JULIA ELLIOTT BROWN

Senior Advisor

Julia Elliott Brown is a highly respected entrepreneurial advisor with a 25-year proven track record in building, funding, scaling and supporting high-growth businesses across multiple sectors, and a passion for empowering female founders.

As a serial entrepreneur, Julia has trail-blazed and ridden the start-up rollercoaster with the award-winning online shoe design brand Upper Street, internet pioneer UpMyStreet.com, and coaching and advisory firm Enter The Arena. She's a commensurate action taker that shakes things up, and gets things done to make real impact. She's visionary, inventive, direct, practical, organised and incredibly driven.

Now, as an experienced business advisor and board member, she's supported over 1,500 high-growth founders in building long-term value for their businesses, providing straight talking strategic and tactical guidance, objectivity and perspective, and her heartfelt and unwavering support. Supporting entrepreneurial businesses every step of the way, Julia is committed and highly involved with her clients as they progress through their growth journey, navigating the scaling and investment process effectively. She's eternally curious, challenges constructively, and operates with complete integrity. She connects the dots and open opportunities with her powerful and extensive network and is a fierce champion for the founders and businesses she works with.

Julia is also a member of the Women and Enterprise All Party Parliamentary Group, contributor to the Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship, and a long-standing judge at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards. She regularly chairs and presents at leading start-up events including the Evening Standard’s SME Expo, London Tech Week and Enterprise Nation, and speaks regularly in the media, representing the voice of the female founder. 

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

  • Providing investment and business growth expertise and executive coaching to ambitious female founders. Supported over 1,500 women in building long-term value for their businesses through one-to-one advisory, group coaching, masterclasses and workshops, and directly supporting over 65 clients in raising over £20m in equity finance

  • Shape Talent: The diversity, equity and inclusion experts for complex multinational organisations who are serious about gender equality and what it can achieve for their business.

    Not In The Guidebooks: a global platform bringing together the very best authentic, immersive, responsible travel experiences designed and delivered by local hosts. Creating memorable holidays for independent travellers.

    Nixi Body Underwear: Discreet Leakproof Underwear to keep women moving through menstruation, motherhood and menopause.

  • The Female Founder’s Guide to Securing Investment published in Oct 22 and shortlisted for Business Book Awards 2023. RAISE is the very first book by a woman on securing investment, specifically for female founders.

  • Showcasing inspirational interviews with female founders who share their honest experiences of fundraising – the highs, the lows, the challenges… and top tips for how to be successful, featuring over 70 women in the last 5 years, with over 10,000 downloads and counting.

  • The award-winning online shoe design brand which enabled women to create their perfect shoes online through an innovative 3D Shoe Designer. Raised £2m in investment through angel investment, venture capital and crowdfunding, the first fashion brand to pioneer this new route to investment in the UK. The brand achieved significant industry and consumer acclaim, selling to a global consumer market online (following the successful acquisition of US competitor) and via innovative retail store in London.

  • Specialising in Web 2.0 start-ups, supporting fledgling portfolio businesses with initiatives to scale and maximise commercial potential, as well as looking at potential new investments for the group. Launched Cogenz, a new SaaS product, to the corporate market in London and US technology markets securing 5 initial client contracts including BUPA and the LSE.

  • The UK's only independent residential property information company. Responsible for developing and implementing the direct-to-consumer market strategy, providing property valuation and market reports directly to homeowners.

  • The location information publishing brand that was one of the original pioneers in the early days of the internet. Doubled the consumer audience from 550,000 to 1.1m monthly unique visitors, took the business to break-even and annual revenue of £1.5m within 6 months with 30% YOY growth thereafter, and consistent profitability within twelve months.

  • Responsible for client relationships and managing sales of the full range of information products, applications, and systems into the UK financial markets. Managed two of the top ten global investment banking clients in London (Morgan Stanley & Deutsche Bank), responsible for generating over £12m annual revenue for the company.

 

SPECIALISM

Building Enterprise Value – Support in building value for a scaling business on the journey to exit, including strategic business review and assessment, business planning, commercial and growth strategy.

Fundraising Advisory - Strategic guidance on Seed to Series A equity deals, including fundraising strategy, commercial deal structure, investment pitch assets, campaign strategy and execution, and deal negotiation.

NED / Board Advisory – Corporate governance planning and development, investor relations, taking an active NED / Chair / Advisory role on the board.

KEY SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

  • Business and commercial strategy

  • Equity fundraising

  • Investor relations

  • Building enterprise value

  • Corporate governance

  • Multi-channel marketing & CRM

  • Brand development

  • Business launch

  • Financial forecasting

  • Budget and performance management

  • Pitch presentations

  • Strategic partnerships

  • Retail

  • Driving commercial growth

  • Team building and development

  • Leadership

  • Media and industry relations

  • Public speaking