Exclusive Masterclass: The Story That Got You Here, Won't Get You There.
Is the story that got you here the story that is now holding back your growth?
There is a version of your business that investors back on the first meeting. That government buyers immediately understand. That the right partners come looking for.
Most founders never reach it. Not because the business isn’t good enough. Because the story isn’t.
And here is what makes that so costly: the story holding you back isn’t wrong. It got you to this point. It just hasn’t kept pace with where you are going.
The companies pulling ahead right now all have one thing in common.
Their story finally landed with the people who decide.
Not because they hired a PR firm. Not because they rewrote their deck. Because they understood that narrative is not a communications tool — it is a strategic asset. And when it works, three things change at once: there is clarity about what the business actually is and where it is going; there is credibility with every audience that matters; and growth becomes a pull, not a push.
The founders who struggle to raise, who lose contracts to less capable competitors, who can’t get the right partners in the room — they are almost never losing on the strength of their business. They are losing on the signal it sends.
In one session, here is what we are going to get into.
Dominic Walters will lead the session. There will be time for questions, with Phil Harvey and the IMCC team joining to share perspectives and go deeper on what you are navigating.
– The two narrative traps — that kill funding conversations before they start, and exactly how to catch them in your own story
– Why the consulting work you took on to stay alive, the jargon you lead with, or still calling yourself “early-stage” — could be telling investors exactly the wrong thing
– The four questions — that separate a story built for survival from one built for scale
– A real reframe — that changed an investment thesis without changing a single thing about the business
– What shifts across investors, customers, partners, and your own team — when clarity cuts through, credibility builds, and growth stops feeling like a battle
Who this is for.
CEOs and founders of engineering-led, deep-tech, and science-led companies in energy, defence, space, infrastructure, AI, and emerging technology.
Especially if you are preparing a raise, entering a new market, engaging government or strategic partners — or you have simply outgrown the story you have been telling and you know it.
This is not a session for communications or marketing teams. It is a session for the people making the decisions about where their business goes next.
Clarity. Credibility. Growth. Three things that change the moment the right story lands with the right people.
What we'll get into:
- The two narrative traps that kill funding conversations before they start and how to spot them in your own deck and messaging
- Why your consulting revenue, your technical language or your early-stage identity might be sending exactly the wrong signal to investors right now
- The four questions that separate a story built for survival from a story built for scale
- What happens across investors, customers, partners and your own team when the narrative finally cuts through
- A real example of a single strategic reframe that changed an investment thesis without changing the business
And then — for a select group — the conversation continues.
A number of attendees will be invited to join us for drinks in London on the evening of Monday 6th July. Time and venue will be shared with selected guests directly.
An informal evening. The same founders and leaders. Deeper conversation, real stories, and time with the IMCC team.
Register now — Thursday 2nd July 2026 · 1:00PM London
Free to attend. Places are limited.
Register at: https://luma.com/c1rovvk8
Your hosts.
Dominic Walters
Founder, IMCC Intelligence
Dominic has spent 30 years inside complex, high-stakes organisations — building the narratives that moved markets, secured investment, and drove growth. He works with founders and leadership teams at critical inflection points: the raise, the market entry, the moment the story has to change. He is also the author of Harnessing the Power at Your Fingertips, a leader’s guide to B2B marketing communications.
Phil Harvey
Strategic Adviser
Phil works with ambitious B2B technology and infrastructure businesses — PE-backed and growth-stage companies with strong products and real market opportunity, where the narrative, positioning, or route to market hasn’t yet caught up with the ambition. His background spans client-side, agency, entrepreneurial, and global PLC roles across B2C, B2B technology, aviation, energy transition, and infrastructure. He brings the judgement to know when a business needs a big strategic shift — and when it simply needs focus, alignment, and momentum.
Lulu Laidlaw-Smith
Strategic Partner, IMCC Intelligence
Lulu brings deep commercial and strategic experience across energy, technology, and defence. She will moderate the session and the Q&A alongside Phil Harvey and the IMCC team.
Hosted by Dominic Walters, IMCC Intelligence.
Moderated by Lulu Laidlaw-Smith, Strategic Partner.