150+ founders supported · £10m+ in non-dilutive funding · 80% grant success rate
Reduce commercial risk across your portfolio.
For VCs, angels and corporate venture funds backing technical founders pre-Series A, we act as the commercial team behind your technical founders, de-risking go-to-market and strengthening your portfolio.
At pre-seed and seed, finding product-market fit is key: who’ll pay, what they’ll pay, why they’d switch. The commercial evidence to back these up is often the hardest part for founders.
We support your due diligence with commercial evidence, work alongside portfolio founders to build commercial cases, and write UK grants that extend runway.
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
De-risking your portfolio
Commercial due diligence
Independent assessment of pipeline companies. We evaluate the commercial evidence behind the pitch deck: who’ll pay, what they’ll pay, why they’d switch. Useful for SEIS/EIS-stage diligence and follow-on decisions.
Portfolio companies support
Investor-funded sprints, 1:1 founder clinics, and grant writing for your portfolio companies. We do the commercial work alongside founders, strengthening your portfolio through evidence-led decisions.
Strategic partnership
Long-term commercial partnership across your portfolio. Cohort training on customer discovery and grants, periodic PMF reviews across companies, and cross-portfolio commercial insights.
Our services
Investor-funded sprints
Two to four week commercial validation sprints delivered to your portfolio companies, paid by the fund.
- Market Validation
- Demand Validation
- Go-to-market
- MVP
Grant writing
UK grant applications written for portfolio companies. 80% success rate against the Innovate UK average of 25%.
- Innovate UK
- Scottish Enterprise
- Sovereign AI
1:1 founder clinics
Structured one-to-one sessions with founders in your portfolio. We assess their commercial evidence, identify the gap, and give them a clear next step.
Due diligence support
We back your commercial due diligence with independent assessment of pipeline companies. The evidence behind the pitch deck.
- Pre-investment signals
- Follow-on decisions
- SEIS/EIS-stage
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 was started because too many technically brilliant companies were getting stuck at the same point: a working prototype that couldn’t turn into a sustainable business. The tech was the easier part. The commercial evidence was where the value got lost.
I provide independent commercial validation for early-stage investors: due diligence support, portfolio commercial work, and UK grant strategy. I work with VCs, angels and corporate ventures backing technical founders pre-Series A.
Active Innovate UK assessor. PhD in psychology, behavioural science and sociology. Angel investor. Author of Make Products That Matter.
LinkedIn profile →
Selected work
It’s rare that you come across a standout talent like Chloe. I had the pleasure of working with her in the London startup ecosystem through joint projects. I was particularly impressed by Chloe’s capacity to deliver expert advice and get people on board with ideas. I’d recommend her and her company without a doubt.
Silicon Roundabout Ventures · Carbon13
Founder clinics. One-to-many training for customer discovery and grant funding.
Etiq AI · Waymark Tech · Oto · Flock · Eric.ai
Commercial validation, grant strategy, and product-market-fit work across pre-seed and Seed.
Strengthen the commercial case across your portfolio.