We Are

EXPERIENCED

Each member of our team has many years of entrepreneurial, operational, or technical experience with leading firms. More importantly we have worked in resource-constrained startups that necessitate rigorous prioritization and focused execution.

INTERNATIONAL

In addition to having offices in the USA and Europe, we have a global reach and experience. Whether you need to negotiate a new technology agreement in Russia, set up manufacturing in China or launch your product in North America – we have you covered.

ENGAGED

Having worked together and independently on projects for years, we bring focus, complimentary skills and passion to your business. We only take on assignments that we believe in and can significantly contribute to. Most importantly, we will tell you when you no longer need us.

How We Work

Typically, one to two thirds of our compensation is tied to achieving a successful outcome, giving us a strong incentive to deliver results early. In most cases there is an equity component to our compensation, creating alignment of long term interests. We will use our network to help you recruit and retain top talent globally. We will open doors to new customer, supplier and partner relationships at the highest levels. We will go the extra mile or three for you.

TRUST

Reputation is everything. We will tell you if we are not the right fit. We treat your information with extreme care, never publicly list our clients and will undertake not to work with your named competitors for agreed periods.

EMPOWER

We draw upon our network to help you recruit and retain top talent. We will open doors to new customer, supplier and partner relationships at the highest levels. We will go the extra mile for you.

ALIGN

We take great care ensuring that our work for you totally aligns with your strategic goals. We may take an equity component as compensation creating a true long-term alignment of our interests.

Leadership

Richard PhilpottPartner

Richard has worked across the innovation-to-business spectrum from biotechnology research to product development, marketing and commerce including company formation and leadership in both large and small organizations. Trained at Imperial College, London, his Ph.D. in microbial biochemistry was sponsored by the UK health service, where Richard worked as a senior scientist before transitioning to industry. He progressed to business and company development while maintaining technical leadership. He was a key member of the executive team that transformed Whatman plc, the UK industrial filtration company, into a global healthcare business that became GE Healthcare. During the last ten years he has worked for investors in diligence and turn-around roles, mostly in the United States. Richard provides pro-bona support to exciting start-ups, judges the annual international Katerva Innovation Awards and candidates for the MedTech Innovator program, and supports Level Eight investments as a board member or advisor. Away from business he loves sailing and intends to cross an ocean or two.

Séamus HatchPartner

Séamus has spent 30 years building businesses around new technology as founder, executive, CEO and board member. He was developing distributed object-oriented securities trading systems in the 1990s, big data and AI systems before they were cool, and one of the first large-scale enterprise SAS systems. He spent several years in China growing venture funded businesses. In 2015 he left Silicon Valley and moved to Ann Arbor where he is a mentor for TechStars, helped develop the SAE Connected Vehicle Professional program, and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences. He is a board member/investor/adviser to a number of technology companies, including including We Predict, SpinTech, Pathware, Invision.AI, Rally, and The Next Education. Seamus holds degrees in Computer Science and Accounting from the University of Manchester. Outside work, Séamus can be found racing around the thousands of miles of off-road bike trails in Michigan.