Because Founders Lead Differently

Become the leader your fast-scaling company needs with a leadership system trusted by CEOs of companies from Series A to IPO.

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Trusted by CEOs backed by

Founder Leadership Needs a Different Playbook

Most leadership coaching wasn’t designed for startup CEOs. It was designed for corporate managers with stable teams and predictable priorities.

But you’re not just managing work—you’re trying to build something truly great.

And you’re firefighting, second-guessing your team, and wondering if you’re still the right person to lead this—all at the same time.

The more you grow, the fewer people there are who can help you.

That’s why I developed the Founder Leadership System™—a system built from the ground up to help startup CEOs lead in a way that’s effective and personal to them.

It’s not about stepping back or “letting go.”

It’s about becoming a better founder—the founder you were born to become.

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Trusted by the World’s Top Founders

I’ve coached over 200 venture-backed CEOs—founders navigating the messy, high-stakes transition from startup to scale-up. The average coaching relationship lasts 2.5 years.

Alongside my coaching, I’ve led workshops with over 1,000 founders, helped build companies worth over £5 billion, and reach more than 50,000 entrepreneurs through my newsletter.

Tim Heyl

CEO of Homeward

Raised $501M

Perse Faily

CEO of Tillster

Raised $87M

Malte Kosub

CEO of Parloa

Raised €214M

Jose Velez

CEO of Bold

Raised $105M

Anastasia Leng

CEO of CreativeX

Raised $35M

Tim Guilliams

CEO of HealX

Raised $115M

Sandrine Zhang Ferron

CEO of Vinterior

Raised $20M

Alexandre Remor

CEO of Medway

Raised $15M

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Work with Dave

As your founder coach, I bring hands-on coaching, practical frameworks, and space to reflect with other top founders building iconic businesses.

Coaching for Startup CEOs

For venture-backed founders who want to evolve into world-class leaders.

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Free Workshop on Founder Mode

Learn the unconventional habits that separate successful tech CEOs from traditional operators.

Watch the free workshop →

VC Partnerships

I run founder retreats and LP days with top-tier funds like Partech, Point Nine, and Insight Partners.

Partner with me →

“Coaching with Dave has transformed the way I show up as CEO. I've learned how to articulate my vision and strategy with all stakeholders, build a passionate and aligned team, and a galvanised customer audience.”

Tim Heyl

CEO of Homeward - Raised $501M

Playbooks for Becoming a Better CEO

A great founder needs a great mentor. I write essays that go deep into the psychology, systems, and strategy of leadership at scale. These are the playbooks my clients return to again and again.

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From Founder to Coach

Before I became a founder coach, I was a founder—several times over. I helped scale Delivery Hero as a late co-founder, and I’ve built companies across Europe and Latin America. I know what it’s like to raise capital, launch products, build teams, and wrestle with the pressure to grow fast.

Over time, I noticed a pattern:

Founders don’t fail as CEOs because they lack intelligence. They fail because no one teaches them how to lead at scale.

When your company starts to grow, everything gets harder—alignment, hiring, focus, setting standards.

I looked for leadership frameworks that worked in startup environments, but most of what I found came from the world of corporate management.

So, I started building my own.

What began as a few models I shared with clients turned into a full-blown system—refined over thousands of hours coaching some of the most successful CEOs in tech.

It’s called the Founder Leadership System™, and it’s designed to help founders upgrade their leadership faster than their companies can scale.

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Where Would You Like to Start?

Ready to scale as a CEO?

Apply for coaching and explore whether the Founder Leadership System™ is right for you.

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Curious about my approach?

Learn how top startup CEOs reinvent their role to be more spacious, strategic and valuable, with Role Reset™. 

Join the Free Workshop →

Not Everything That Works Makes Sense

And not everything that makes sense works.

I write a newsletter for startup founders who want to lead better.

No fluff. Just honest, hard-won insights from coaching 200+ venture-backed CEOs — and learning plenty of lessons the hard way myself.

If you're scaling a company, and leadership feels weird, my newsletter will help make sense of it.

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Don’t reinvent the wheel

Every week, I find new solutions to old problems with my clients. Would you like a sneak peek?

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