Connectd

As the Head of Partnerships and Customer Acquisition at Connectd, I am dedicated to helping business owners in their journeys to scale their businesses.

With extensive experience working with companies across a range of industries, I have a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities that come with growing a venture.

At Connectd, we pride ourselves on our ability to connect business owners with relevant fractional individuals to help them achieve their goals. Our track record speaks for itself – we have helped to grow companies across a wide range of startups across a multitude of sectors, including Electric Miles, Joyn, CatchApp, SafeToNet, My Bespoke Room, Purlos, Moblox, Monspire, Greenr, Pragusa One and many others.

If you're ready to take your  business to the next level, feel free to book a free 30-minute consultation with me to assess your suitability for the Connectd network here - https://meetings.hubspot.com/alex-r2 - or email me at alex.r@connectd.co

Head of Partnerships & Customer Acquisition

Joined the senior management team, taking responsibility for the strategic direction and expansion of the Business Growth division.

Spearheaded Connectd’s US market entry, launching and scaling business growth operations overseas.

Drove new product launches in both the UK and US markets, strengthening Connectd’s value proposition for founders and investors.

Collaborated with cross-functional leaders to align commercial strategy with product, marketing, and community engagement initiatives.

Head of Startup Acquisition (Senior Management Team)

Took on leadership responsibilities for the Business Growth team, managing strategic accounts and supporting complex founder journeys.

Designed and executed tailored growth strategies for scale-ups, aligning advisory boards, investor engagement, and reporting.

Mentored junior team members, instilling best practices in portfolio growth, founder relations, and Team building.

Elevated Connectd’s reputation as a partner of choice for startups by driving measurable outcomes in founder-advisor connections.

Senior Business Growth Manager

Connectd empowers the early-stage ecosystem to make and manage meaningful connections. Through our proprietary reporting suite, portfolio management system and smart-match technology, we remove the friction hindering founders' growth.

If you're a founder looking to accelerate your startup's growth, then let’s talk. Our platform provides support in the following areas:

• Smart matching technology pairs your startup with investors
• End-to-end collateral development (pitch deck, financial model and company valuation)
• Legal documentation access through ConnectdLegal
• Four masterclass sessions across the 12-month period inc. fundraising, tech, marketing and sales
• Investor-ready pitch day to a select group of investors
• Portfolio reporting tools to keep shareholders in the loop
• Build your Advisory Board with pro-bono advisors


Connectd have facilitated investment in the following startups:

Electric Miles, Joyn, CatchApp, SafeToNet, My Bespoke Room, Purlos, Tlero, MNTS, WhatBook, ASAP Water, Food Stuff, PSYT, Zeta Media, Atom Universe, ZWINGS, A3, CMT, tripAbrood, Multiview Media, Lawbite, YoungPlanet, HelpMeStop, Football Fan, LoveTheSales, QVBio, Renude, IDWard, Conigital, Amo, Ace & Freak, JustFix, So Syncd, Tickets4Good, Babbu, Raindrop, RWRD, Card Medic, Stratiphy, Fethr, Little Bridge, Scribe, Sendit.Money, Podcast Radio, C.Me, Equitas, Vizzy, Revolancer, Nuw, WASE, MyNestBox, PTB, Zedosh, Pikl, Sprive, Moblox, Monspire, Greenr, Pragusa One, Limitless Travel and many others


Want to learn more, head to Connectd.co

Business Growth Manager

SQUARE METRE ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED

Asset Management Intern

My journey into the world of Entrepreneurialism started whilst at University College London, I found myself at one of the world's leading institutions educating myself on Macroeconomic Markets; But I was eager to focus on the people who make the world tick, who innovate, who grow, who create employment, who drive innovation, and it led me to Connectd; 

Fast forward 3 years, and I now run our founder network across the UK and the US, working with over 3000 founders, 1200 investors, and 2500 portfolio professionals!

I now advise early-stage companies on the best practices to grow and scale, and am always open to meeting with new people and hearing new ideas, if you want some support, you can always drop me a message.

Here are some of Connectd's achievements since I joined back in 2021:

👋🏼 Connections made: 26,000+
🚅 Fastest $1.5m+ fundraise through platform: 6 days
😍 Biggest raise through Connectd: $3.7m
🎓 Advisors placed: 650+
💲 Funding rounds: 1200+
↗️ Connectd team: 70+
⬆️ $4.8m ARR within 3 years of launch
🚀 Connectd Seed Funding: $8.1m

Alexander Rose

We're thrilled to partner with HubSpot For Startups to bring HubSpot For Startups members in the UK, Ireland and the US access to free founder support. 
You'll get matched with a curated Advisory Board of three expert advisors who work pro bono for six months, helping you tackle your biggest go-to-market challenges.

The combination is powerful: HubSpot's AI-Powered Customer Platform (up to 90% off through HubSpot for Startups) paired with Connectd's network of operators means you get the tools, talent, and expertise to scale with confidence.

Read more and apply through the link in the comments

Head of Partnerships & Customer Acquisition @Connectd | Helping Companies Grow and Scale| London & Miami

🚀 Exciting things happening at Connectd over the next few weeks!

We’re wrapping up the year with a fantastic lineup of events bringing together founders, investors, and advisors from across the ecosystem 👇

📅 Nov 25th – GTM Labs Event with PLUGGED
 👉 https://lnkd.in/eVMRtCes

🌴 Dec 8th – Miami: South Florida AI Pitch Battle with Startup Grind - Details to come

🎉 Dec 9th – Connectd Member Xmas Mixer - Details to come!
If you’re interested in joining any of these, drop me a DM! 💬

Let’s finish 2025 strong 💪✨

 #Startups #Investors #Advisors #Networking #Connectd #StartupCommunity

🚀 The world of work is evolving — and a fractional future is already here.

Explore our new guide from Connectd on how senior professionals are redefining success by blending flexibility, influence, and purpose. 

Discover what’s driving the shift to fractional roles — and why now is the time to embrace expertise, collaboration & opportunity. 

👉 Read the full guide - https://lnkd.in/evx3VRp9

💡 If you’re a seasoned leader looking for freedom and fulfilment — or a business seeking agile talent — this is for you.

#FutureOfWork #FractionalLeadership #TalentStrategy #Connectd

Open article: Web Link by join.connectd.com

🎉 Excited to share that we'll be at the Startup Grind Fort Lauderdale “Techsgiving” Holiday Party — and you should be too!

📅 Nov 24
 📍 Batch New Southern Kitchen & Tap, Fort Lauderdale
 🎯 For: Founders, tech professionals, creators & investors

🔗 Why join?

Connect with founders, innovators, and investors in a relaxed, festive setting
Build meaningful relationships before the new year
Share your journey and discover new opportunities

💡 From the Connectd side:

 Events like this are where the best conversations happen. If you’re a founder or investor looking to grow your network or learn about advisor matching through Connectd, let’s talk.

✅ Register, bring your 30-second story, and come ready to connect.
 Drop a comment if you’re attending — happy to link up there.

Link to register in the comments!


#Startups #Tech #Networking #HolidayParty #StartupCommunity #FortLauderdale #Investors #Founders

Throughout my time at Connectd, I keep hearing the same thing from founders:
Once they bring the right advisor on board, something shifts.Sometimes the impact is obvious. 

Their pitch tightens up, the story finally lands and investor meetings feel completely different. Other times it is more subtle, but you can sense it. 

They show up with more clarity and direction, and investors pick up on that straight away.

If you’re getting ready for a round, we’re running a session on 26 November at 2PM GMT / 9AM EST about how advisors can help founders raise with more confidence.

Save your spot 

→

Open article: LinkedIn: Log In or Sign Up by linkedin.com

🚀 Founders: Want to land your first 100 customers?

Excited to share that Connectd is partnering with Plugged on a practical GTM workshop evening built for early-stage teams ready to create real traction.

📅 November 2025
 📍 Shoreditch Exchange, London
 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eVMRtCes

This is a hands-on, no-fluff event with two focused workshops:

🛠 Workshop 1

Audience Clarity & Value Proposition — Get precise on who you serve and why you win.

🛠 Workshop 2

Lead Magnet & Landing Page Design — Build something usable immediately to convert interest into pipeline.

Expect actionable frameworks, founder community, plus food, drinks, and meaningful conversations.

Perfect for:

 ✔ Pre-seed/seed founders
 ✔ MVP-ready startups seeking early traction

You’ll leave with clearer positioning, a lead magnet concept, a tighter landing page, and new founder connections.

Looking forward to collaborating with Plugged and meeting founders building momentum.

#startups #founders #GTM #growth #Connectd #Plugged #traction

Open article: GTM Labs: Zero to 100 Customers // Workshops + Mixer · Luma by luma.com

GTM Labs: Zero to 100 Customers // Workshops + Mixer · Luma

🚀 New Whitepaper: How Fractional Leaders Can Accelerate Startup Growth

As a founder (or investor), you know the power of ambition—but rapid growth also brings complexity, competing priorities, and capacity constraints. That’s where fractional leadership comes in.

We’ve just published a deep-dive whitepaper that explores:

- Why fractional executives are becoming the go-to for startups navigating constrained time and capital. 
- The three core impact areas: Go‑to‑market; Scaling & Operations; Product & Technology. 
- How to identify which capability gaps in your business are best filled by fractional leaders vs. advisors. 
- Real-world outcomes: how fractional CMOs, COOs, CTOs and more are helping startups professionalise, scale, and execute. 
- Why building a hybrid team — fractional execs + experienced board advisors can be a powerful strategy. 

💡 Why this matters:

- Fractional leaders bring senior-level experience without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire. 
- They help shift your business from reactive problem-solving to strategic, scalable execution. 
- This model gives you the flexibility to bring in high-impact leadership exactly when and where you need it. 

📚 Whether you’re raising your next round, preparing for scale, or building your go-to-market playbook — this guide offers actionable insights for optimising leadership at every stage.

👉 Read it now: https://lnkd.in/enuMmw5u

 📞 And if you want to explore how Connectd can help you build your board-level team, let’s talk.

Open article: How Fractional Leadership Can Accelerate Startup Growth by connectd.com

Whether you need a fractional CMO to refine your go-to-market strategy, a fractional COO to build scalable systems, or a fractional CTO to shape your product roadmap, these leaders bring targeted expertise precisely when and where you need it most. Where fractional leaders deliver the greatest impact At Connectd, we most frequently see startups and scaleups seek fractional support in three key domains: go-to-market, scaling and operations, and product and technology. A fractional CMO, Head of Growth or Commercial Lead can leverage their expertise to help a startup move beyond experimentation to build a repeatable, data-driven sales and marketing engine. Beyond strategy, fractional marketing leaders implement robust measurement frameworks and team structures that ensure performance can be tracked, iterated and scaled. With disciplined product management and continuous feedback loops, fractional tech leaders transform innovation into an operational advantage. Fractional executives vs advisors: choosing the right model Both advisors and fractional leaders are valuable, but their roles differ in scope and engagement. The challenge lies squarely in Product and Technology, and the most effective solution may come from building a complementary team that combines fractional leadership, governance and strategic guidance. Alongside them, one or two board advisors with deep expertise in areas such as UX, architecture or product strategy could help shape direction at a strategic level. Working together, this blend of fractional executives, board advisors and a NED creates a balanced leadership structure — one that unites strategic vision with practical delivery. When you’re on the pitch playing the game, they’re your coaches, helping you see the bigger picture and make smarter moves.” Casey Stabile, founder The Evergreen Exchange How Connectd can help you find the right talent At Connectd, we specialise in identifying and matching exceptional fractional talent and expert advisors with the startups and scaleups that need them most.

How Fractional Leadership Can Accelerate Startup Growth

Really enjoyed this! Thank you Mike Harris!

Helping The Good Guys To Scale Their Business | Business Growth: Planning, Strategy, Coaching | 40 years of Success in the Construction Industry | Rock Star Podcast Host

The Biggest Challenges Business Leaders Are Facing in 2025

As we approach the conclusion of Season 3 of the #LeadersInStrategyPodcast, we are excited to present a series of special episodes filmed at the Festival of Entrepreneurs. In our first episode out now,, we posed a crucial question to some of the brightest minds in business: "What are the biggest challenges facing business leaders today?"

This episode features insights from a wide range of experts*. Listeners can expect candid discussions on a range of topics, including the common challenges hindering growth, financial constraints, and the risks associated with inaction.

Whether you are a first-time founder, a business owner, or hold a leadership position within a company, this episode offers valuable lessons from those who have navigated similar paths.

📺 Watch on our YouTube channel (see link in the comments below) or 🎧 listen on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Podbean & Podchaser.

Don't miss out! Subscribe to our weekly podcasts and engage in the conversation 🗣️👂.

* Richard Harpin, Sir Liam Fox, Dave Stubberfield, Alexander Rose, Jeannette Linfoot, Laura Burton, Megan Stachini, Will de Bolla, Daniel Broome, Mark Robinson, Chris Thurgood, Paul B., Mohsin Hassan, Jon Mowat, Hattie D'Souza, Rachael Jackson, Phillipa Nicholson, Graham Rowan
Alex Chisnall, James Ashwood, Benjamin Thomas, Tobi Wozniak, Sian Brennan-Todd #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs

#Leaders #Strategy #Podcast #BusinessGrowth #BusinessStrategy #StrategusConsulting

Big news we’re excited to share.

We’re thrilled to share that we’re partnering with Fuel Ventures 🚀 to support their portfolio of exceptional, fast-growing startups.

Fuel Ventures backs some of the UK’s most ambitious founders, and this collaboration will give their teams access to Connectd’s fractional executive network and pro-bono advisor programme - providing the specialist expertise, leadership and support that ambitious early-stage companies need at critical moments of growth.

Clement Bigot, our Head of Startups, summed it up well: 
“Our mission is to help ambitious founders succeed by giving them access to the right people at the right time. Partnering with Fuel Ventures is an incredible opportunity to bring even more value to a world-class portfolio and help accelerate their journeys.”

And as Christina L. from Fuel Ventures shared: 
“Our founders move quickly, so the support around them needs to move just as fast. Connectd’s network gives them access to the right people at the right moment. Practical, hands-on advisors who can make a real difference when it counts.”

A huge thank you to the Fuel Ventures team for trusting us to support your founders - we can’t wait to get started.

If you’re in the Fuel portfolio and want to understand how this support works, just drop us a message.

The Grafter

We work with entrepreneurs to create their freedom this tends to look a lot like helping them create a roadmap for growing, scaling and exiting their business.

We have successfully sold two businesses on behalf of our clients during 2021 and 2023. A 7 and 8 figure exit respectively.  

We have a team of 9 Exiteers TM who have expertise across healthcare, pharma, consultancy, recruitment, data . professional services, FMCG and Fintech.

Founder

Careology

Non Executive Director

UCL Global Business School for Health

Coaching, Mentoring and Lecturing.  Health Executives in Residence (HEiRs) are helping reimagine healthcare for the future but also ensuring graduates get an experience that mirrors the real work of health.

Health Executive in Residence 

Difrent

Difrent is a professional services partner delivering business outcomes and change #techforgood.

As CEO I am responsible for our company vision, strategy and culture, day to day I am the face of Difrent with thought leadership, podcasting and public speaking.

Difrent delivered

£4.3m in 2018/19, £7.2m in 2019/20, £8.9m in 2020/21, £9.5m in 21/22 and is on target for £10m in 22/23.

Chief Executive Officer

NHS Digital

Lead the transformation programme of all patient facing, self care and prevention activities as a key domain within the Paperless 2020 Programme (£4.2bn).

Assembled the delivery function responsible for landing a £400m digital transformation of all patient facing services across the NHS, 260 staff.
Delivery of a Digital Delivery Centre in Victoria for 150 staff (collaboration space, agile working)
Creation of NHS.UK, a central network of services provided by national, local and third sector organisations.  Transforming an existing service managing 50m users to transactional digital services.
Deliver Wifi to all primary and secondary care settings across the UK
Deliver Personal Health Records using local and national solutions to citizens across the UK.
Worked extensively with the startup's to open up NHS data (sandbox environment to create an ecosystem) and deliver a programme of accredited Apps & Wearables
Citizen ID, ability to authenticate citizens with the NHS and therefore push value add services to citizens such as register with a GP, Booking appointment, electronic prescriptions etc
Widening Digital Participation programme to up-skill the most hard to reach citizens with digital skills (target of 80,000)

https://www.nhs.uk/transformation/

Digital Delivery Director 

The Nursing and Midwifery Council

Assessed and improved IT and Digital services for a Health regulator supporting 700,000 members globally

Dramatically improved IT and digital services as interim CTO for the Nursing & Midwifery Council
Hit the ground running, assessing IT systems, processes and strategy and presenting solutions for improvement
Introduced a program to improve leadership, talent, governance, capability, KPIs and critical success factors
Led assessments for improvement and successfully introduced radical new change and transformation structures
Replaced contractors with permanent staff and re-let key contracts stripping 30% out of the cost base (£3m saving in year)
Re procured IAAS contract at 40% saving and improved SLA
Achieved 92% uptake on Digital services across customer base of 700,000 globally

Led Business Transformation programme to re-define Target Operating Model work. CSF included 30% reduction in cost model, consolidation of office premises, drive to digitize services.

Transformation Director/CTO

The National Archives, UK

Maintaining the capability of Technology to provide an effective service to the business whilst a permanent CIO is sort.

Understand the risks and issues within infrastructure, systems and services and provide options to remediate where there is a potential or otherwise for a material impact to the business.

Shaping a new IT Operating Model to enable a more effective and efficient IT operation for the business as a whole. 

Put in place strong governance processes to ensure IT aligns with business objectives, ensures value creation and manages the risks throughout the IT lifecycle

Assist TNA in identifying and building stronger links with central technology/digital functions such as but not limited to GDS

Chief Technology Officer (Interim)

Government Digital Service

Interim roles at GDS, DFE and The National Archives

Interim Chief Technology Officer

Department for Education

Stabilisation of Core Infrastructure
Right provisioning IT across the organisation
Establishing clear business engagement channel with end - end processes underpinned by ITSM and P&PM systems
Transformation of Leadership team
Implementation of a Technical Design Authority
Develop and implement IT Vision/Strategy and execute Target Operating Model
Targeted to save 46% of RUN costs

Chief Information Officer (Interim)

Kier Group

Responsible for all aspects of client-facing service delivery and adoption of new technologies
	
•	Top-level exposure to cutting-edge technology as an evangelist for digital and mobile space solutions
•	Focused on overseeing provision of mission-critical services to 5,000+ users across 50 external clients
•	PMO management responsibilities, overseeing and controlling the scheduling & delivery of projects
•	Leadership, management and motivation of a multi-functional team of 50+ staff based across the UK
•	Client-facing, working with Severn Trent Water, South West Water, Ericsson & local authority clients

Services Director

Founder at The Grafter | Delivering Growth, Scale & Exit

⚡ Most founders don’t plan their exit.❌ 80% of businesses aren’t sellable, as they rely on founder💥 I’ve done 2 exits - one a mess, one for £13.3M in 1000 days.👉 I help founders avoid the first, and nail the second.


-----------------------------------------

For the last few years, I’ve been building The Grafter - a founder-first advisory for leaders who want to scale, raise, and exit on their own terms. Our flagship Grow • Raise • Exit™ programme gives you the playbook I wish I had on my first exit. 

It’s designed for founders who are already running great companies but want to:

✔️ Grow revenue &amp; profitability without burning out
✔️ Raise the right kind of capital (and know when not to)
✔️ Exit with confidence — and maximum valuationAnd this isn’t theory. Between us, our team of Exiteers™ have built and exited 10 UK consultancies worth £50M+. 

In the last few years, we’ve:
💥 Supported 37 founders through Grow • Raise • Exit - every one saw ROI within 3 months (some 10X’d it)
💥 Raised £44M for PharosAI to help predict cancer globally
💥 Sold businesses for clients, with multiple exits and acquisitions in play

Clients say our “secret sauce” isn’t just technical expertise - it’s our human approach. 

Supporting, challenging, and inspiring founders to achieve the one thing they’re really chasing: freedom.

Freedom isn’t given. It’s taken. 

I took mine. Now I help others take theirs. DM me to have a chat today 👉📩

Rachel Murphy ChMC FBCS

“How did you know this type of person was rich tho?”

"The outfit”

"You cannot tell from the outfit what do you mean” 😂

Ty The Venture Room - absolutely epic 🔥

Rachel Murphy 🧠

🚀 0 → £13.3m Exit in 1000 Days | 2x Exited Founder | 📈 Helping Founders Scale & Get Exit-Ready | 🥊 Fighter | 🌱 Recovery Advocate

A few years ago, Charlotte Talmage  set out to build something different.

Not just another consultancy, but a B Corp — a business that prioritises purpose alongside profit.

I first met Charlotte in October 2023, sitting on her sofa at her house (with the most beautiful labradoodle I've ever seen, by the way).

And I was blown away by how authentic and real she was.  Within minutes, I absolutely knew her business growth would be insane. 

She was bringing something incredibly unique to the table.

Most founders struggle to grow fast while staying true to their values. The conventional wisdom says you have to choose: scale quickly or build sustainably. Charlotte proved that's rubbish.
She built Uuna , a B Corp business consultancy, and scaled it to multi-million pound revenue in under 3 years.

Let me say that again: multi-million pounds. B Corp certified. Under 3 years.

That's not just impressive growth — it's a masterclass in building a values-driven business that actually works.

When I invited Charlotte to join our panel on 27 November, she didn't hesitate.

Because she knows what it's like to be in the thick of it, wondering if you can scale without compromising everything you stand for.

At our live The Grafter  event, Charlotte Talmage will share: → How she achieved rapid growth while maintaining B Corp certification → The breakthrough moments that changed everything → What actually worked when building a consultancy that stands out → The honest truth about balancing purpose and profit at scale

This isn't theory from someone who's "thinking about" social impact.  This is real numbers, real growth, and real lessons from someone who's done it.

If you're wrestling with how to scale without losing your soul, or wondering if it's actually possible to build fast AND build well — you need to hear Charlotte's story.

Grab your spot: https://lnkd.in/eugXbPqg

What. A. Week. 😪

After months of planning, late-night calls and “is this actually happening?” moments… Our new Grafter platform officially launched 🎉

The WhatsApp’s been buzzing, the new platform’s live, and 20+ founders have already jumped into paid memberships. Massive.

But behind the scenes? Absolute chaos. 

Monday morning (launch day) was an absolute car crash — the website went down, payments glitched, and for a moment it felt like we’d broken the internet (in the bad way). 

On top of this… I was balancing:

✈️ Four flights (thank god for BA WiFi) 
💻 15 hours facilitating an off site for a digital board client
📄 Investment paperwork stacking up.
🎙️ Podcast ep launch – where the tables turned and Sally interviewed me on The Exiteer pod.

…and somewhere in the middle of all that, my asthma control has gone to shit so had to skip my run this morning. 

I’m honestly thrilled with how the launch’s gone (amazing given where this week started 🤣) — but one thing surprised me: how much personal touch people still need to convert.

Even at a lower price point, founders want that 1:1 reassurance, the “is this really for me?” chat.

It’s a good reminder that even as we move toward self-serve, trust still scales through humans.

And even better given that this is much more what I’m accustomed to!!!

Next up:

Locking in our November event to prove again how f**ing brilliant this community is.*

Tightening internal ops (growing & launching fast always means staying on the pulse with who owns what).

And catching my breath… literally.

Big thanks to everyone who’s helped get us here.

We’ve built something special — now we just need to keep showing people why it matters. 💥

Sounds like one of my coaching sessions 😂

taplio

The Battle

Alexander Rose

Rachel Murphy ChMC FBCS

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreAlexander Rose's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreRachel Murphy ChMC FBCS's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Alexander Rose

Rachel Murphy ChMC FBCS

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Alexander Rose's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreRachel Murphy ChMC FBCS's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreAlexander Rose's LinkedIn Performance