council
“We deployed Dr Chloe Sharp to undertake two major research projects for our group of businesses. The team managed to glean insights that have been instrumental in steering our direction on a path that is wholly differentiated and giving us the edge on our competition, hands down. The complexity of our industry was captured and crystallised into bite-sized chunks that were easy to digest across a number of key functions, meaning that we were able to proactively take the critical recommendations and integrate them into our business model seamlessly. If you are looking for a fresh approach to market research that delivers real value, then I would thoroughly recommend choosing Sharp Insight.”
— Jonathon Crosby, Redstone Connect
“As part of any digital marketing and branding exercise, it’s always insightful to get real input from a client’s existing or potential customers. Dr Chloe Sharp delivered a set of well-run, professional focus groups with an impossibly short amount of prep time, they were invaluable throughout the project.”
— Account Manager, Brand Consultancy
“It’s rare that you come across standout talent like Chloe. I had the pleasure of working with her in the London startup ecosystem through the joint projects carried out by our companies. I was particularly impressed by Chloe's capacity to deliver expert advice and get people on board with ideas. Look forward to working further with Chloe in future projects. I'd recommend her and her company without a doubt.”
— Francesco Perticarari, VC and Angel Investor
“My mentoring session with Chloe was incredibly enlightening. Her depth of knowledge in UX research, combined with her practical experience provided me with actionable insights that I could immediately apply to my job search. Chloe was not only generous with her advice but also skillfully guided me to identify opportunities for growth and innovation within my work.”
— Martynas Verbusaitis, UX Researcher
“Chloe has mentored me for the past four months around growing my business digitally and structurally. She has provided me with the time and space to discuss critical business changes and processes that would otherwise have not happened due to dealing with the day-to-day business needs. Her faith in me and the tools, ideas and processes she has introduced me to has led to me having greater confidence in myself, greater knowledge of how to physically implement necessary changes and introducing new and innovative leadership practices to my company.”
— Leanne Martin, Company Director
“I had the incredible privilege of being mentored by Chloe, a great depth of leadership and empowerment. As a female leader, she exemplified grace, resilience, and unwavering determination in breaking barriers. Her wisdom, coupled with genuine care and support, empowered me to navigate challenges and embrace opportunities fearlessly. Under her mentorship, I not only honed my skills but also cultivated the confidence to lead with authenticity and empathy. I am forever grateful for her mentorship, which has shaped me into the leader I am today.”
— Ella Kirk, Learning and Development Manager
“I am thrilled to share my transformative experience with the Help to Grow mentoring initiative led by Chloe Sharp. As an entrepreneur in the early stages of establishing my business, I found Chloe's guidance and resources invaluable.
Overall, the mentoring program with Chloe Sharp was a pivotal experience in my entrepreneurial journey. The structured brainstorming, access to resources, and invaluable advice provided a solid foundation for starting my business. I wholeheartedly recommend coaching sessions with Chloe to any aspiring entrepreneur looking to turn their vision into reality!
Thank you, Chloe, for your unwavering support and dedication to helping upcoming entrepreneurs thrive 😊”
— Marilena Christodoulou, Academic and Early-Stage Founder
“Dr Chloe Sharp has mentored me for 12 months through the Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award. Her advice, time, and support have been instrumental in helping both me and my company achieve significant milestones. With her expert insights, extensive network, and practical frameworks, I reached the finals of various competitions and awards, secured additional funding, and learned to balance my workload effectively. Chloe has consistently adapted to my needs during our sessions, whether as an advisor, sparring partner, silent listener, or friend.”
— Natalie Kerres, Founder
“Dr Chloe and I worked together on my project to create a new programme for Female Techpreneur. She added so much value and support in kicking off the programme and we got it off the ground with her help. Dr Chloe is not only providing her expertise she helps to get the job done too! I recommend her 100%”
— Bukky M. Babajide, Founder
“Working with Chloe has been an absolute pleasure. As the project nears completion, I'm left wishing she were a permanent member of my team! Her expertise and contributions have been invaluable, and she has greatly enhanced the project's quality and progress. I highly recommend Chloe to anyone looking for a skilled and dedicated professional who is also fun to work with."
— Trevor Beale, Operations & Quality Director
“Right from the very beginning Chloe has been amazing and listened to my business and personal needs. She quickly identified areas for improvement and we put together an action plan. I also found that Chloe has so much experience and was able to mentor me in many different areas. It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with Chloe and hope to use her again in the future!”
— Matt Smith, Sales Director
“I've had the privilege of being mentored by Chloe for the TechUp Women scheme. She has been incredibly generous with her time and knowledge. She has always ensured that I could learn at my own pace and ask questions about anything (including what to wear for a networking event!). Whether explaining complex concepts in layman's terms or providing invaluable life advice, her authenticity and commitment to helping me grow has made a lasting impact. She has been an advocate as well as a mentor and I feel empowered to start my new role (which is far from where I started when I first met Chloe). I feel truly lucky to have had Chloe as a mentor and can't thank her enough.”
— Grace McDade, TechUp Women
“Dr Chloe Sharp worked with us to deliver discovery and research on our value proposition to digitise training offerings. She worked well with our team and delivered a report and overview for the participants to read to summarise the results. Speaking to busy NHS managers and leaders isn’t an easy task.”
— Head of Digital, NHS Leadership Academy
“It was an amazing session where you got lots of stories from students talking about their life, work and experience. It’s great to hear how you tell stories in different contexts bringing emotions into it. Look forward to having you more. 200% recommended. After, I saw students use the techniques and effectively share their stories throughout your session.”
— Lecturer, Cranfield University
“Dr Chloe Sharp’s work has been invaluable in helping us assess and understand our market opportunity better and provided a level of professional support that we could never have imagined receiving in advance. I very much look forward to their continued support and expertise as we develop new products and widen our market.”
— Calvin, Founder, TOME
“She really challenged our assumptions and gave us something concrete to work with…We felt reassured that the iterations of the product are in line with user needs and our future product roadmap is based on evidence rather than assumptions.”
— Terry, Founder, Moses
“Data and ethics is a very important topic to us and as technology progresses, councils want to keep up but there is more responsibility and accountability and having a considered approach, that accounts for ethics and information governance toward predictive analytics for the older population, and one that is growing, was the key focus of the project. Chloe spoke to our Adult Social Care service users to explore their views toward unstructured data and supported workshops ran by LSE. She brought together the primary data and analysed this alongside the brief evidence review, which is secondary research, to bring us actionable and relevant recommendations.”
— Mubasshir Ajaz, Islington Council
"Implementing AI into our marketing function has been a game-changer. Through AI training and working together under Chloe's guidance, we co-developed a CustomGPT tailored to support the content generation and re-purposing process. This has transformed how we work as a team, increasing our capacity to meet the demands of a growing business by offsetting lower-level tasks to AI. What used to take hours can now takes minutes, allowing our marketing team to focus on other higher-impact activities and creativity rather than repetitive content drafting. The CustomGPT maintains brand consistency, aligns with our voice and messaging, and has significantly improved prompt efficiency. It was easier to implement than I thought. We've increased productivity, reduced time spent on tasks and now have an AI assistant that empowers our team. We’re very happy with the outcome"
- Group Marketing Manager, MPA