Unlock Your Startup's Success:
Transform Your Journey
Join the ranks of successful founders who have leveraged my help to elevate their startups.
Book your one-to-one session and take the first step towards transforming your startup journey with guidance that is insightful, based on thousands of hours coaching founders, and delivered with empathy.
At the core of my philosophy is a commitment to not just advise but to empower early-stage startup founders like you to navigate the complexities of building a successful business.
02. Send a pre-read
- I'll read through any materials you send and prep for our session.
03. The session
- A 45 min chat in which we will tackle your key objectives
- I will provide clear guidance and actionable next steps
- I'll post any additional help, links or resources to your session page
Sophie Walker, Founder - JUST:Access
'Something odd happened when I had my session with Marcus. On one hand, he set out for me very clearly and methodically why my plan for driving more investment into the company was not going to work, but yet despite this being ostensibly “bad news” I left the call feeling more hopefully and confident than I started it.
I think this is down to two things. Marcus has some serious technical chops. It was such a relief to speak to someone able to talk authoritatively about raising investment from my stage (seed), but how decisions we made now would impact us as Series A and beyond. He is able to “zoom in” at the current problem that has seized my brain, while also helping me to “zoom out” and see things from different angles.
The second is that Marcus’s emotional intelligence. I actually think that’s his super power. He gives it to you straight, without making you feel foolish. And he spoke of his experiences without lapsing into telling war stories. That in the moment, I was the thing that mattered to him. So many people offer up such sessions, but few can pull it off like this.'
Hossam Elgamal, Founder - Lovedoc
'Marcus, has been an absolute game-changer for my start-up. From the moment we first met, his expertise and unwavering support have been invaluable. Marcus possesses an exceptional understanding of business and a remarkable ability to provide targeted advice that resonates with my entrepreneurial journey.
His guidance on refining my business strategy and perfecting my pitch has been transformative. Every interaction with Marcus has been enlightening and inspiring, as he effortlessly imparts his wisdom and experience. His dedication and genuine interest in my success have fostered a strong and trusting relationship.
I am grateful for Marcus's mentorship, which has undoubtedly propelled me and the company forward.'
Chris Beech, Founder - Luhv Drinks
'Well, what can I say? I hope all the investors I come into contact are like Marcus! What an absolute pleasure to have been able to get his insights and guidance. I look forward to knowing Marcus for many more years and look forward to plenty more conversations.
Any founder will be greatly advanced by having the experience and guidance from such an experienced investor. Really made a difference to my journey, and I have no doubt he would have the same effect on any founder he comes into contact with.'
Ajay Jagota, Founder - Verywise
‘Without a doubt, Marcus’s one-to-one sessions on the Virgin Collective Impact Cohort exceeded all my expectations. They were nothing short of extraordinary! From guiding me through the intricacies of constructing a captivating story for my pitch deck to unraveling the complexities of financial modeling, Marcus’s expertise is unparalleled. The tools are incredibly user-friendly, yet the results they deliver are truly remarkable. Marcus’s clear and concise approach, combined with his extensive knowledge, creates an unparalleled learning experience. Spending time with him was an absolute privilege, and I am immensely grateful for his guidance. I wholeheartedly recommend Marcus’s sessions to anyone seeking exceptional mentorship and transformative results. Thank you Sir’
Laura Capell-Abra, Founder - Stress Matters
‘Marcus has a great grounded and calming personality. Whilst clearly enthusiastic and passionate about what he does and start-ups, he has a great skill in being able to create a sense of time for reflection and planning however busy you are. I really value our sessions together.’
Joseph Holman, Founder - Green Doors
‘Had 3 great sessions with Marcus. I managed to meet him first in person at the first Virgin event and explained my company, he could clearly see my vision and was extremely positive. It's clear he genuinely cares about helping businesses like mine and loves what he does, so thats great to see; even wanting to come down himself and see how we operate. He gave me lots of useful feedback on my Pitch deck and explained the reasons why, which then made much more sense to me. I feel now I have a great pitch deck i'm able to show to investors. We have kept in touch since and he has even set us up with some investors to come down and visit us. I feel Marcus is someone i will keep in touch with across my journey now. Thanks :)’
Indigo Howard, Founder - The Tora Collective
‘Loved the advice and the experiences that were offered to us. Marcus was extremely supportive for making our company attractive for investment and ideas for future practices. Would love to keep connected over our exciting journey.’
Shayna Micol, Founder - LuvBuckets
‘As a first-time founder, working with Marcus was exceptionally beneficial. Our sessions were always a safe space for me to speak openly to address my questions and concerns regarding the successes and challenges I was experiencing. Marcus is a wonderful, warm human being, who expresses no personal or professional judgement. However, he does ask the tough, yet appropriate, thought-provoking questions, that consistently induced contemplation, reevaluation, and consideration of potential alternatives. He was always transparent and provided honest, constructive feedback to help me gain new perspective because I do believe founders experience tunnel vision at times. Marcus is truly a worthy mentor with expertise that will assist any founder, at any level, towards progressing down a path to success. Working with Marcus was both insightful and impactful and I hope to continue our professional relationship in the future.’
Get transformational advice today from a top Angel investor
✔ 1:1 advice from Marcus Exall, who has helped founders that raised over $1bn
✔ Slots available every week
✔ We'll review a pre-read so we're ready to give the best advice
✔ 45 minutes of guidance and problem solving
✔ Get experienced entrepreneurs and investors working on the problems holding you back
'Marcus has been the most important advisor not only to me but to the Mendi board, and that to me is invaluable.'
Moha Bensofia, CEO Mendi
About me
Get insider know-how from an exited founder and angel investor
I am a serial founder, investor and board advisor. I sold my first bootstrapped business in 2011. Since then, I have been involved in building many successful venture backed startups, either as an investor, founder or operator.
Businesses in which I have been directly involved have scaled to hundreds of employees and received over $1 billion in venture funding. I mentor founders across the UK and Europe. I am also the first ever Investor-in-Residence for Virgin Startup.
And here are some more things that founders say about their coaching sessions....
Rahul Chakkara, Founder -
Manas AI
'Marcus was brilliant at dissecting the fund raising process, making it relevant for startups like us. At the same time, his feedback during 1-1 sessions was highly valuable. Thanks a lot.'
Jaron Soh, Founder -
Voda
'Marcus provided great expertise in helping us dive deeper into understanding user retention, growth and helped us fine-tune our fundraising strategy which enabled us to more efficiently garner investor interest in our fundraising process.'
Kene Ezeji-Okoye, Founder -
Millicent
'The session with U2R was extremely helpful for us. They were able to look at the business both from an outsider's perspective, and draw on years of experience to quickly deliver actionable insights.'
We help founders master the startup journey
Marcus Exall is one of the UK's top angel investors. He's advised and backed founders who went on to raise over $1bn. Before that he played a key role in several high-growth scaleups, such as Student.com and Monese.
He is ably assisted by Nick Berry, a strategist with whom he has worked for over 20 years. Nick founded, grew and exited a successful strategic digital agency helping dozens of top brands grow. He is using big brand thinking and frameworks to help startup and scaleup founders lay the foundations of $1bn businesses. Andy Maher, an expert in scaling and selling successful businesses, completes the U2R team.
We know how hard the journey is. We formed U2R to make the path easier for and ensure more founders achieve their ambitions, especially those without easy access to networks of advisors or investors.
