Connectd raises £5.5M to fuel growth of Its fractional executive platform

Connectd, the people-first platform connecting startups and scaleups with experienced fractional executives and strategic advisors, has raised £5.5 million, as it capitalises on 80 per cent growth this year and surpasses £8.6 million annual recurring revenue.

Since its founding in 2019, Connectd has facilitated over 25,000 connections (including investments, board appointments, and fractional hires) between startups and fractional executives. 

The UK- and US-based platform has raised $16 million to date and currently serves a community of over 3,000 fractional professionals and over 3,000 startups.

For startups and scaleups, working with fractional staff enables leaders to access elite perspectives and guidance without the associated costs and long-term commitments of a senior hire. This is especially relevant to nascent businesses that don’t need certain full-time C-suite roles but require expertise at specific, business-critical moments in the early stages of their growth. 

Fractional executives tend to be senior professionals with deep expertise who can advise multiple organisations simultaneously, in turn building a portfolio of different roles. Fractional working can be highly lucrative for experienced professionals with high-value skillsets in areas such as financial planning, tax advisory, marketing and strategy. 

Further, holding multiple fractional roles (such as part-time CMO, fractional Product Designer, or interim Strategy Officer) grants senior professionals a greater level of variety in their work, particularly when transitioning from a corporate background into self-employment.

“Imagine Warren Buffett coming into your office one day a week to tell you where you’re going wrong. Or Jony Ive giving you an hour’s feedback on your latest product rollout,” comments Roei Samuel, CEO and Founder of Connectd.

“With fractional engagements, companies can access some of the best minds on the planet without the associated costs.

You can get incisive specialist input, be it a suggested strategic pivot or finding a problem in your financial modelling, that unlocks transformative value for your business. Fractional simply is the future model for work.”

Connectd’s AI technology analyses a startup or scaleup’s financial data to intelligently match them with fractional executives and strategic advisors based on their specific business needs and growth stage. The platform can identify exactly when and where businesses need particular executive profiles — whether it’s a fractional CMO for a product launch or to capitalise on user growth, or a fractional CFO to lead a funding round or decrease a business’s burn rate - before then matching the business to specific professionals with those skillsets.

Connectd is also training future generations of fractional workers through its Innovation Academy, which provides advisors on the platform and includes tailored guidance on topics ranging from how to build a personal brand, governance, due diligence and how to monetise your services fractionally.

Anker Capital, and Stena & Swerve are supporting the next phase of development for the Connectd platform, alongside existing investors Steven Mail (Mail Venture Partners) and Alan Morgan (MMC Ventures).

Jonas Anker, Founding Partner at Anker Capital, comments, 

“We back paradigm-shifting startups, and Connectd does just that. Roei Samuel’s UK platform has evolved beyond smart investor matching to offer on-demand fractional talent — plug-in specialists who give founders instant execution power alongside capital and advice.

By leading this round we’re reaffirming our confidence in Roei and Connectd, and fuelling a fairer, faster blueprint for building early-stage companies.”