How we raised £10m for our first unicorn client: a case study in strategic international fundraising

52 pitches. 21 strategic introductions. One game-changing result.

The statistics surrounding venture capital funding are sobering. Only 1% of companies ever secure VC investment, and the average tech company needs 41 pitches before receiving a term sheet. These numbers represent months of full-time effort, daily rejection, and the kind of mental resilience that separates successful entrepreneurs from those who give up too early.

Recently, we had the privilege of helping our first unicorn client navigate this challenging landscape, ultimately securing a £10M funding round. The journey required 52 investor pitches and resulted in 21 strategic introductions before achieving success. This case study offers valuable insights into what it really takes to raise significant capital in today's competitive market.

The client: an e-commerce success story

Our client was an e-commerce company with exceptional growth potential. Despite having a strong business model and impressive metrics, they faced the same brutal fundraising reality that confronts even the most promising companies. The global e-commerce market, while lucrative, is highly competitive for investor attention, making it challenging to stand out among the thousands of companies seeking funding.

The company needed growth capital to scale their operations and expand their market presence. They had the fundamentals right—solid revenue growth, clear market opportunity, and an experienced team—but they needed strategic guidance to navigate the complex world of venture capital fundraising.

Our strategic approach: looking beyond obvious markets

Rather than competing in the oversaturated US investor market, we developed a strategic approach focused on international opportunities.

Our team identified and targeted 52 non-US investors across several key regions:

• European growth funds with expertise in scaling e-commerce businesses
• Asian strategic investors looking for US market exposure
• Middle Eastern family offices seeking diversified investment opportunities
• Alternative funding sources with flexible investment criteria
• This international focus provided several advantages that proved crucial to our success:

Less saturated deal flow

While most investors see hundreds of similar e-commerce pitches, international investors often have less exposure to market opportunities, making our client's proposition more distinctive and memorable.

Fresh market perspective

International investors brought different analytical frameworks and valuation approaches, often seeing opportunities that some investors might overlook due to market familiarity bias.

Strategic partnership potential

Many international investors offered more than just capital—they provided potential pathways to new markets, operational expertise, and strategic partnerships that could accelerate growth.

Diverse capital sources

By casting a wider net internationally, we increased the probability of finding investors whose investment criteria, timing, and portfolio needs aligned with our client's specific situation.

The numbers: what success actually looks like

The final results of our systematic approach tell a compelling story:

• 52 investor pitches coordinated and delivered
• 21 strategic introductions arranged with qualified investors
• 1 successful £10M cheque closed
• 40% conversion rate from pitch to strategic introduction
• 4.8% success rate from introduction to closed funding

These metrics illustrate why fundraising requires both volume and strategy. Even with a unicorn-potential company and professional support, the process demanded significant effort and systematic execution.

The power of experience: 50+ years of collective knowledge

Our team's decades of collective experience in venture capital and fundraising taught us several critical lessons that proved invaluable throughout this process:

Every round is difficult: Regardless of company quality or growth metrics, every funding round presents unique challenges. There are no easy raises, even for exceptional companies.

Pattern recognition matters: Understanding which investors are most likely to be interested in specific types of companies, markets, and growth stages significantly improves efficiency and success rates.

Timing coordination is critical: Managing the fundraising process requires careful coordination of investor meetings, due diligence processes, and decision timelines to create competitive dynamics.

Relationship quality beats quantity: While volume matters in fundraising, the quality of investor relationships and introductions ultimately determines success. Warm introductions from trusted sources carry significantly more weight than cold outreach.

What this success established for Fundsurfer

Closing this £10M round for our unicorn client established several important capabilities and credibility markers for Fundsurfer:

Later-stage funding expertise: Proved our ability to handle more complex, larger funding rounds beyond early-stage investments

International coordination capabilities: Demonstrated our capacity to manage complex, multi-jurisdictional investor processes

High-growth company requirements: Showed we can meet the sophisticated needs of rapidly scaling businesses

Expanded market positioning: Created foundation for pursuing larger opportunities and more significant client relationships

This success positioned us for bigger opportunities and established the credibility necessary to work with other high-growth companies seeking substantial funding rounds.

Our value proposition — amplification, not replacement

We don’t replace a founder’s fundraising efforts — we amplify them. We open doors that are difficult to access alone, leverage 50+ years of collective experience, and apply pattern recognition from hundreds of deals to improve your odds in a game where only 1% win.

So the bottom line is that fundraising is always hard — even for unicorns! Success requires:

A systematic approach

An international perspective

Professional investor introductions

Relentless persistence

If you’re ready to explore how we can help open the right doors for your funding round, get in touch today.