Boardwave Masterclasses
Boardwave's Masterclasses bring together world-leading experts to help you solve key issues in your business.
Our current four series cover:
Practical AI for Software Leaders
All Masterclass sessions, which run for 60 minutes, are available on-demand. To access the classes, and accompanying materials, click on the links below.
All European Software Leaders Welcome
These Masterclasses are available to all software leaders looking for help and guidance in scaling their business, regardless of whether they are a member of Boardwave or not.
Participate to acquire strategic insights and actionable guidance from founders and CEOs with relevant real-world experience. By registering, you will gain access to all sessions in the series, as well as downloadable tools and templates.
Fundraising Fundamentals: Preparing for Your First External Raise
Our new seven-part, on-demand masterclass series, designed to help you approach your first institutional raise with confidence and clarity.
Through insights from both founders who’ve successfully scaled and investors who back Europe’s fastest-growing software companies, you’ll gain practical tools, proven frameworks, and real-world examples to guide every stage of your fundraising journey - from building a standout pitch and financial narrative, to navigating due diligence and securing long-term investor partnerships.
Hear From Industry Experts:
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Ian Merricks, Founder, Proposition Lead, VenturePath
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Mike Reid, Founder and Senior Partner, Frog Capital
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Thuria Wenbar, Co-Founder and CEO, Evaro
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Dan Bowyer, Partner, SuperSeed
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Stephen Jonhson, Fund Principal, Mercia Ventures
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Victoria Peppiatt, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Hey Savi
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Jon Ferguson, Co-Founder and Partner, AshGrove Capital
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Max Parmentier, Co-Founder and CEO, Birdie
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Malte Dummel, Co-CEO, Xempus
We’ll be releasing the masterclasses in three parts throughout November and December:
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Ready to Raise (Episodes 1–3): The foundations of a successful fundraise
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Making Your Case (Episodes 4–5): Building and presenting a powerful investor narrative
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Closing the Deal (Episodes 6–7): Negotiating, finalising, and forming lasting partnerships.
Who is this series for?
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Founders who are looking for investment
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Just Starting (£0-1m ARR)
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Start-ups (£1-10m ARR)
Episode 1: Now On-Demand
Fundraising Fundamentals
Speakers: Ian Merricks, Founder and Proposition Lead at VenturePath; Mike Reid, Founder and Senior Partner at Frog Capital; and Thuria Wenbar, Co-Founder and CEO of Evaro.
Episode 2: Now On-Demand
Crafting a Compelling Pitch and Narrative
Speakers: Dan Bowyer, Partner, SuperSeed; Stephen Jonhson, Fund Principal, Mercia Ventures; Victoria Peppiatt, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Hey Savi.
Episode 3: Now On-Demand
Creating a Winning VC Outreach Strategy
Speakers: Jon Ferguson, Co-Founder and Partner, AshGrove Capital; Max Parmentier, Co-Founder and CEO, Birdie; Malte Dummel, Co-CEO, Xempus.
Episode 4: Now On-Demand
Presenting Your Financials with Confidence
Speakers: Glen Waters, Head of Early Stage Banking, HSBC Innovation Banking UK; Richard Anton, Co-Founder and General Partner, Oxx; Sean Williams, Founder and CEO, AutogenAI.
Episode 5: Now On-Demand
Due Diligence and the Data Room
Speakers: Eve Dwyer, Senior Counsel, Travers Smith; Harry Thomas, Partner and Head of Portfolio, Beringea; Tom Burnell-Nugent, CFO and COO, Doctify.
Optimising Your Exit Masterclass
Navigating the journey from founder to successful exit is a nuanced and often under-explored aspect of entrepreneurship. This series provides invaluable insights from both strategic and private equity buyer perspectives.
Hear From Industry Experts:
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Laura Maddison, Arma Partners
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Anton Black, Rothschild & Co
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Thomas Koehrer, Bank of America
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Nandan Shinkre, Jefferies
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Nick Padgett, McKinsey & Comapny
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Simon Peet, Livingbridge
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Irina Hemmers, Thoma Bravo
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Elona Mortimer-Zhika, Formerly IRIS Software
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Dean Forbes, Forterro
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Kiren Asad, Deloitte
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Simon Hill, Liberty Corporate Finance
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Karen Slatford, Bright Software, Autorek, Zaptic
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Virginie Fauvel, Harvest
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Achim Weick, EQS Group
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Barr Blanton, Crosslake
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Jake van Beever, Rothschild & Co Wealth Management
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Martin Korman, Partner, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
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Ross Davies, Partner, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Hosted by series coach: Joel Greenwood
Prior to founding Alpha Advisory, Joel was a Managing Director at Raymond James, which he joined in 2017 to launch a new London office. He was previously a Partner at Deloitte and co-head of the UK TMT M&A Advisory practice. Joel has more than 25 years’ M&A advisory experience. He is a qualified accountant and has a degree in Electronic and Optoelectronic Engineering.
Who is this series for?
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Founders who are ready to exit their business
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Founders who may consider exiting their business in the future
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Leaders seeking advice on wealth management
Episode 1: Now On-Demand
Introduction to Exits
Speakers: Laura Maddison, Arma Partners; Anton Black, Rothschild & Co; Thomas Koehrer, Bank of America
Episode 2: Now On-Demand
Valuations and How to Maximise Them
Speakers: Nandan Shinkre, Jefferies; Nick Padgett, McKinsey & Company
Episode 3: Now On-Demand
Sitting in the Buyer's Shoes
Speakers: Simon Peet, Livingbridge; Irina Hemmers, Thoma Bravo
Episode 4: Now On-Demand
The Motivations of Strategic Buyers
Speakers: Elona Mortimer-Zhika, Formerly IRIS Software; Dean Forbes, Forterro
Episode 5: Now On-Demand
Preparing to Exit
Speakers: Kiren Asad, Deloitte; Simon Hill, Liberty Corporate Finance
Episode 6: Now On-Demand
Tips from Fellow Founders & CEOs
Speakers: Karen Slatford, Bright Software, Autorek, Zaptic; Achim Weick, EQS Group; Virginie Fauvel, Harvest
Episode 9: Now On-Demand
Bonus Session with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Speakers: Martin Korman, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati; Ross Davies, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Scaling Sales Masterclass
Learn all of the key actionable strategies for sales excellence and growth from industry veterans to equip your company for success.
Hear From Visionary Sales Scalers:
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Steve Garnett, ex-Chair Salesforce Europe
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Chano Fernandez, Co-CEO Eightfold.ai, ex Co-CEO Workday
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Lindsey Armstrong, Board Member, ex-President Int'l Salesforce and Symantec
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Martin MacKay, CRO Versa Networks
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Steve Neat, International Growth Advisor
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Dan Hyde, CEO Erevena
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Elay Cohen, CEO Saleshood
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Sue Goble, Advisor & ex-Chief Customer Officer Sage
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Neil Morgan, CMO Advisory, ex-CMO Gocardless, EVP Sage
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Filip Sturman, CPO Fonoa
Hosted by series coach: Peter Grant
Peter is a growth advisor to startups with over two decades experience in the SaaS industry. He has been involved in nearly $1 billion worth of technology sales. Peter introduces each episode with expert guest coaches, discussing their area of specialism
Who is this series for?
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B2B SaaS CEOs, both Enterprise & SME
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Start-ups (£1-10m ARR) building go-to-market organisations
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All Sales leaders reviewing sales organization performance
Episode 1: Now On-Demand
Establishing the facts: your go-to-market manifesto
Speakers: Lindsey Armstrong, Board Member,
ex-President Int'l Salesforce + Symantec,
Episode 2: Now On-Demand
Creating your unique value proposition
Speakers: Neil Morgan, CMO Advisory, ex CMO GoCardless..
Episode 3: Now On-Demand
Sales Mastery, the art of sealing the deal
Speakers: Steve Neat & Martin Mackay, CRO Versa Networks
Episode 4: Now On-Demand
Sales Enablement, empowering your dream team
Speakers: Elay Cohen, CEO - SalesHood
Episode 5: Now On-Demand
Customer Triumph, your customer success story
Speakers: Sue Goble, ex-CCO Sage, Chris Rauch
Episode 6: Now On-Demand
Hiring Aces, building your all-star GTM line-up
Speakers: Daniel Hyde, CEO Erevena, Lucy Jacobs, CMO Upliift
Episode 7: Now On-Demand
Go-to-market metrics for a sustainable business
Speakers: James Bagan, Frog Capital
Product Strategy Masterclass
Discover exactly how to advance your product startup with Nick Black, a SaaS/Deep Tech expert. Learn the key secrets your business will need to thrive in Europe’s software market, alongside practical robust strategies, guided by industry leaders.
Hear From International Product Leaders:
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Abakar Saidov, CEO & Co-Founder Beamery
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Anastasia Leng, CEO & Founder CreativeX
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Paul Archer, Founder and CEO of Duel
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Andrew Crump, Founder of Unkillable
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Kate, Founder & CEO, Fair HQ
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Alex Myers, Co-CEO Upliift
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MG Gurbaxani, CEO & Founder, Cuvama
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Cary Osman, CEO Cruxy
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Lorena Szerman, Global CRO/CPO, Advisor
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Jonathan McKay, Chair, Boardwave
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Pietro Ferrari, Co-Founder & CPO BOARD International
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Elisabeth Ling, Investor & NED esure
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Sue Goble, Advisor, ex-Chief Customer Officer, Sage
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Tony Connell, CPO Fintech, CEO Red Cell Risk
Who is this series for?
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Founders, building product for the first time
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Early-stage firms building & scaling product orgs
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Later-stage firms recalibrating product strategy,
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Firms review pricing or packaging new products
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Mature software company leaders transitioning to SaaS or AI
Hosted by series coach: Nick Black
Nick is an experienced SaaS/Deep Tech founder and executive coach who, over the past 15 years, has helped take startups from zero to scale-up.
Episode 1: Now On-Demand
Finding product-market fit
Speakers: Abakar Saidov, Anastasia Leng, Andrew Crump, Paul Archer
Episode 3: Now On-Demand
Product pricing and strategy
Host: Alex Myers (Upliift),
Speakers: Katy Wigdahl, Teo Blidarus, Tom Hacquoil
Episode 4: Now On-Demand
Hiring product managers: Upgrade your product by upgrading your product leaders
Speakers: Miia Paavola, Lorena Szerman
Episode 5: Now On-Demand
Connecting product strategy to results: Crafting strategies to delight your customers
Speakers: Pietro Ferrari (ex-BOARD International), Jonathan McKay (Boardwave), Elisabeth Ling
Episode 6: Now On-Demand
Pragmatic customer discovery: hone in on customer insights to stay ahead
Speakers: Sue Goble (ex-Sage), Tony Connell
Episode 7: Now On-Demand
Building product organisations that scale
Speakers: Rob Elkin, Simone Basso, Elisabeth Ling
Leveraging AI
Demystify the dynamic world of AI with UK software luminary, Sumir Karayi, and elite industry specialists. Master practical insights on ChatGPT, AI strategy, and its legal framework to help you elevate your business with transformative AI knowledge and applications.
Hear From AI Masters:
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Peter Nixey, Founder Intentional.io & Coach
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Joshua Wöhle, Founder & CEO Mindstone.ai
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Bram Hoovers, Considerati
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Jord Goudsmit, Considerati
Who is this series for?
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Any software leader who has yet to embrace AI
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Anyone looking for down to earth practical advice & ideas
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Leaders looking for ways to improve business efficiency with AI
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Leaders developing new product plans with AI included
Hosted by series coach: Sumir Karayi
Sumir Karayi is one of the UK's most successful software entrepreneurs. Having sold his business 1E to the Carlyle Group, he now pursues his interest in AI and is a judge for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards
Episode 1: Now On-Demand
Actionable techniques to help you develop your AI strategy
Speakers: Peter Nixey, Founder, Intentional.io & AI Coach
Episode 2: Now On-Demand
AI mastery for CEOs – Using ChatGPT for strategic business advantage
Speakers: Joshua Wöhle, CEO, Mindstone.ai
Episode 3: Now On-Demand
Navigating AI – Legal, Ethics and Safety
Speakers: Bram Hoovers & Jord Goudsmit, Considerati
Episode 4: Now On-Demand
Delivering AI at scale
Speakers: James Bickerton, Head of Client Development,
HSBC (Global Banking)