In this edition of Cosmic Conversations, I spoke with Brad Scott, Investment Manager at Maven Capital Partners. Based in the Manchester office, Brad focuses on high-growth technology businesses through Maven’s long-standing VCT funds. 

With a background at PwC in valuations and corporate finance, Brad now spends his time meeting founders, assessing opportunities, and helping deploy capital into promising tech ventures. We discussed what catches his attention and keeps him engaged and the mistakes to avoid. 

You can watch the full conversion above, or take in the best bits in the short summary of Q&As below.

Q: What are your biggest pet peeves when founders pitch to you?

The first meeting should be a conversation, not a monologue. Too often, founders launch straight into the deck without understanding what Maven is looking for. 

It’s worth doing some homework first. Know our focus areas and the types of businesses and sectors we’re most interested in. This is a relationship business. Building trust early matters more than racing through slides. 

Warm introductions go a long way. Many of my best connections come through referrals from people I already know and trust. Those conversations start on the right footing. 

Q: Would you treat fundraising more like a sales process?

Yes, I spent almost two years in sales, and that was all about discovery, asking the right questions to uncover where the pain points are. Fundraising works the same way. 

Understand what “good” looks like for that particular investor, what excites them, what doesn’t, and tailor your pitch accordingly. There’s no point going deep into the tech if the investor doesn’t have a technical background. 

And don’t wait until you’re raising to start talking to investors. The best founders I know send regular investor updates, monthly or quarterly, sharing brief notes that cover progress along with key focus areas and metrics. Even if you’re not a fit right now, you stay on the radar. I read those updates on the train, and they often spark ideas or introductions. 

Q: At early stage, the team is often more important than the product. What traits make a founder backable?

Industry knowledge is huge. One of our portfolio founders, Thomas Dunlop from Summize, spoke about solving a problem he’d faced daily as a lawyer. That kind of domain experience builds credibility and early traction through connections, while also fuelling genuine passion for the problem you’re solving. 

Passion also matters. If a founder can sell that vision to their team and potential customers, they’re in a strong position. Add in a relevant network and the ability to get early partnerships going, and that’s the ideal combination. 

Q: What traction do you want to see at pre-seed or seed stage?

We don’t invest in pre-revenue businesses, except occasionally through our BBB funds, we’re always looking for evidence of revenue and customer traction. 

Good traction might look like multiple customers with renewals or upsells. Retention is a big one, and I’d rather see a smaller number of customers with long-term contracts than lots of short pilots. 

Focus matters too. We prefer businesses targeting a clearly defined sector or solving a specific problem, rather than trying to be everything to everyone. That focus is often what drives product–market fit, which is the gold standard for most investors. 

Q: Do you see common mistakes after a business raises funding?

It’s tempting to loosen the purse strings by upgrading the office and buying tools you couldn’t afford before, but you’ve got to maintain that scrappiness. 

You need to stay efficient and manage your capital wisely. As an investor, we want to fund growth to profitability, not growth to the next raise in 12 months. 

Of course, you still need to move quickly to capture opportunities, but caution is key. Even experienced founders are figuring it out as they go, so there’s no perfect playbook. The important thing is not to lose the discipline that got you this far. 

Q: When should founders move away from founder-led sales?

It depends on the founder. If sales is your natural strength, you might stay in that role longer, potentially moving into a CRO or Head of Sales position as the company grows, while someone else takes on the CEO role. 

The main thing is to make sure someone is working on the business, not just in it. If you’re a technical founder, you might need a professional sales hire much earlier. 

It’s about self-awareness. Play to your strengths, but don’t let day-to-day selling stop you from taking the bigger-picture view. 

Key takeaways from this Cosmic Conversation:

Treat the pitch as a two-way conversation. Learn what the investor is looking for before diving in. 

• Build relationships early and keep investors updated, even when you’re not raising. 

• Domain experience, passion, and a strong network are powerful founder traits. 

• Focus and retention signal product–market fit better than big but short-lived wins. 

• Maintain discipline after raising, spend like you still have to earn every pound. 

Transition from founder-led sales when it stops you from steering the business. 

If you enjoyed this conversation with Brad, check out our other recent Cosmic Conversations with leading VCs.

Connect with Brad Scott on LinkedIn and find out more about Maven Capital Partners.