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Peer Effect
Best way to scale? Your peers have the answers.
This is the podcast for scaleup founders looking for insightful, actionable wisdom from some of the best operators around. Each week we’ll explore one secret that other founders and experts are using right now and how to implement it.
It’s practical wisdom to build the company AND life you want. Hosted by renowned founder coach and advisor James Johnson.
You’ve survived to £1m, now let’s scale to £10m+.
Peer Effect
VCs Have Hidden Value for You (Most Founders Never Ask for It) with D'Arcy Martin, Outward VC
Your VCs have hidden value beyond capital. Most founders never ask for it.
D'Arcy Martin has been Head of Platform at Outward VC for six years. She's watched hundreds of funding rounds close. And there's one pattern she sees: founders who treat VCs like a bank account versus founders who extract every ounce of value.
The difference? They ask.
In today's episode, I'm joined by D'Arcy Martin, who sits at the intersection of founders, LPs, and portfolio companies at Outward VC. Her job is connecting dots most founders don't even know exist. LP introductions that become your biggest clients. Portfolio partnerships that unlock new markets. Co-investor networks that solve your hardest problems.
But here's the thing: if you don't ask, you don't get.
The hidden benefits we unpack:
- Why you should reference-check your VCs before signing (and how to do it)
- What value adds beyond capital: sector expertise, LP networks, portfolio ecosystems
- Why VCs are startups too (and what their fundraising journey means for you)
- How to build your dream funding round (and which specialisms to prioritise)
- Why some founders get way more attention than others
- The "Christmas list" strategy: What to ask for right now
D'Arcy shares the story of one founder who sat down for a catch-up, shared they were selling to similar customers as another portfolio company, and D'Arcy connected them. Today they're doing a joint partnership and it's one of their first enterprise clients in the US.
👆 If you've raised capital (or you're about to), and you want to know how to extract way more than just money from your investors, this conversation shows you exactly what to ask for.
About D'Arcy Martin
D'Arcy Martin is Head of Platform at Outward VC, where she's been for six years – almost from the fund's first close. Starting during a graduate rotation programme at a bank that was a founding LP, Darcy convinced the team to let her stay beyond the three-month rotation. She's tried every role in the fund and built what "platform" means at Outward from the ground up.
More from James:
Connect with James on LinkedIn or at peer-effect.com
