Client success is everything.

Zack Onisko

CEO, Dribbble

Raised from Tiny

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The role of CEO is a complicated one, and can often be a lonely one. Through the roller coaster ride of wins and challenges of running a startup, having the listening ear and wise advice of a seasoned executive coach like Dave helps to clear the fog, squelch the fear, and correct the ship. I'm grateful for the guidance Dave has provided along my journey, often when I've needed it the most. He earns my highest regards and recommendation.

Eugene Mizin

CEO, Job Today

Raised $40M from Accel, Felix Capital

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dave brings out the best in founders. He helps them translate their insights into clear strategy and decisive 'no-turning-back' action. Dave taps into the cutting edge research in business and human psychology to help founders understand themselves better and move forward with greater confidence.

Ben Stephenson

CEO, Impala

Raised $32M from Lakestar, Latitude, Stride

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dave is a truly tremendous coach who really helped me through the numerous ups and downs that come with being a Founder who wants to scale. I highly recommend him for his breadth of knowledge and experience and his ability to dig into even the most unfamiliar problems.

Mikela Druckman

CEO, Grey Parrot

Raised $5M from SpeedInvest, Force Over Mass

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Being a founder is learning by doing but without reflection there is little to learn. You can learn a lot through reading, listening, etc. but nothing has the impact of reflecting about great questions that are tailored to our everyday challenges. David is exceptionally good at asking pinpointed questions that help you to move forward and grow the company.

Chris Edson

CEO, Second Nature

Raised $18M from Berengea, Connect Ventures

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Working with someone who is both so knowledgeable on being a CEO and also so empathetic to the strife of building companies is completely game changing for me. My two hours with Dave are the most valuable part of my week. I come out of our sessions invariably energised, with a fresh understanding and clarity on the problems that I brought to the session. I cannot recommend Dave enough.

Christoph Wagner

CEO, Scanbot

Raised $13M from Target Global, Evoco, e42

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Achieving clarity amidst the constant onslaught of opportunities and challenges as a CEO of a fast-growing scale-up is of the utmost importance. Dave is incredibly empathic and easy to work with. He is able to pinpoint issues quickly and keeps asking the right questions to facilitate arriving at a clear picture of a solution. Dave will challenge you - but always being in your corner of the ring. If you are taking self-development seriously I would highly recommend working with him!

Adrian Raidt

CEO, Laserhub

Raised $11M from Project A, Point Nine, Acton

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

For me, coaching is about identifying the most challenging topics you're facing, and discussing solutions from both functional and emotional perspectives. Dave helps me spend time on the most important leadership topics, tackle problems from different angles, and provides me with extra accountability. Since Dave has held several CEO roles himself, he's able to share first-hand experience that I really value. He's also extremely knowledgeable and experienced in coaching methodologies. With both sides covered, Dave is highly valuable.

Alex Omeyer

CEO, Stepsize

Raised $8.2M from Connect, Index, Stride

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dave has been my CEO coach since early 2018, I couldn't hope for a better coach. I particularly enjoy the fact that he always manages to help me distill complex situations into clear decision points that help me move faster with clarity. But most importantly, Dave has taught me how truly show up for myself in ways that improved my emotional, mental, and physical health. He helped me find my own definition of "balance" and, in this sense, helped me in many ways beyond business. I often leave coaching sessions with Dave having found words that connect and explain thoughts and values that had been knocking around in my head for years.

Sam Watson Jones

CEO, Small Robot Company

Raised $6M from 7%, Crowdcube

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dave helped me to explain the value of our proposition which has been a massive support in our fundraising efforts. CEO coaching helps you to clarify what you want from your role and your business and then gives you the strategies to turn this into a reality. I’ve had several new business line ideas which have come directly from our sessions. He is great at encouraging you to clearly articulate your own thoughts and provides accountability and space to think. I would be less effective in my role without him.

Jonathan Lakin

CEO, Intent

Raised $32M from Oxford Capital, Edge

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I've worked with several coaches. All have been good, none have stuck. Dave is the first I've stuck with. He's a rare breed of 'lesser spotted coach'. He has proper CEO and investor experience but doesn't try to solve it for you. His post-coaching notes are awesome too….well structured and highlighted.

Will Read

CEO, Sideways 6

Raised $2M from 24Haymarket

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Working with Dave has given me more confidence in my decision-making and an awareness of my own thought patterns, feelings and actions. We've touched on just about everything across our business and my own thinking, and I believe there has been a positive impact across the board.

Guilherme Vieira

CEO, Pelando

Internal Startup

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dave helps me to reframe my doubts and my whole team has said how much my leadership has changed as a result. I've even started to practice coaching with them. I never thought I would recommend coaching, but now I'm the guy that raves about it, the same way people do about crazy fitness trends.

Alex Eid

CEO, Homie

Raised $8.2M from Connect, The Family, Venture Friends

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

David will be there to prompt you, question your thinking, steer you in directions you may not have pondered, give you insight from the lessons and experiences that have shaped his career, and connect you with his vast network to help unlock problems you are facing.

Manuel Bruschi

CEO, Timeular

Raised $1.5M from SpeedInvest

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Working with Dave has given me more confidence in my decision-making and an awareness of my own thought patterns, feelings and actions. We've touched on just about everything across our business and my own thinking, and I believe there has been a positive impact across the board.

Jose Lorenzo

CEO, Bold

Raised $10M from GFC and others

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I really look forward to my monthly sessions with Dave, as we discuss all kinds of matters that range from raising capital, to structuring teams, to planning with OKRs and to give effective feedback. What I like the most about working with Dave, is the fact that he has been an entrepreneur himself and he speaks not only from theory but from practice.

Alister Rollins

CEO, Move

Raised $9.5M from ADV and Downing Ventures

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dave’s insightful coaching and powerful questioning helps me achieve clarity of focus—an essential requirement in the startup world. Highly recommended!

Daniel Jacobs

CEO, Avanoo

Raised $8M from Storm Ventures, Access

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

David is a rare coach who has the wisdom and empathy required to support entrepreneurs in building their businesses and driving results.

Rebecca Kelly

CEO, VenueScanner

Raised $2.5M from British Business Bank, Rianta

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dave’s expertise has helped me think through how I communicate with my team, my investors, and other stakeholders in order to really get my message across effectively.

Guilherme Freire

CEO, Dolado

Raised $2M from GFC

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dave is my 'go-to' person when I'm facing the most difficult situations. He's a great listener, always insightful, and he's helped me to think strategically and rationally and grow as a leader. One of the most difficult parts of being a CEO/founder is that people often expect you to have the answers and appear strong all the time. By having a coach like Dave, you have someone you can show your vulnerabilities, share your fears and, more importantly, have a valuable second opinion on how to make important decisions that will shape the future of your company.

Richard Vibert

CEO, Metomic

Raised $5M from LocalGlobe, Connect, EF

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Working with Dave has helped me understand more about myself - specifically my strengths and weaknesses. This realisation is helping me become a better person, a better thinker, and a better manager of other people. Having someone external to the company you can fall back on to get advice and feedback when you need it (which is all the time!) is the best thing about having a coach.

Charles Williamson

CEO, Stairway Learning

Raised $1.5M from Connect

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dave is often the first person I turn to when spending a lot of time stuck on a difficult problem. He has a knack for being able to ask questions which get to the core of an issue as quickly as possible, drawing on his broad experience as a founder, VC and coach. Through a question-based approach, he has helped me to think through problems from different perspectives. I'd encourage anyone looking for a CEO coach to strongly consider working with Dave.

Andrew Lynch

Co-founder, Huckletree

Raised $11M from Concentric, Felix, Force Over Mass

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad. Dave is a fountain of both knowledge and wisdom, and is an expert at navigating the line between mentor and coach effectively. He is excellent at differentiating clearly when he is actively coaching or when he is giving advice based on experience—I know that Huckletree is in a better place because of Dave.

Sharad Khandelwal

CEO, SentiSum

Raised $0.7M from Ascension, 500 Startups

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dave’s exceptional ability to listen without judging—something you won’t get with a board member or teammate—has led to multiple breakthroughs. I recommend Dave to every founder.

Siddarth Vijayakumar

CEO, GrubClub

Acquired

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dave’s support and true partnership were invaluable to me through a very challenging period, which ended up in an acquisition.

Louise Schofield

CEO, PreKure

Bootstrapped

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dave helped me to believe in myself again. Ultimately, this allowed me to be future-focused and to truly believe that my best work is still ahead of me.

Joe Cripps

CEO, Trail

Raised $3M from GFC, Seedcamp

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dave’s empathy and keen mind have helped us focus on what's important...which in every case is people.

Holly Dunlap

CEO, Stylindex

Raised from Techstars

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dave helps me to separate the wheat from the chaff and refocus on the truly important priorities Dave’s coaching has been invaluable in helping me stay focused on the truly important priorities for my business, and not lose sight of the big picture.

Pradeep Raman

CEO, Burrow

Acquired by DPR

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

David is a terrific coach. He is a brilliant blend of EQ and IQ. His entrepreneurial and investment experiences combine to put him in a very uniquely advantageous position to help emerging entrepreneurs best negotiate the rollercoaster of start-up life. I would very highly recommend him!

Igor Wos

CEO, Neat

Raised $20M from Pacific Century Group, Vectr

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dave has put together an incredibly applicable program with structured sessions, backed up by practical examples. Clarity helped me to clarify our mission, vision and strategy enormously, as well as improving overall focus. The group format also allowed me to share ideas and experiences with fellow founders in a friendly and collaborative way. I recommend Dave’s Clarity program to anyone seeking a pragmatic and logical way to enhance and clarify their business outlook.

Joshua Martin

CEO, Fortify

Raised $32M from Accel, Cota Capital

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Clarity Program provided several frameworks which I am using as prompts for deeper thinking, along with different tools for arriving at clarity with my team. As a CEO, the Clarity Program is a great way to take a step back and work on the essentials of how to create and share an inspiring story about your company.

Amy VanHaren

CEO, Pumpspotting

Raised $1.8M from Punchbowl, Moodoos Investments

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Clarity expanded my knowledge of how to be a successful CEO. The exercises with my team helped us unearth a deeper value prop and a more focused message, which has already led us to close two big deals! The workshops were a great combination of thought-provoking questions, video inspiration and exercises, and delivered a vast amount of value in every slide. I feel I’ve been given permission to build vital strategy and storytelling time into my day-to-day work. Thanks for an amazing experience!

Aharon Horwitz

CEO, AutoLeadStar

Raised $17M from Olive Tree, Target Global

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dave's Clarity program relentlessly delivers on its promise session after session. I left with pragmatic tools and concepts that were immediately impactful on our company. I recommend this to every CEO with aspirations of growing as a leader.

Erik Bornstein

CEO, Toolbx

Raised $13M from Index Ventures, Overton

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Clarity program is a great framework to not only meet likeminded founders but also follow a very easy and repeatable process. The sequencing and templates were easy to follow and very meaningful, and Dave's delivery of the presentation content and group exercises was extremely effective. Highly recommended.

Rob Holland

CEO, Feedback Loop

Raised $29M from Crosslink Capital, Spider Capital

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Designed for CEOs by a CEO. Clarity is an effective way to focus on the why behind your business & learn from an expert while interacting with a quality peer group. Focused, concise & practical, filled with real-life examples to demonstrate key points. It was great to be pulled out of the day-to-day and spend time with such quality people working on the same problem.

Rajeeb Dey MBE

CEO, Learnerbly

Raised $2M+ from Frontline Ventures, Playfair Capital

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I just wish I’d done the program a few months earlier! Clarity gave me the headspace to develop a compelling narrative for investors and the team. A clear and structured process, personalised feedback, and the ability to connect with other entrepreneurs with similar issues. Keep up the great work, Dave!

Victor Ekelund

CEO, Albacross

Raised $3M from Luminar Ventures, Ventech

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

As a founder and CEO, creating clarity is key to successfully lead a team and/or stakeholders. Dave has broken down vague concepts like vision, messaging, communication and strategy into an interactive learning session based on logic and examples to give you a clear path forward. For me the vision session was the most eyeopening and could not have come at a better moment. As well as meeting and interacting with other founders around the challenges was very engaging and rewarding. I would highly recommend any startup CEO to get into the course.

Will Ritchie

CEO, Chosen AI

Acquired

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I wouldn’t have paid for Dave’s Clarity programme as a first time founder but wouldn’t think twice now. I’ve learnt new skills and frameworks that are already saving me hours of work and unnecessary stress.

André Bernardes

CEO, Zippi

Raised from YCombinator

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Clarity was extremely valuable for Zippi. Dave created a comprehensive yet short workshop that is delightful to attend and is focused on what matters. Throughout the course, Dave also constantly provided insightful feedback on my deliverables, which helped me gain clarity and understand what was the next logical step for us as a company. If you're a founder looking to better understand your own business and improve your pitch delivery, then Clarity is for you!

Ravi Kurani

CEO, Sutro

Acquired

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I 100% recommend any founder to apply to this program. Dave has a ton of frameworks, and his case studies are amazing to work through. The program really changed my outlook on the mission and vision of my company and more importantly how to present our objectives and work to the team.

Alex Omeyer

CEO, Stepsize

Raised $8.2M from Connect, Index, Stride

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I loved every session of the program from the introduction of concepts, to filling out the exercises, and Dave’s insightful feedback. The atmosphere and delivery was always bright and optimistic and I could apply practical advice straightaway. I now have a complete framework to understand the most important aspects of my company which I’ll be able to apply throughout my career. 10/10 amazing stuff!

Cosmin Ene

CEO, Laterpay

Raised $20.1M from Angel Investors

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Clarity Program is a MBA on steroids that provides founders with a vast set of tools and mental models. The exercises hold tremendous value and the content is both educational and inspirational. Dave’s delivery is littered with real life examples and is well paced and entertaining. Super helpful!

Luke Fisher

CEO, Mo

Raised £2.7M from NVM Private Equity

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Clarity program is considered, action-packed and communicated with clarity. Dave was always fun and engaged the group with enjoyable and varied stories. I’m already seeing the benefits of the exercises to maintain simplicity and clarity in my team discussions. I can foresee this being a quarterly exercise. Keep being great at what you do!

Rory Stirling

Connect Ventures

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dave Bailey is an incredible coach, subject expert and speaker and it wouldn't be the same without him. He combines a very rare set of magic skills... practical company building experience, an ability to communicate and inspire, and the patience to coach others. We can't recommend him highly enough (so long as he still saves some time for us!).

Andre Retterath

Earlybird Venture Capital

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dave gave a great workshop to 30 of our portfolio CEOs in Berlin. His mix of materials, frameworks and personal stories led to amazing discussions which he perfectly moderated and summarised in clear takeaways.

Heitor Benfeito

Portugal Ventures

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

In Dave, we found not only a likeminded person, but a coach and speaker who delivered exactly what we were looking for at our CEO “Get Together”. He provided a multitude of insights, coupled with strategic views, as well as a clear actionable path which both our CEOs and our team could follow. We consider Dave to be one of the top start-up CEO coaches and would recommend him to our fellow VCs.

Harry Rhys Davies

Tech Nation

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dave led a workshop for 29 of our AI-focused venture-backed entrepreneurs. The session was brilliant and delved into important topics that are usually very challenging to cover. Having been a founder, a VC, and a coach, Dave brings with him a unique and practical perspective that has immediate value to any founder navigating a scaling journey.

Alex Gordon-Furse

Startup Grind

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dave has done Conference keynotes, intimate workshops & webinars for our founders at Startup Grind. We keep getting him back because the feedback we get is fantastic. His content is always incredibly well thought-out, well organised & super engaging and it is always jam-packed with actionable insights. Highly recommended!