What is Helm & how does it work?

Our community of high-growth founders meet regularly to share knowledge, ideas and sometimes just vent with people who get it.

Helm is a leading community for the scale-up founders.

Forum

Your second non-advisory board.

Events

A diverse roster of events including workshops, roundtables, socials, online seminars.

Support

From like-minded founders and experts.

Learn more

Hear from some of our members

Rob Hamilton
The Instant Group/littleparmoor

“I’m happy sharing my experiences of a Warranty Claim after selling to Private Equity and particularly trying to help those exiting from avoiding this in future or at least reducing the damage if it happens to them!  I also like being involved in the Supper Club Investment club - trying to help earlier stage founders develop their businesses and raise money from exited founders too.”

Louise Dell
Founder, Kyero

"Membership of Helm has been invaluable for me both personally and professionally. The support from other members is incredible and I’m always blown away by how generous and open other business owners are with their time, advice and ideas.

My biggest learning has been that every business, no matter the size, industry or revenue, has the same fundamental issues and that every business owner can support and learn from each other. The ability to share in a confidential setting is critical for personal and business success."

Stuart Miles
Founder, Pocket-lint

"Becoming a Helm Forum chair has been a great experience. The role allows me to hear and learn from other founders, as well as working with the group to support and guide the forum members through complex situations, issues, or puzzles. It’s really rewarding to see many of the things I’ve learnt running my own businesses helping others."

Stephen Sacks
Founder, Funding Nav

"I have bought, sold and developed businesses throughout my career that have reflected my changing interests and opportunities that presented themselves. I started in fashion, building the Muubaa leather brand before going into furniture, then finance, founding Funding Nav and most recently property with the acquisition of Forward Thinking Lettings.

I have been a member of Helm for almost 20 years now and the learning and network that it has given me has been invaluable in helping me on my journey."

Our membership

Take the next step on your founder’s journey

So what happens when I join?
Interview with the Helm team

Speak to the team to help us understand you, your challenges and make sure we find a Forum that is the right fit.

Membership Analysis

The Membership team will look at the Forum options and analyse your character, business and what you’d like to get out of Forum.

Introduction to Forum Chair

You’ll be connected with a Forum Chair for an initial chat. This is vital for you and the Chair to determine whether the Forum is the right fit.

Forum Onboarding

Once confirmed, the membership team will onboard you into Forum, set you up with the other members and coordinate your first Forum meeting.

What Happens in Forum

A non-exec advisory board constructed for you to air your challenges, build strategies and get advice from a curated group of high-calibre peers.

Who will be in my Forum?
We aim for a diverse mix of business size and industry in each group to allow for ideas and inspiration from a range of founders.

Who is the Chair?
Your group will be chaired by a Helm member further along on their founder journey, usually exited (sometimes multiple times), with NED experience.

What do I get out of it?
Think of Forum as a ready-made board of NEDs at your disposal, ready to challenge you, keep you accountable and provide inspiration when you need it most.

Most Forum groups become life-long friends as they ride the waves of their founder journey.

£21m
Average member revenue
400+
Scale-up members
200+
Events a year
Learn more about membership

Meet some of our Forum Chairs

Stuart Miles

Founder of Pocket-lint and Squirrel. Now a Strategic Advisor & Board Member.

Stephen Sacks

Founder of muubaa sold to management. Now active angel investor and founder of Funding Nav.

Rob Hamilton

Founder of The Instant Group sold to Private Equity. Now active angel investor including Grubby, Frameworks & Revvies.

Richard Coombes

Executive business coach working with founders of fast growth SMEs & large corporate clients.

Jane Gomez

Previous Managing Director of Helm with incredible knowledge of scaling to exit to help members grow their business faster.

Mark Colquohon

Founder of Solar Communications sold to Private Equity. Now active angel investor & advisor working with scaling businesses.

Start application

Join a community of like-minded founders today