Connectd Reviews: Real User Experiences and Testimonials

What impact has completing the Transition to Portfolio programme had on your career path?

I had been interested in moving into advisory and ultimately NED positions as part of my career development path for a few years but didn’t really know where to start. 

When I came across Connectd and what they could offer, I jumped at the chance to get involved in a structured training, mentoring and support programme specifically tailored toward my career goals.

‍

Which aspects of the programme did you find most valuable in preparing you for board advisor roles?

What really struck a chord with me in the Board Advisor training were the sessions on translating past successes into my future career. Reflecting on my career journey to date and identifying how I can bring value in an advisory role was a valuable exercise. 

This helped shape my approach to building a board adviser CV, refining my personal brand, and preparing for interviews. That said, I’m definitely someone who learns best by doing, so I know I'll revisit elements of the training as I dive into this new role.

‍

How have the skills and knowledge you gained during the programme helped you secure your first portfolio role?

Above all, it was the approach to personal branding that helped me secure my first advisory role.  The founder had seen a video of me being interviewed at a recent conference. It was a great reminder of how powerful video content can be for personal branding, especially when you’re able to speak passionately about a market or area of business.

‍

Can you share a specific moment or lesson from the programme that significantly shaped your approach to advisory work?

For me, I found the mentoring sessions most impactful in terms of bringing the course material into focus and being able discuss the practical applications to my new board advisory role with my mentor. 

Having an actual board advisory appointment in place certainly brought our discussion into sharper focus and I’m sure I continue to find the mentoring sessions helpful as I move forward into the first few months of my advisory role.

‍

You've managed to secure your first board advisory role - congrats! Do you feel more confident and prepared to take on board advisor or fractional executive roles after completing the programme?

Starting anything new for the first time brings a mixture of excitement and trepidation.  However, I certainly feel more confident having worked through the Board Advisory course and, most importantly, having my mentor by my side to ask questions and provide valuable guidance.

‍

Learn more about our Transition to Portfolio programme here.

‍What is Iris Solar?

Iris Solar Technology offers an innovative, off-grid solar power generation and tracking device. The unit is fully encapsulated, and utilises dual-axial tracking to boost output by up to 40% compared to fixed panels. We successfully closed our first funding round, which gave us confidence to launch our next round in Q3 of 2024.

Most importantly, we are an eco-friendly tech company striving to provide electricity to people that need it most and reduce carbon emissions in the process.  We believe that our philanthropic identity and mission help us stand out on Connectd.

‍

How did you find out about Connectd and what made you decide to join the network?

It was word of mouth; our CTO, who I knew from my career in finance, had attended some of Connectd’s webinars and events which had really impressed him. I initially looked into the events, but quickly saw that Connectd covered so much more for early-stage founders like myself including facilitating connections with investors, finding NEDs and advisors, job postings and even legal documentation. Once I understood the whole package Connectd provided, I joined up in mid-2023. We  quickly 'got connected' with people who now make up a key part of our team. As a result of these connections, we have grown at an exponential rate.

‍

Tell us a little more about connecting, and working with, Portfolio Professionals from within the Connectd network

Undoubtedly, the most valuable aspect of our membership has been the ability to post roles. For a long time, Iris Solar was basically just me; I ideated and developed the product on my own, and like many solo founders, I needed to fill some skills gaps, specifically by finding professionals with an engineering background.

Veteran engineers Chris Horne and Richard Earl fit the bill perfectly, and we also found three NEDs who joined to provide sales, marketing and fundraising support. It’s been an incredibly positive experience; the professionals we've found through Connectd have provided me with invaluable guidance and support, and really helped to strengthen the company. 

‍

What makes Iris Solar a great startup to work with?

For the  NEDs who have joined us, I think getting involved at the start was attractive, as was the fact that clean energy is central to combating climate change. The two individuals who have joined as engineering consultants are really enjoying helping to create an innovative and exciting product, whilst only having to commit to two or three days a week.

‍

What was the Genesis for Iris Solar? Was there a light bulb moment?

Back in 2019, I was working in Investment Banking whilst also doing a distance learning product-design course, and had a really weird dream about solar panels resembling flowers that track the sun; a strange fusion of technology and nature! I looked into whether there was anything similar and there weren't a lot of off-grid solar tracking units out there. Initially, it wasn’t a business idea and it was parked while I made a slow exit from finance. 

A little while after this, I did some financial consulting work for a friend of a friend who wanted to calculate the solar yield on land he owned in Somalia. I helped him work out the figures and it really made me realise how much the sun shines (outside of the UK!) and the global solar potential.

In the summer of 2023,  I finished my most recent finance consultancy role and felt that it was the right time to start building Iris Solar.

‍

What are the next steps for Iris Solar?‍

It’s a very exciting time right now - the kickstarter campaign launched at the end of August 2024, then the seed funding round will happen off the back of that. The product will ship in summer 2025 to those who have invested via our kickstarter. In the meantime, we have lots of development work to get the product ready, and from early next year we’ll be putting our energies into marketing.

Our initial product launch will be the T1 unit, which is light and portable, and charges phones, laptops and devices as, universally speaking, these are the things most people possess. Further down the line, we'll look at producing bigger units to power appliances and other domestic needs, if the market’s there and if it’s profitable. Or we may simply develop different versions of the T1; for example, we could make a cheaper version of it for deployment in developing countries as a type of a poverty alleviation tool. The product has vast potential and I’m excited to see what the future holds for us

‍

What did you do before you embarked on a portfolio career? 

I worked with KPMG for 37 years and in the last nine years there, I had two executive roles: Global head of insurance and then global head of clients and markets.

I loved my time at KPMG but felt it was the right time to step down towards the end of 2022. At that time, I already had a couple of NED roles in organisations loosely associated with KPMG. After travelling for a few months, I turned my thoughts back to work and rather serendipitously, one of the Connectd team got in touch with me on LinkedIn.

‍

Why did you join Connectd?

A platform which brings startups together with NEDs and Advisors for mutual benefit definitely resonated with me but I think my main driver was the desire to really make an impact. Having spent my whole career working with large global organisations, I saw the complex governance structures in place, and it struck me that it could be difficult to really make your mark in an advisory capacity. With smaller, early-stage organisations, I felt I had something to offer that could be of more value to them. 

‍

Tell us more about how you found your role with After Cloud through the Connectd platform

I discounted a few opportunities with startups in the Connectd network who were SaaS or tech-led as I’d decided it wasn’t an area I was interested in. However, After Cloud, a digital storytelling platform, was advertising and I just loved what the company was doing.

I was drawn to the purpose of the company as I’m very interested in ancestry and family history.I spoke with the founder, Darren Evans, who explained that the initial application had been as a digital memory box people could create for their bereaved family and friends to remember them by once they’d passed away.

At this point, he’d also identified applications for the technology within the healthcare sector, providing a storytelling application to terminally ill patients and people with dementia to help nurture cognitive care. He was looking for two to three NEDs to help him continue the journey; he was really impressed by my experience and how much After Cloud’s mission resonated with me. 

Darren’s passion for his product and compassion for those it could help was what really drew me to the role, and I joined as an NED. I came to love the company and believe in what we’re doing so much that I also invested a small amount.The company has gone from strength to strength, and alongside those health and social care applications, we’ve forged partnerships with a diverse range of organisations, from classic car groups to social care providers, and even heritage organisations. 

‍

How have you found transitioning your skills to a portfolio career, especially working with startups?

There’s a big learning curve in terms of adapting to a more dynamic and fluid way of working. Darren works incredibly hard but he's very respectful of my time, so my focus has remained mostly strategic. However, one of the ways I can offer more is to leverage my contacts which can be a huge part of your value as a NED or advisor in an early-stage business. 

This is as much about mindset as skillset, but I've learned to trust in my own experience and expertise; Darren’s belief in me, and the support of the other NEDs has been instrumental.

‍

How has Connectd helped your portfolio career?

Simply put, if it wasn’t for Connectd, I wouldn’t be in this position, working with an organisation I’m passionate about. The platform allows matches like the one between myself and Darren possible; I really can’t see how else we would ever have connected with one another in a more ‘conventional’ way. It’s also offered me the work-life balance I want. Unlike my fellow After Cloud NED and Connectd member James Hunt, I don’t want to be working a full-time portfolio, but the fact that we have the freedom to choose our commitment levels is such a positive.

Connectd  is a place for small businesses with great ideas, looking to tap into the expertise of people, like me, who want to give something back and learn about working with entrepreneurs and fledgling businesses. I’ve recommended the Connectd platform to a lot of people; it’s  been such an enriching experience for me to work in a totally new way, I’ve already learnt so much, and I’m still learning even now.

‍