As part of this programme I've worked with founders in the US, UK, Africa, and the GCC who are building AI-native products for global users across lifestyle, legal, construction, design, social, ESG, agentic commerce, and professional sport.
Neil Mackintosh
I help pre-seed founders get clarity, close a raise, then build with purpose.
Founders aren't failing on product, they're failing on story, go-to-market, and proof anyone wants what they've built.
Accelerators optimise for cohort size, consultants bill by the framework, neither has sat on the other side of the table.
I'm a senior operator who's built and exited, in the room to help get you funded and executing the right way.
About me
I've spent over 30 years in product design and startup strategy, helping to grow dozens of companies in the San Francisco/Silicon Valley ecosystem from its very beginnings.
LinkedIn
AI-Me
You're going to build regardless — but are you building against a story that holds up or burning runway to find out it doesn't.
Working on your product feels safer, there's something to point to. It's active, visible, and speaks to what investors say they want to see: traction.
But traction nobody believes isn't traction, it's just proof of execution — you're hiding in a roadmap. Looking at whether your story holds is the harder, much more exposing thing to do.
The product teams I’ve led fought this same instinct constantly, and this is the discipline I’m bringing to your raise.
Here's the offer
Clarity sprint
Six weeks that get you raise-ready.
Not a cohort of shared sessions across companies, this is an individual partnership that drives momentum, fosters support, and delivers results.
The clarity sprint makes the rigours of pitching less stressful and more successful. It closes the gaps, addresses the weaknesses,
and gets you fully raise-ready.
Schedule a diagnostic call
Schedule a diagnostic call
Who
- Early signal MVP, first customer, waitlist — but no narrative investors believe in
- Heard "interesting, come back when you have traction," more than once
- A GTM that's closer to hope than a plan
- Your first raise, no one in the room who's done it before
(If you're not at this stage yet we'll talk about the product.)
Method
- Product framing — the real problem, in the customer's terms
- Investor narrative — a story that survives follow-up questions
- GTM proof — how customers actually buy, not a generic playbook
Format
- Six week engagement
- Weekly 1:1 (60–90 min), applied entirely to your company, your specific gaps
- Async support between sessions
Deliverables
- A positioning doc that survives "what do you actually do?"
- A deck built to withstand follow-up questions
- A GTM plan grounded in how customers actually buy
- The customer discovery framework itself, to keep using
- An honest, named read on what's still standing between you and a term sheet
Costs
- $2,500 admission fee, on acceptance
- $6,000 deferred fee, on your next milestone
- 0.5% equity, standard terms
Active raises
These founders are seeing the opportunity evolve as their companies take shape.
We're creating investor narratives that make sense, figuring out product positioning, stress-testing product-market fit assumptions.
AI Teacha
AI education platform - NigeriaMission Gaming
AI eSports platform - UKTiplo
AI MSK adherence platform - UK- (Founder/company tba)
- (Founder/company tba)
AITeacha
"Neil has been instrumental in shaping AITeacha's investor narrative and fundraising strategy during our pre-seed raise. What's made him invaluable is that he doesn't just help you craft a story, he pushes you to ground it in traction and market dynamics - and then renders it in impact deliverables (a beautiful deck, positioning and framework documents).
He has a perspective on the African tech ecosystem (four years with a Nairobi startup), so gets the opportunities and constraints founders navigate - making him thoughtful about where to invest energy in outreach.
Neil is founder-first and asks hard questions in the service of building something that works. If you're scaling a mission-driven company and need someone to help you tell that story to investors with clarity and authenticity, he's the kind of advisor you want in the room."
—Emmanuel Akpan, founder
Mission Gaming
"When you're building your own startup for the first time, you're juggling product, business model, customer strategy, and the psychological weight of uncertainty. What I found invaluable was having someone to talk through these things with - someone who's actually been through it themselves and seen so much across different markets and founder dynamics.
Neil's mentorship isn't abstract, it's pattern recognition from lived experience. The sessions gave me clarity on positioning, GTM strategy, and how to think about our business model through actual operator behaviour. But more importantly, they gave me confidence that the path forward is learnable."
—Jamie Hollern, founder
Build with purpose
This phase allows me to continue working with you and the team post-raise, to build against what the clarity sprint defined.
Or we can start here if the product is mature enough.
We'll look at the traction signals, sales motion, and customer experience - then upgrade to fully realise the opportunity. The narrative and positioning comes from the product data.
Method
- Product framing — the same problem, now built against, not just pitched
- Structural AI UX — intent and trust architecture
- Systemic design — built to hold as it scales, not just launch
Format
- Embedded in the team
- Collaborative / self-direction
- Manage execution and delivery
Deliverables
- The production-ready CX layer
- Visual/UI/UX patterns and direction
- Brand identity: design/voice
- Content design/creation
Costs
- Factored into the raise - itemised as a capital allocation
- Per project - relative to strategic or tactical needs
Product builds
Same thinking, new format.
Although these builds happened formally outside of this programme they asked the same questions: is this the right problem, does AI actually earn its place, and does the product hold together as it scales.
Design overview (PDF)
BraveLabs
AI solutions for organisational transformation - USSquarely
AI-powered ESG data gathering + reporting platform - GCCVelou
Product data infrastructure for agentic commerce - USNawaat Chronicles
AI search/discovery for content delivery platform - EU
BraveLabs
"Neil joined us during a critical re-launch to sharpen our value proposition. We were leading organisational transformation in the AI era, but we needed positioning that could actually close enterprise deals.
What sets Neil apart is his approach: he doesn't just "design," he embeds. He worked alongside our team to bridge the gap between our strategic vision and real customer pain points.
The resulting narrative and brand identity became the foundation for our internal alignment and external sales strategy.
For AI founders who need a partner to translate complex tech into a compelling commercial story, Neil is the person to call. Highly recommended."
—Ibanga Umanah, founder
Velou
"I worked with Neil during a pivotal phase at Velou as we refined our approach to agentic commerce and product positioning.
Neil helped us think about our problem in a much bolder, more strategic, and customer-centric way. He delivered innovative designs that resonated by telling a clear data story rather than overwhelming audiences with complexity. His ability to move between brand strategy, product design, UX, and content - always connecting back to the larger narrative - was exactly what we needed.
Neil thrives in ambiguous early-stage environments. For founders in complex or technical spaces who need help translating vision into compelling positioning and experience, he's an invaluable strategic partner."
