London Founders Breakfast with Robert Walsh
Founding a company is hard. Doing it in isolation is harder. This is a morning designed to change that.
Growth Division is bringing together a curated group of startup founders from across London for a relaxed, high-value morning of coffee, conversation and meaningful connection. No panels. No pitches. Just honest discussions with people who understand the realities of building a company.
Whether you're refining product-market fit, scaling your team, navigating fundraising or figuring out your next growth lever, this is a space to share experiences and learn from others at a similar stage. Expect practical conversations, useful introductions and relationships that extend beyond the room.
Agenda for the breakfast:
8:30-9am arrival and networking
9-10am roundtable discussion
10-10:30am networking and wrap-up
This gathering features a special guest.
We're keeping the group intentionally small to prioritise quality over quantity. Register your interest if you've been invited by one of our team or another guest. If you're a London-based founder who values thoughtful conversation and strong networks, we'd love to have you join us.
Breakfast and coffee included.
Special Guest: Robert Walsh
A well-respected Board Member/Advisor, Investor, and global capital markets expert.
My journey into finance started at Credit Suisse First Boston, where I joined as a data scientist in the asset securitization group. It was an intense, high-performing environment, and as CSFB became the #1 player in the space, I grew with it—eventually being asked to relocate to London to help replicate that success in the UK team.
That move marked the middle of a 20+ year career in capital markets banking, where I held Managing Director roles at Dresdner Bank and UniCredit. While at UniCredit, I began investing my own capital into early-stage companies. I found myself increasingly drawn to the energy, creativity, and determination of founders—especially those building from unconventional backgrounds like mine.
Ten years ago, I leaped. I left banking with high conviction that my future was in Venture Capital. I’ve spent the last decade investing my own capital in the space, learning the craft from the ground up. Seven years ago, that conviction sharpened further—I realized that Pre-Seed investing, particularly backing industry experts reimagining the software stacks of legacy industries, was where I could deliver the most value. Since then, I have led 45 PreSeed investments and sat on over a dozen boards.
That belief led to the creation of our strategy. It is simple but focused:
● We back industry experts building vertically-focused software companies that are transforming outdated sectors.
● We engage deeply post-investment—taking board seats, embedding hands-on Venture Partners, and activating the QVentures community (1,800+ founders, 1,200+ investors) to accelerate growth, remove friction, and support future fundraising.
● We bridge the Pre-Seed to Seed gap, positioning our companies for success with institutional investors and later-stage capital.
I’ve been in the shoes of the people we back—coming from a non-traditional background, building conviction over time, and betting on myself. Now I’m backing others doing the same.