Insights
What we’ve learned building companies.
Lessons from the businesses we’ve built with founders, and the ones that taught us the most.
From idea to a real business: how Dana Wang built Japan LaunchpadDana Wang had fifteen years of knowledge about Japan's startup market. What she didn't have was a business. Here's how DQ helped her find one, test it and get her first customers.Read the post →
What every DQ founder gets at the end of ExploreEvery founder who finishes Explore gets a report that says, plainly, whether the evidence supports building the business. Here's what's in it, plus a full example to download.Read the post →
The Four Quadrants: how we work out whether an idea is worth your careerMost people who apply to DQventures arrive with an idea and the same question: is this any good? These are the twelve principles we use to answer it.Read the post →
When to continue or give up on your startupA short post, but essential reading for anyone who’s wondering whether to give up on their startup.Read the post →
How to scale a side-hustle into your main businessCan you actually scale your “side hustle” into a successful business? “Turn your passion into profit!” they say. But here’s the hard truth – most people never scale their side gigs into full-time businesses. Research last year in the UK showed that the average side hustle brought in about £18,000 ($23,500) in revenue, while only 7% brought in more than £50,000 (around $65,000).Read the post →
3 signs you may make a great startup founderWhat do lemonade, rugby and weirdos have to do with success in entrepreneurship? Well, here are 3 observations that invariably correlate with someone meeting our investment criteria at DQ… Lemonade stalls. A high proportion of our founders tried to start a business when they were younger. Maybe they didn’t succeed, but they put themselves out there. They weren’t afraid to fail. Bats and balls.Read the post →
Ages of UK Startup Founders That Raised Series A & B – 2025Over the last 12 months, 228 UK startups have raised Series A and B funding, securing millions to scale their businesses. But who are the founders leading these companies? How old are they when they secure investment? Are younger entrepreneurs gaining traction, or is experience still king? We analyzed the data to uncover key trends in founder age, industry variations, regional differences, and funding behaviours.Read the post →
Why starting a company is like having a child10 uncomfortable truths about starting a company (or a family). Say what? Yes, starting a company is a lot like starting a family. (Read on if you don’t believe me. I’ve done both more than once.) What’s more, the realities often challenge accepted norms, expectations and taboos.Read the post →
Why your company’s vision and values are fundemental to your successI was raising capital for DQ about a year ago, and I came across this rather unusual British billionaire, who liked to invest in VC funds and venture studios. I pitched our business. The chap I met told me he hadn’t seen anything quite like DQ before, and would like to proceed to the next stage as soon as possible. After that, crickets. Strange.Read the post →
Do we really agree that failure is a good thing?LinkedIn, help me explain this mystery. If we all agree that failure is an unavoidable and necessary part of success, why is this happening? 👇 This weekend I found myself looking at the LinkedIn profile of a founder I invested in back in 2018. The company lasted several years but eventually failed. But now, the former founder has removed every mention of it. It’s like it never existed. Why do some founders do this?Read the post →
The two kinds of startup founder: which one are you?Generally speaking, there are two types of startup founder. Typical first-time founders… See the end game but not the first step Have a “game-changing idea” but no actual proof Are reluctant to share in case they are copied (And because they secretly dread being wrong) So risk mistakes by not…Read the post →
How one of our founders gained 10,000 sign-ups for her B2C marketplaceOne of our founders is building a marketplace in the travel space. This is what she’s achieved to date, having spent $20,000 of her own money (all while remaining employed full time): Completed user validation exercises Nailed down value proposition Launched website Posted organically in Facebook groups etc.Read the post →