150+ founders supported · £10m+ in non-dilutive funding · 80% grant success rate
Turn complex tech into commercial traction.
For pre-Series A founders, across Deep Tech and Applied AI. We act as your in-house commercial team, helping you win grants, validate markets and get the evidence to raise equity funding to grow.
Most technical founders we meet are deep experts in what they’ve built and stretched thin on the commercial side. That’s where we come in.
We pick up the customer evidence, the funding strategy, the market work and the route to product market fit, so you can stay on the tech while the business grows around it.
A decade of getting founders from first grant through to revenue and growth, in the language investors and Innovate UK assessors trust.
Over a decade of experience in these sectors
B2B AI software
FinTech · RegTech · Mobility · Productivity · PropTech · Retail · CreaTech
Amazon Innovation Accelerator · Growth Studio · Cranfield · TechUp · CoSTAR · Durham University · Help To Grow
From clinical to consumer
Clinical Diagnostics · Wearables · Fitness & Wellness · Consumer Health
NHS Leadership Academy · NHS Blood and Transplant · Versus Arthritis · De Montfort University · Cambridge NHS Trust · Islington Council · Health Foundation
Deep science & hard tech
Engineering Biology · Biomaterials · Net-Zero · Recycled Materials · AgriTech
Undaunted · Carbon13 · Amazon Sustainability Accelerator · APC Mobilise · Silicon Roundabout · Cranfield University · Science Creates
Where we can help
Grant deadline
We review and write your grant application with the evidence-based plans for ROI, economic impact and commercialisation assessors look for.
Pre-build
A structured validation sprint to test demand, willingness to pay, and customer segmentation.
Fundraising
A sprint that builds the GTM and commercial section of your pitch deck on real customer traction, with a clear value proposition narrative.
Pre-PMF
Decide what to build before you commit, with MVP prototyping to test and product leadership to implement.
Post-PMF
Brand, marketing, sales and go-to-market designed around where the evidence says your customers actually are.
Our services
Grant services
From application review to project and claim management, including Innovate UK, SovereignAI and Scottish Enterprise.
- Application review with commentary and a discussion call
- Guided application write with final review
- Full grant write
- Project and claim management
1:1 sprints
2-4 week sprints to focused on achieving your financial and commercial goals.
- Market Validation
- Demand Validation
- Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
- Go-To-Market (GTM)
Experiments and testing
Focused product testing in real-world environments.
- Pilot design with commercial KPIs
- Beta testing for evaluating behaviour and willingness to pay
- Brand and marketing experiments and testing to test conversion
- UX testing focused on conversion and adoption
Fractional Chief Commercial Officer (CCO)
The commercial layer your product team doesn’t have time for, or the layer you need before you hire one.
- Brand strategy
- Marketing and sales strategy
- Growth and GTM strategy
- PMF tracking
Our products
A practical guide for learning customer and user needs throughout the product lifecycle, from idea to launch.
Get the book →
Grant Funding Fundamentals for founders new to grants. Design Thinking for Deep Tech to get customer insights from the start.
Juno is your guide to understanding your customer, the market and competition landscape, how to speak to customers and develop insights.
Learn more →
Theia is a demand validation guide that tests where you find customers and if they’ll pay, tailored to your GTM approach.
Learn more →Who you’ll work with
I’m Dr Chloe Sharp
Sharp Insights started because too many founders with brilliant technology don’t know how to validate it with customers.
I’ve worked with founders and leaders across organisations large and small, from early-stage technical teams to enterprise leadership, as consultant, coach and leader. I help founders building amazing technology reach the people who need it.
PhD in psychology, behavioural science and sociology. Author of Make Products That Matter. ILM7 coach. Angel investor. Innovate UK Assessor.
LinkedIn profile →
What founders say
“Chloe listened deeply to what our audience needed and translated technical payment concepts into clear, human narratives. Her rigorous approach to message testing meant we knew what resonated.”
“She really challenged our assumptions and gave us something concrete to work with: iterations based on evidence rather than assumptions. Our roadmap is based on evidence rather than guesswork.”
“The course took the mystery out of the grant application process. Practical advice, examples and resources that made the complex world of grant writing feel accessible. I left equipped to approach grant funding strategically.”
Selected work
Beta testing an AI regulatory tool across UK government
Insights shaped the product roadmap and unlocked government integration.
Mentoring a 3D-printed wrist guard from prototype to grant readiness
Direct mentorship through validation, grant strategy and commercial planning.
Market evidence and grant strategy for an engineering biology startup
£350k raised in non-dilutive funding through grant support.
Insights
Let’s talk.
Book a 30-minute callA free 30-minute call with Dr Chloe Sharp. We’ll show you where you are in the framework, where you need to get to, and what’s between you and the grant, the raise, or the build.