I have sat in the founder chair while investors said no. I evaluate companies by asking the questions that were behind those nos, the ones investors think but rarely say out loud.
Managing Partner, Ironwood Growth Partners
I have been the founder staring at an inbox full of silence. I have built 8 companies across three continents, raised millions, and felt the specific frustration of doing everything the advice said to do and still hearing "not a fit" with no reason attached.
That experience is why Ironwood exists. The fundraising world is full of noise: gurus selling one weird trick, consultants promising introductions, and investors who, understandably, do not have time to tell you what went wrong. So founders are left guessing.
I decided to be the opposite of that. I am the person you come to first. Here is what I stand behind, on every read: you get your score across all four categories, the specific objections investors will raise about your company, and the first three things to fix, in order. You can hold me to all of it. I cannot promise funding, and no one honest can. What I promise is that you will never again wonder why.
Contact DavidCompanies Founded
Jamaa Enterprises
DR Congo: 5 operating companies including brick manufacturing, trucking, farming, solar, and construction. 300+ employees.
Point Innovate
Ghana: Solar and battery product distribution across West Africa. $500K seed raised.
Kailo Energy
Utah: Home battery storage hardware. $1M+ seed raised. Exited during Series A raise.
Data Remodeler
England: Automated platform that analyzes, remodels, and modernizes legacy data systems. Proven at national scale, including a £6.5M long-term data archive for the UK NHS. Currently self-funded.
Most deal-flow platforms are run by finance professionals who have never built a company. I have built 8. That changes how I evaluate teams, assess product risk, and pressure-test financial models.
A 74 is a 74. I do not inflate scores to win business. And the number is only half the read. Two companies can both score 74 and fail differently: one has a strong product and a vague use of funds, the other has thin defensibility and a sharp capital plan. I tell you which one you are and what to fix first.
My goal is the introductions that fit, not the highest count. I would rather send one perfectly matched deal than ten that waste everyone's time.
My network includes US investors, middle-market investment banks, debt financing firms, and strategic acquirers in Asia. I bring deal opportunities and funding sources that pure-domestic platforms do not have access to.