Danny Matthews

Founder at Short Story Ventures

Bio

After running a Financial Services business for a decade my career took an interesting turn when I created a proof of concept that secured £3.5bn funding. Since then I have invested in 4 companies, I advise 2 startups and mentor nearly 100 founders to start and build their companies each year. Short Story Ventures is a venture studio where change-making entrepreneurs become game-changing brands. We help early-stage startups gain traction and f After running a Financial Services business for a decade my career took an interesting turn when I created a proof of concept that secured £3.5bn funding.

Since then I have invested in 4 companies, I advise 2 startups and mentor nearly 100 founders to start and build their companies each year.

Short Story Ventures is a venture studio where change-making entrepreneurs become game-changing brands. We help early-stage startups gain traction and funding 3x faster using brand strategy, messaging, marketing and design.
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Top Achievements

Solo60 Secured Funding at £1m Valuation Before Their First Customer

Solo60 transform unloved spaces into world-class gym environments that you can book and workout solo, with friends or train clients for 60 minutes through our mobile app. 10 Million active gym members and only 50% of them using their membership. The UK’s largest decline in retail stores with 16 closures a day. Individually they are huge problems but combined they present an opportunity that Ben Alderton, a Personal Trainer from Reading was primed to take on. By giving Ben the strategy, identity and working app prototype he was able to secure investment at a £1million valuation before even getting his first customer.

3x Revenue By Repositioning a Product To The Right Market

I spent 3 months working with Karen, Founder of Professionals in Partnership to unpack her expertise, repackage it as a highly valuable product and launch it into the market. We worked on market research, branding, positioning and messaging to target a new market and attract more customers. PiP generated more revenue in the 3 months working together than the previous 9 months combined.

Built a Proof Of Concept in Mortgage Tech That Won £3.5bn Contract

Mortgy Digital Mortgages was a proof of concept I built as a mortgage broker to solve the problems of too much travel and paperwork to be productive. I created the proof of concept with a logic string mind map and off-the-shelf software and was quicky hired to build it for a company that used it to win a £3.5billion contract with UK government.

Expertise

Branding
Skills include Brand Design Brand Differentiation Brand Promise Brand Values Logo Design Value Proposition Positioning Audience
Marketing
Skills include Email marketing Social media Strategy Value proposition Your website
Pitching & Pitch Deck
Skills include Vision Deck sequence Your story Road map Deck common mistakes Deck content

Industries

Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Cybersecurity
EdTech
EnviroTech
FinTech
FoodTech
HealthTech / MedTech
Hospitality
Leisure & Entertainment
Manufacturing & Construction
Professional Services
Retail
Space Tech
Supply Chain & Logistics
Travel & Transport
eCommerce

What's included

    1:1 Private Video Call

    Speak with Danny for 60 minutes using our integrated video communication tool. No downloads needed — Just a webcam and microphone.

    Actionable Advice

    Set an agenda before the meeting, share your screen during the session and get tailored advice from Danny on your chosen topic(s).

    Written Feedback

    After your session, you will receive a written summary from Danny including what was discussed, next steps and recommendations.

    HD Video Recording

    Access and download a HD video recording of your session, in case you need to refer back to it or share with team members.

MentorGuarantee

We pride ourselves on hand-picking the very best mentors who have tried and tested experience at building startups and giving exceptional feedback. If you’re not happy with your session, let us know and we will help you find a more suitable Mentor, free of charge.

5

1 review

    Abdulla Abdul Cader

    5 months ago

    “Danny's mentorship on Halvestor's marketing was invaluable. He provided expert feedback after listening intently to everything I had to say, showcasing his experience and expertise in the field. A solid 10/10 and can't wait for the next session!”

£159.00

per session