From academic complexity to investor-ready clarity in 3 sessions
Supporting deep tech founders within the Venture Builder Incubator, The University of Edinburgh
Context
Koda Konsult was invited to support founders on the Cancer Research Horizons track within the Venture Builder Incubator at the University of Edinburgh. The programme brings together researchers and early-stage founders working on complex, high-impact innovations in areas such as oncology, AI and drug discovery.
We worked closely with three founding teams, including Derisk Bio (Dr Jit Sarkar), Early On AI (Dr Vivek Singh) and TUDELs (Dr Ian Hope and Dr Kevin Bevernaege), in the lead-up to the programme’s final showcase.
Where things started
All three teams had strong science behind them. What they didn’t have yet was a clear, compelling way to communicate it to a broad audience.
By the time we met them, they had already received a lot of advice. In many ways, too much. Different perspectives, different directions, and no clear sense of what to prioritise. It left them feeling uncertain, slightly fatigued and not entirely confident in their own narrative.
Most of the messaging was still research-led. The focus was on explaining the science rather than articulating the value. For a showcase audience, that made the pitches hard to follow and easy to lose.
Confidence was also a barrier. Despite the strength of their ideas, the founders weren’t yet comfortable presenting themselves or their ventures in a compelling, investor-ready way.
What we did
We worked with each founder through a series of three focused 1:1 sessions. The aim wasn’t just to improve slides, it was to change how they thought about what they were building and how they spoke about it.
That meant stepping back and asking better questions. Who is this really for? What actually matters to them? Why does this need to exist? What are you trying to achieve with this pitch?
From there, we helped reframe each story around value, audience and intent. We introduced more commercial thinking, challenged assumptions where needed, and gave clear, practical guidance on how to structure their story and build it into a pitch.
What changed
The shift happened quickly. After the first session, there was a noticeable change in direction and energy. By the second, each team came back with a reworked narrative and significantly improved decks. More focused, more intentional, and much easier to follow.
But more importantly, their mindset had changed.
They were no longer trying to explain everything. They were choosing what mattered. They were thinking about the audience. They were starting to speak with more confidence in both themselves and what they were building.
“If I had to show someone the impact of the programme, I would show them my slide deck before and after. I’m sure that would be enough to convince them.”
That started to show up outside of the sessions too.
Jit shared that he had an investor conversation where, for the first time, he felt he could clearly explain what they do. The response was positive and led to a follow-up discussion.
Vivek used the refined narrative in a grant interview and progressed to the next stage.
By the final session, all three teams were delivering pitches that were clear, coherent and compelling.
The outcome
At the showcase itself, that transformation was obvious. The presentations stood out not just for the strength of the ideas, but for how clearly they were communicated.
Vivek went on to win the Cancer Research Horizons showcase prize.
More than that, all three teams left with something more durable than a good pitch. They had a clearer way of thinking about their business, a stronger sense of how to communicate it, and the confidence to carry that into future conversations with investors, partners and stakeholders.
Why this matters
This is a pattern we see often in deep tech. Strong ideas, real innovation, but a gap between the science and the story.
Closing that gap doesn’t come from better slides alone. It comes from clarity of thought, understanding your audience, and being able to articulate value in a way that resonates.
The speed of transformation, from initial uncertainty to investor-ready clarity in just three sessions, reflects both the effectiveness of our approach and the openness of the founders to challenge and change.
