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Advisory & investmentFor founders who are ready to go further, faster.

Lode Ventures is an advisory and investment firm. We've spent two decades building and scaling businesses — now we back and advise others doing the same.

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Two founders working at a shared desk in a brick-walled studio
What we do

Helping ambitious founders scale

Scaling and advisory

For founders who need expertise rather than capital — or as well as it. Technical and product leadership taken on directly, advice on what to launch and when, and the growth and independence work that decides what an agency is worth when it sells.

  • Fractional CTOArchitecture, delivery and product judgement — or the build itself, where there is no team yet.
  • Commercial and operationsPricing, process, and the systems and infrastructure a business needs to scale past the founder.
  • Exit readinessWhat an acquirer will actually look at, assessed early enough that you can still change it.
Fractional CTOFractional CPOBuild your MVPAgency exit & scaling

Investment and equity partnerships

We deploy investment to grow and scale start-ups and established businesses, structured around what the company actually needs to hit its goals. Capital is the start of it — every business we back gets access to the operating experience behind it.

  • Early-stage investmentBacking companies at the point where capital and experience change the trajectory most.
  • Equity partnershipsDeals shaped around the business and the stage it is at, rather than a fixed template.
  • Advisory for equityOperating, technical and product leadership in place of cash — or alongside it.
Investment
Focus

Where we focus

  • Health & wellbeingDigital products for clinical and wellness settings
  • AgenciesCreative and digital agencies, typically under £2m
  • SaaSInnovative subscription-based software, in any sector
  • TechnologyArchitecture, web platforms and AI adoption
Matt Ville, founder of Lode Ventures
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Our founder

Matt Ville

Lode Ventures was founded by Matt Ville, a technology entrepreneur and investor with more than two decades of experience launching and scaling businesses. He combines a deep understanding of entrepreneurialism with tech and AI expertise.

Matt is the founder of Hiyield, a UK-based digital product studio established in 2018 that partners with start-ups, scale-ups and established organisations to design, build and launch digital products. Under his leadership it became an award-winning B Corp and a seven-figure business, with a multidisciplinary team serving clients worldwide. He exited the business via an Employee Ownership Trust in March 2024.

He now backs multiple businesses, bringing the same combination of operating experience and technical expertise to the companies he supports. He invests in ambitious founders building technology-enabled companies.

  • 20+ years operating
  • B Corp founder
  • Exit via EOT
  • Tech & AI
Insights

Writing on building, backing and scaling businesses

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Work with us

Tell us what you're working on.

We work with founders who want advice, capital, or both. A short note about your business and what you’re trying to do next is enough to start.

What kind of support?
Sector

Questions

Common questions

What does Lode Ventures do?

Two things. We invest in businesses, and we work inside them. On the advisory side that means taking technical and product leadership on directly as a fractional CTO or CPO, alongside the commercial and operational work of scaling. On the investment side it means early-stage funding and equity partnerships, structured around what the business actually needs.

Do you invest, advise, or both?

Either, and often both. Some founders want capital. Some want someone who has already built the thing they are building. Plenty want both in the same conversation. We also structure advisory for equity, where operating, technical and product leadership goes in instead of cash — or alongside it.

Who do you work with?

Founders of start-ups, scale-ups and established businesses that are ready to accelerate. We focus on four sectors: health and wellbeing, creative and digital agencies, SaaS, and technology. Agencies typically sit under £2m in revenue; elsewhere we care more about the business and the founder than the stage.

What does a fractional CTO or CPO engagement involve?

Technical and product leadership in one seat: architecture, delivery and the engineering team, alongside roadmap, discovery and deciding what not to build. It suits companies that need senior leadership and the decisions that come with it, without carrying a full-time hire.

Do you only work with businesses in the South West of England?

No. We are based in Cornwall and have a particular interest in businesses across the South West, but we work with founders wherever they are. Good businesses are not only built within an hour of London.

How do we start?

Send a short note about your business and what you are trying to do next, either through the form above or to hello@lode.ventures. That is enough to begin — we read everything ourselves and reply to most enquiries within a couple of working days.