Scaling isn’t Linear: lessons in resilience from UK founders

The conversation was chaired by Vinit Nijhawan, a member of our Enterprise Committee and Managing Director at Mass Ventures. Vinit was former head of the technology development at Boston University and has founded and led several deep tech companies acquired by global firms such as Boeing and Qualcomm. 

He was joined by three panellists who know the messy reality of growth first hand: 

• Dr Eloise Taysom, who has shaped products and teams at Microsoft AI, Bud Financial and Zoa;
• Claire Trant, founder of Untap Health, who turned wastewater innovation into real time disease detection used across the UK;
• Dr Amrit Chandan, Forbes 30 Under 30 entrepreneur, exited climate tech founder of Acceleron and now building Gauge19. 

Rather than replay success stories, they spoke openly about tuning in to product market fit, hiring and culture, leadership changes and the emotional work of staying the course when things are hard. 

For many founders, product–market fit feels like a milestone you can plan for. In reality, it’s a process of intuition, experimentation, and hard evidence. 

Eloise Taysom, shared her experience joining a startup that believed it had already found product–market fit, only to discover that wasn’t the case. “You go in and realise the big question isn’t about scaling,” she said, “it’s whether you’ve really found the right problem to solve.” 

Her approach was to dig deep into customer conversations, test assumptions, and identify where genuine traction existed. The result was a major pivot in both product strategy and organisational structure, a reminder that clarity often follows discomfort. 

Key takeaway: True product–market fit feels like momentum you can’t stop. Not effort you constantly have to push uphill. 

For deep founders, it is very tempting to lead with innovation rather than need. Claire Trant shared how her infectious disease detection startup initially did just that.     

“We were so proud of our tech, but no one cared.”  

The breakthrough came when an investor challenged the team to change the story. Instead of talking about features, they started talking about health outcomes and the human stakes. That simple reframing changed the conversations they were having. People first understood why it mattered, then asked how it worked. 

“Now people ask how we do it, not why they should care,” she said. 

That customer-first mindset turned a brilliant piece of engineering into a scalable business. 

Key takeaway: Don’t sell the tech. Sell the pain you solve. 

Venture capital can accelerate growth, but it can also tempt teams to move faster than their understanding and erode resilience. 

Amrit Chandan, a founder who exited his battery innovation company to an Indian partner, cautioned against equating funding with progress. “When you raise a lot of money, the temptation is to grow quickly,” he said. “But the best way to build resilience is to stay lean.”  

Vinit Nijhawan echoed this sentiment. He compared it to tuning an analogue radio: “Once you’re on the right frequency, that’s when you turn up the volume. Otherwise, you’re just amplifying noise.” 

In company terms, that means holding on to a lean mindset for longer than feels comfortable. Extending runway, making careful hires, testing the business model and culture before you scale it. 

Key takeaway: Capital is fuel, not direction. Find your signal before you turn up the volume and scale

The conversation wasn’t just about business models; it was also about mindset. Exits, pivots, and crises all test a founder’s identity as much as their company’s. 

“When you build something for years,” said Amrit, “you’re self-actualising at a deep level. Selling your company can feel like driving a wrecking ball through everything you’ve created.” 

This emotional resilience - the ability to keep perspective through cycles of success and setback - was echoed by all the panellists.   

“Scaling is as much about resilience as it is about success. And resilience is a muscle that grows in community.” 

Key takeaway: Founders who thrive are those who build support systems: mentors, peers, and networks, that strengthen them through the unpredictable.