Why We Created VentureCEO
At Cooper Parry, we kept seeing the same challenge: brilliant early-stage CEOs facing pivotal decisions around product, people, and growth. Often without the support they truly needed. Not more theory. Not more noise. What they needed was access; to peers, to trusted experts, and to those who’ve scaled before.
So we built VentureCEO: a curated, time-light programme designed to deliver real impact through meaningful collaboration.
What Is VentureCEO?
VentureCEO is a 10-week programme helping founders of early-stage, venture-backed businesses supercharge their growth. It’s built around minimal time commitment, just 20 hours per cohort and maximum value, connecting founders with fellow CEOs, investors, and domain experts from their specific vertical.
Since launching in February 2024, VentureCEO has supported 75 early-stage CEOs across five tailored cohorts: spanning Health, Money, Data, Media, and Retail.
We kickstarted VentureCEO with the ‘Future of Health’, partnering with AlbionVC and AWS to deliver tailored support and connections to founders putting mission over everything.
‘Future of Money’ followed, where fast-growing fintech founders accessed experts breaking down the complexity of the sector including from Allica Bank and Balderton Capital.
We partnered with IQ Capital, Capsule and founders of the ‘Future of Data’ cohort also heard from Husayn Kassai of Quench AI about how to deliver outcomes with data to ensure user trust.
‘Future of Media’ was VentureCEO’s first foray into the creative sector. We worked with amazing experts from Edge VC, Supernode Global, Calculus Capital, Rocket Sports and Sony Music Entertainment who delivered insights into how legacy media is being shaken up by new innovations redefining the sector.
‘Future of Retail’ – with a focus on B2B retail tech solutions – saw us work with brilliant industry veterans including Andrew Xeni of Fabacus and Nobody’s Child, Mandeep Singh of Trouva, as well as Gabbi Cahane of Stride VC and Active Partners.
Along the way, we’ve engaged with 500 seed-stage companies, facilitated insight-rich sessions from over 50 domain experts, and created direct access to 10 vertical-specific VCs. The result? A combined £227 million raised by cohort CEOs and an average alumni rating of 9 out of 10.
Founder Voices: The Power of Peer Connection
The collaborative nature of VentureCEO is what sets it apart. Founders consistently cite the value of shared experience and peer support:
“The CEO Circles were the main reason I wanted to be on the programme: to share the trials & tribulations of being a founder and gain support through connection and shared experience.”
— Andrew Nicolson, Osprey Flight Solutions (Future of Data)
“10 out of 10! Every session brought value. I most enjoyed the new relationships I made, particularly with fellow CEOs and potential future investors.”
— Phil Morrow, Retinize (Future of Media)
“The time commitment and duration were just right. It provided great insight while allowing time to build real connections.”
— Sabrina Palme, Palquee (Future of Data)
“VentureCEO programme has been a game-changer for us. The support, network, and insight we received as a fintech were incredibly valuable.”
— Jinesh Vohra, Sprive (Future of Money)
What’s Next: Future of AI
Launching 24 September 2025, our next and biggest cohort, Future of AI, will bring together up to 20 founders building the next generation of AI-led businesses. From Seed to Series A founders will tap into Cooper Parry’s tailored support, rich insights, and critical connections.
Tom Watts CP Associate Partner who’s leading the new cohort said: “I’m very excited to launch our future of AI cohort! The impact of each and every one of these founders is transformative and being a part of that journey is very exciting. Beyond the brilliant programme we’ve lined up, the real magic happens in the connections made between the founders, the experiences they share, and the relationships built along the way. It’s going to be great fun to support them all and I’m really looking forward to getting to know them better individually and learn more about their growth ambitions!”
We’re excited to partner again with Fox Williams and Emerald Technology, who bring lots of experience working with AI founders through milestone events, scaling overseas and hiring the best talent. Our VC partners include Octopus Ventures and Seedcamp and we’re also excited to be working with Google Cloud who will share insights scaling an AI business.
We have a small number of places left on the ‘Future of AI’ programme. Register your interest for VentureCEO by Friday 19th September: Future of AI
