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Are you a startup founder looking to raise investment? Do you know how your proposition presents to a potential investor? We understand how crucial that initial interaction is - let's help you make the best first impression! Capital Pilot is an independent rating organisation. We measure the attractiveness of a startup or scale-up to potential investors. After answering a few questions and uploading their investment proposition (pitch deck and financial model), a bespoke 24-page assessment report will be delivered to the startup within 7 days of submitting their application. This report will contain bias-free, actionable feedback to help companies enhance the way they present themselves to potential investors. Our rating system combines data analytics with human insight to provide a company with an objective assessment of its investment proposition, as well as its scaling and fundraising potential. Our aim is to help founders identify and fix flaws in their investor proposition early, to maximise their chances of funding success. The faster they can achieve their required funding, the quicker they can return to focus on building their business. We believe in equal access to funding. For everyone. Everywhere.
United Kingdom
I purchased a pair of headphones from what seemed to be an amicable chap. But after the purchase I had a problem with them unfortunately he told me they were not allowed to be returned and I could not receive a refund Please people of Arnold be careful money 💰 to tight too throw away.
We got a gold award and past their DD.
They owe 40 plus of us 50k each from the boostfund. Just got a letter from (Maybe an administor) saying we are not getting the boost fund. Don't touch them with a barge pole.
I submitted my business proposal, and was rated Silver. I received copious feedback which I addressed and added a significant amount of content to the proposal.
I re-submitted and received a LOWER rating, even though my scores were higher in each of the sections.
I've emailed asking to speak to someone and have been completely ignored.
In the second round of feedback, there were suggestions to add content that was already in the proposal, which looks like it was not reviewed properly.
A frustrating piece of feedback was the proposal was "information overload" - which was due to addressing the large amount of advice on missing content.
So from using Capital Pilot I now have;
A 43 page proposal which is unusable
Confusion on how to improve it
A list of cold 'investors' I could have googled
And a lower rating than when I submitted it before their feedback.
My advice is save your money and try someone else.
Ideally i didn't want to complain on here, but if you don't respond to your customers, this is their only option.
Reply from Capital Pilot
Hello Nick, this is May, answering on behalf of Capital Pilot. I wanted to personally reply as apologies are in order: as explained over email, I had read your email and launched an internal investigation immediately in order to better understand what happened. In my haste to get that done, I did miss the mark on replying to inform you of next steps, and for that, I apologise.
There are a few things to address here, so I thought I'd reply in bullet points to make it easier to follow:
- Following the investigation - we are confident that your submission was reviewed in full, and in accordance with our procedures.
- In relation to the feedback you applied following your first rating - as you mentioned, we provide copious amounts of feedback on how to imprpve a company's investor proposition. Our aim is to replicate the experience of dealing with a typical VC associate who would expect key information to be summarised in the pitch deck, and then provide feedback from that perspective. A company's rating is not determined solely by the amount of information presented, but rather by the clarity of it. Part of our process in dealing with a returning startup is to assign the assessment to a different team of Startup Analysts in an effort to eliminate bias and provide additional feedback. I understand that it can be frustrating if some of the feedback is similar after you've addressed it, however, something to consider here is that it's similar to approaching different investors - a person is likely to receive different responses, as each investor would have had a different takeaway. This could indicate that the information presented could be further clarified or made to be easier to follow. We encourage founders to ensure that all critical information is clearly presented within the pitch deck and financial and
for supporting documents to be included via links within the pitch deck to provide additional context as needed.
- It is also worth noting that it is our policy to have returning customers get their proposition assigned to a different set of Startup Analysts. This is done in order to normalise and eliminate bias.
- Regarding the score being lower the second time around - as mentioned over email - our Product team informed me that there was a bug and your assessment's results was affected by it. The individual category scores (Market - Business Opportunity - Executability - Scalabality) were affected as a result of the bug, and the values shown in your report are incorrect. The analysis and recommendations from our Startup Analysts were unaffected as a result of this bug, which has since been fixed. The team provided me with the correct scores for your reference; which I sent over email for your reference.
- The list of best-fit investor matches is a service that is provided at no extra charge. We do not provide introductions as that is a regulated activity. The list is automatically generated based on the information provided during onboarding; the list presented to you is filtered from a much larger database and showcases those who have made investments in companies similar to yours (per stage, raise size, etc).
When I replied to you last, we offered you a Power Hour session as a way to make up for a less-than-stellar experience. I will send you another email now outlining our CCO's availability over the coming couple of weeks in the hopes that one of the time slots will suit you.
Sincerely,
~ May (on behalf of the Capital Pilot Team)
Richard and the team at CapitalPilot are completely committed to fairly evaluating startups using a powerful combination of data driven analysis and expert insight. Their reports are detailed and give the target company the opportunity to take a clear look at how they present their business and find essential improvements which potential investors will find useful. Getting an independent consultant to do this work would cost many more times the amount. We submitted a couple of times and each submission gave us great external insight. Their followup in funding the most promising businesses via the separate Boost Fund has been temporarily delayed by the current challenging funding environment but their commitment to navigate this and provide a great resource to startups is unrelenting.
Reply from Capital Pilot
Thank you very much for your review Dr. Peter. It's exactly as you said - we help companies understand how they present to potential investors, and we were very happy to read that the insights provided in each of the reports you received were so useful! We remain as committed as ever to helping startups in their fundraising and scaling journeys. Thank you for recognising our mission, and supporting it by providing a positive review.
~The Capital Pilot Team
Waste of time and money. Promised to invest but dragged for 10 months. We closed raised the funds and closed the round and they still kept promising funds in the future.
Reply from Capital Pilot
Hi Tornike, thank you for providing a review - we were sorry to read what you wrote here and wanted to clarify our stance to you and to any readers who might read this, lest they get the wrong impression.
Capital Pilot is an investability rating agency for startups, while the Boost Fund is a separate fund entity with third-party managers looking to invest in startups. Applicants pay a modest fee for a comprehensive assessment report which delivers huge value through the assessment of a startup’s investor proposition. Startups can then use the detailed feedback in the assessment report to improve their proposition, then reapply - which is unheard of in early-stage investment.
The Boost Fund makes use of Capital Pilot’s investability rating in order to make its investment decisions. Capital Pilot does not make any investments directly into startups, but equity investments into early-stage businesses are made by the investors we work with (e.g. Boost Fund).
We've consistently stated that Capital Pilot and the Boost Fund are two separate entities. The Boost Fund has experienced delays in completing their investments for reasons beyond their (or our) control, and we as Capital Pilot have nevertheless had biweekly status update calls with all qualifiers to keep them posted on progress.
We remain committed to ensuring that those who qualify for Boost Fund investment will receive it. We're doing all we can in order to deliver on the Fund's promise and also help qualifying companies find other sources of funding while we all await the completion of Boost Fund investments.
~The Capital Pilot Team
Having tried a few different investor platforms which didn't deliver, I was mindful to the upfront fee, especially when cash was so tight. However, fortunately we achieved a score high enough on the first try which meant we qualified for their Investment.
We were one of the first few companies to receive their investment, so yes the timetable was a bit longer than planned as they were still finalising their process. But they did relay the progress to us and were responsive to my emails.
Since the Investment, we have been invited to a few events and they have shared some tailored support. Though all in all they are a quiet investor, which is what most startups are looking for.
There are no complaints from me.
Reply from Capital Pilot
Hi Robert, thank you for taking the time to post such an honest review.
We know that the process at the beginning might have taken a bit longer than anticipated; since (as you wrote, we were still finalising the process), and we appreciate your being understanding of that and are glad that you recognised how transparent we were being in our communication!
We're very glad to hear that there are no complaints from you, and that the support we provided after the investment was to your standards. We will continue to work to improve our processes and to provide startups with whatever support they might need. Thank you once again for your vote of confidence and your review.
~The Capital Pilot
Capital Pilot is one of the few paid-for services that actually deliver value to founders raising investment for the first time - in a sea of dubious other platforms claiming to help you raise.
The independent assessment process is simple to go through and the detailed assessment report you get at the end of it is well worth the fee. It covers all the elements that an angel investor would look for in an investment proposition and how you fare in each of these areas, with tailored feedback and suggestions.
Having met the team in person, I can also say they are genuinely passionate about removing some of the bias in the fundraising process and access to funding. I always recommend their assessment to founders within my network who are seeking investment for the first time.
Reply from Capital Pilot
Thank you for your review Judy, and for recommending our services to others in your network. We're pleased to hear you got so much value from the report, and we loved meeting you in person!
We wish you and your team continued success, and look forward to seeing your progress!
~ The Capital Pilot Team
Used the Capital Pilot rating review during a recent fundraise. The report was very comprehensive and helped us improve our investor materials significantly. It represents tremendous value for money, pre-empting questions and objections from potential investors and as we all know you only get one chance to make a first impression!
We took the report’s recommendations on board and resubmitted improved documentation, and then received a £50,000 investment from Boost Fund I.
Would strongly recommend Capital Pilot to anyone looking to raise money for their early stage business.
Reply from Capital Pilot
Thank you for your review Johnny. We're thrilled to hear that you found the feedback so helpful, and that your careful consideration of our recommendations meant that you were able to improve your proposition further, and receive the funding!
On another note - we noticed that you gave us a 4 star review and would like to better understand how we can further improve our services. Would you be open to have a call with a member of our Customer Success team in order to provide us with that feedback?
~ The Capital Pilot Team
We were successful in securing the Capital Pilot Boost Fund of £50,000.
The process was easy and quick.
The report we received from our submission gave feedback on how we could strengthen our investor proposition. And, having been unsuccessful first time around, the report was good value for money, and the insights helped take us over the line with our resubmission.
Securing this investment has allowed us to develop our MVP, and attract further investment.
Thank you CP team!
Reply from Capital Pilot
Hi Catherine Ann, thank you so much for taking the time to leave us this review. We're happy to see that you were able to recognise the value of the feedback within the report to apply a second time and qualify for funding! Congratulations on building out the MVP - onwards and upwards!
~ The Capital Pilot Team
Excellent professional experience. Their assessment was extremely useful. Constructive, practical and clear. Highly recommend any startup rating themselves using this before raising another round or hiring top talent. We will go through their assessments at least twice a year to be aware. Their teams are also helpful and this isn’t surprising as the company was founded by a very experienced expert who cares. Get your Capital Pilot Assessment today. It’ll save you a fortunate in both time and money and provide assess to their network of talent.
By the way seeing a few reviews there giving 1 star look suspiciously the same person. Regardless they caught my attention as Capital Pilots assessments don’t work the way the three poor reviews are describing. CP provide a score/a number always. They will help provide feedback if you are open to it and if you decide to redo your plans and work to get more data - which can take several weeks or months then of course you can go through the review process again but iCP process is a human process. It’s time consuming and rigorous. In most cases, of course you’d be expected to pay for the process again. And you still might not reach their benchmark. This is business. One can’t expect to fail at University one year and then do another year and expect that for free. That’s ridiculous. Capital Pilots process is a finite complex one and we ought to be thankful for that. I for one am, and I am familiar with at least a dozen others who have gone through this and are very happy with both the process and the results.
This assessment is for those who want to get both their product offering and governance as well positioned for success and growth as possible. It is not for those looking for a quick shortcut and a possibility of a 50k handout.
Having a startup is hard. It requires resilience tenacity and courage to be open to constructive criticism. Best of luck.
Reply from Capital Pilot
Hi Clare, thank you so much for your detailed review. We were very happy to read of your experience and insight into the benefit and value of our assessment reports!
As you said, we aim to help startups better understand exactly where they stand; and that can contain feedback that not everyone is prepared to accept, but we've seen instances where people have returned to thank us for the feedback once they took the time to review the report with a more objective mindset.
We couldn't agree more with your comment about entrepreneurs requiring resilience and tenacity - thank you for being such a staunch supporter of our vision to change the investment lanscape!
~The Capital Pilot Team
Clear and transparent process - which is immeasurably more than so many startup investors. We applied for the evaluation and were rated sufficiently highly to receive the £50,000 in the form of an ASA to our recent round. Would recommend to any pre-seed and seed stage startups.
Reply from Capital Pilot
Thank you very much for taking the time to leave a review of your experience Matthew. Glad to hear you describe the process as transparent as that's what we aim for!
~ The Capital Pilot Team
Great experience from start to finish. Very informative report - went into a lot more detail than I'd expected. We qualified for the investment and it was such a fast and easy process. Highly recommend to startup founders.
Reply from Capital Pilot
Thank you very much for taking the time to leave a review of your experience Eve. Happy to hear you found the process so easy and the report informative!
~ The Capital Pilot Team
One of the few early stage investors in the UK that truly understands how difficult the funding process is for new businesses. Their process is smooth, efficient and eases the funding burden massively. The team at CP are lovely and would highly recommend having them as a partner.
Reply from Capital Pilot
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a wonderful review! We were very pleased to hear of your seamless experience and that it helped ease a burden. We remain happy to be your partners and look forward to your continued success!
~The Capital Pilot Team
Understanding the investment process can be a mine-field, and often it's not what you know, but who you know. Well, I don't know about you, but when you are working day and night on your business, there isn't a lot of time or energy left over for networking. Couple this with needing an excellent understanding of which documents are required in your 'pitch deck', which for a growing business, constantly needs updating, an investment round can feel very overwhelming, daunting and intimidating. It's also extremely time consuming.
Capital Pilot has a thorough procedure that has been standardised, so it is fair for everyone. All that is required is to follow the steps and support they give to put together your pitch deck, which streamlines everything, giving you clarity and confidence. Their investability report gives you the benefit of their incredible expertise, further giving you confidence and insight. It also gives other investors confidence in your business. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain by working with Capital Pilot and I am very proud to have them as one of my investors!
Reply from Capital Pilot
Hi Catherine, thank you so much for your valuable review.
Some of the pain points you mentioned were a key driving force in establishing Capital Pilot. You also somehow managed to summarise what we do so eloquently - standardised procedure that's fair to everyone, our report gives startups insight into what can be improved, and provides investors with an unbiased assessment of a startup's position.
We're thrilled to have had a hand in your receiving Boost Fund investment and can't wait to see the new heights you'll take your business to!
~The Capital Pilot Team
Paid for the investability assessment a couple of times pre Boost Fund and used the knowledge in the assessor report to significantly improve our deck, (understanding this was a business investability evaluation, not a valuation) and then in our second assessment scored high enough to be considered for the Boost Fund when it launched. We applied to the fund, and got £50k funding, as an ASA the process was very quick and easy - a real relief as a founder in that tricky stage when we were just starting to commercialise. All in all, it was an efficient process which genuinely seemed to remove any bias, to focus on the business itself and the opportunity, and team were all really lovely as well. We also paid a success fee, which was similar to the fees we pay other introducers who intro us to investment funding so we viewed it as a finders fee in the same way as we do with other similar services.
Reply from Capital Pilot
Hi Jo, thank you for taking the time to review us and provide an explanation of what we do. As you mentioned - we do not provide companies with valuations, but there's so much value in our assessment reports!
We were pleased to hear that you found the process quick and easy, and that you recognised how our process removed bias as well. Thank you again for the review, and we wish you continued success.
~The Capital Pilot Team
I can't understand the bad reviews here. I can only speculate that their businesses were not "high growth" type investable businesses or that they were just peeved they didn't receive an investment.
Firstly, what CP are doing (levelling the fundraising playing field) is excellent. Their report is valuable in itself.
Let alone if you then get a £50k check!
As a founder of a hardware company, a sector that investors in Europe can be adverse to investment, this objective approach was welcomed.
We received valuable feedback on our pitch materials & business, AND £50k cash injection to boot!
For anyone serious about fundraising, this is highly recommended.
I'm really intrigued as to how the fund returns, as I'm sure everybody is, but I have high hopes for it!
Reply from Capital Pilot
Hi Ryan, thank you very much for your review.
We were so happy to see that you recognise (and are advertising!) the value of the report itself! Levelling the fundraising playing field is exactly what we're about, and we will continue to work to eliminate bias from investment decisions!
We're well-aware of how difficult it can be to raise investments in certain industries, which is precisely why the Boost Fund was set up to be sector-agnostic. As long as a company can prove itself (by achieving the threshold score), then factors such as sector, location, gender, etc will not be a hinderance to receiving investment. We're very happy to have played a part in your company (we won't mention the name in case you'd rather we didn't) having received a well-deserved investment.
~The Capital Pilot Team
Cannot speak highly enough of the CP team, product and process. Their assessment of our business was fair, insightful and full of actionable points. Following on from that, they invested in our organisation - this was a speedy process which allowed us to have working capital into the business earlier than expected and facilitated growth and progress. The VC world is full of bias and favourites, Capital Pilot have reinvented the process to remove this challenge.
Reply from Capital Pilot
Thank you for providing this review Connor.
Very glad that you found the feedback fair and full of actionable feedback! We're also very happy to have played a part in your receiving investment from the Boost Fund as it's well-deserved! We promise we'll continue doing all we can to bring more fairness to the investment landscape!
~The Capital Pilot Team
Worked with Capital Pilot’s Boost Fund for our pre-seed round and although the response was slow since the fund was just getting set up we are really happy with the result - I would recommend any early stage startup to work with them!
Reply from Capital Pilot
Hi Alex,
Thank you for taking the time to review our service. We were very happy to see you change your rating from 1 star to 5!
We realise you may have considered this process to be lengthy; however this is typical within the industry and we strived to remain communicative and transparent throughout the process. We would, of course, welcome any feedback on how we can further improve our services - and our offer to schedule a call in order to do so remains, and will always be open.
Please feel free to reach out to us at customersuccess@capitalpilot.com if we could be of further service. We wish you continued success, and the best of luck!
~The Capital Pilot Team
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