pathfinder.

Helping UK SMEs Thrive.

Better diligence. Stronger portfolios. A real reason to choose you.

Pathfinder gives investors a structured operational lens - so you know what you're buying into, and keep compounding value after the deal closes.

or See how it works for founders →

Portfolio Health Intelligence for Investors

Introduction

Most portfolio issues don't start in the numbers — they show up first in how a business is operating. Pipeline quality weakens. Deals stall. Forecast confidence drops. These signals often surface late in board conversations, when options are already limited.

Pathfinder gives VCs earlier visibility of these issues and clarity on how to act.

What does Pathfinder do?

A capability system to guide SMEs to sustainable growth

Surfaces Issues Earlier

Identifies execution constraints before they show up in KPIs or board discussions, through every stage of growth.

Creates Portfolio Visibility

Builds a consistent, comparable view across SME portfolio companies.

Targeted Investor Support

Shows where and how investors can support companies — through capital, advisory, or network:

•Capital (hiring, capacity, GTM expansion)

•Advisory (pipeline, conversion, forecasting)

•Network (customers, partners, key hires)

Drive Focused Execution

Translates gaps into clear 90-day priorities with founders.

How do VCs use it?

DD Lens — Pre-investment

→Surface execution risk alongside due diligence

→Identify gaps not visible in financials

→Agree a post-investment baseline with founders

Portfolio View

→Compare execution strength across companies

→Identify common patterns and risks

→Prioritise where support is needed most

→Build comparable benchmarks across companies and over time

Pathways — Founder execution layer

→Convert gaps into focused priorities

→Strengthen execution systems

→Track progress over time

Board and Operating Partner use

→Support IC discussions and portfolio reviews

→Strengthen SME board conversations

→Help operating partners focus where to spend time

Investor Value

Earlier visibility

See issues before they impact performance.

Better decisions

Make decisions with clearer signals for IC and oversight.

Portfolio clarity

Compare execution across companies and build portfolio benchmarks.

More effective support

Apply capital, advisory and network help where it makes a difference.

Portfolio Health Intelligence for Investors

Built to support IC discussions, portfolio reviews, and SME board conversations

Helping investors maximise both their capital and their value-add to portfolio companies.

DD Lens

erfhrrg

James Thornton · early revenue

60%

57%

68%

53%

50%

20%

Work-ons

Strengths

Team Alignment Signal

Partial misalignment

Some divergence detected across Staff and Customer areas. 3 team members assessed · avg. 18% divergence.

Used by operating partners and investment teams to prioritise where to focus across the portfolio.

Portfolio

Capability Growth

Customers↑ Up 12%61%

Partners↑ Up 14%50%

Still to build together this quarter

You understand and articulate the expected WIN WIN impact and value you can have on and with your Partners.

You engage in Co-sells with Partners in customer opportunities.

Built since partnership started

You have formalised arrangements into Partnership agreements.

You have been introduced to new customers through your Partners.

Staff↑ Up 7%75%

Shareholders↑ Up 8%29%

Community→ No change0%

Environment→ No change20%

Typical Impact Areas

Across SME portfolios, in early use the most common improvements include:

→20–40% reduction in wasted sales effort

→10–20% improvement in conversion rates

→10–25% shorter sales cycles

→Improved forecast confidence in board discussions

Run a pilot across a subset of portfolio companies

→ Generate immediate insight into execution risks and value creation.

The problem

What's missing in most investor workflows.

Blind spots in DD

The data room tells you what a business has built. Pathfinder tells you whether the team, structure, and capabilities are in place to take it further.

Founders who drift

Post-investment progress goes quiet. Without structure, momentum stalls and you find out too late.

No structured comparison

Hard to benchmark companies at the same stage. Gut feel isn't a framework.

Competitive deal flow

Founders choose investors who add real value. The right infrastructure makes that case.

What we solve

Before you invest

After you invest

Winning the deal

Pre-Investment

DD Lens

Know what you're investing in - before you commit.

A structured operational diagnostic that surfaces capability gaps, leadership alignment, and operational maturity that financial DD misses.

3 DD Lens credits per quarter

Deploy on any founder at any stage of your pipeline - run a DD Lens before the term sheet, not after.

Full capability diagnostic

Scores across all 6 stakeholder areas with risk flags and maturity benchmarks vs stage peers.

Side-by-side comparison dashboard

All your DD Lens results in one view - compare pipeline companies on the same framework, not gut feel.

Without Pathfinder

Founder pitch deck (self-reported)Subjective

Financial model (founder-prepared)Subjective

Reference call notes (unstructured)Subjective

Gut feel scoreSubjective

With DD Lens

Operational readiness score

64%Structured

6 stakeholder areas scoredStructured

Customers

Partners

Staff

Shareholders

Community

Environment

Risk flagsGovernance AlertWatch Closely

Structured

Benchmarked vs stage peers+12% above avg

Structured

Same company. Two different pictures. Only one you can act on.

No login required

Post-Investment

Portfolio

See everything. Before your founders tell you.

Full Pathways access for every founder in your portfolio - with a single dashboard showing progress, risks, and attention flags across every company.

Risk and attention flags

The dashboard surfaces capability areas in decline, overdue actions, and leadership misalignment - you see problems before the founder tells you.

Quarter-by-quarter progress

See which investments are building operational maturity and which are stalling, tracked across every 90-day cycle.

The investor differentiator

Your founders get structured support, expert advisory, and a clear growth plan - included as part of your investment. That's why they'll choose you.

Portfolio Health Dashboard

4 companies · illustrative data

54%

Avg Readiness

Attention Flags

Momentum Retail Ltd

Sarah K · early revenue · 3 scans

Watch Closely

Operational Readiness62%

Customers

82%

Partners

35%

Staff

28%

Shareholders

70%

Community

55%

Environment

60%

Support needed

Staff (40% ready)

-8% since last scan

Forge Logistics

Tom B · scaling · 5 scans

Governance Alert

Operational Readiness71%

Customers

85%

Partners

15%

Staff

72%

Shareholders

88%

Community

60%

Environment

65%

Support needed

Partners (15% ready)

+4% since last scan

Candour Health

Priya M · early revenue · 2 scans

Watch CloselyStalled

Operational Readiness44%

Customers

20%

Partners

55%

Staff

18%

Shareholders

60%

Community

Environment

45%

Support needed

Customers (20% ready)Community (0% ready)

-22% since last scan

Fielder Studio

Dan W · pre-revenue · 1 scan

Governance Alert

Operational Readiness38%

Customers

45%

Partners

Staff

10%

Shareholders

55%

Community

40%

Environment

50%

Support needed

Staff (10% ready)Partners (0% ready)

First scan

All data shown is illustrative. Real portfolio data is private and visible only to you.

One joined-up system - for both sides of the table.

Founders move through Health Check, Revenue Clarity, and Pathways. You see all of it.