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In one of the most challenging funding environments in recent years, British investor and mentor Matt Haycox has shown that disciplined preparation can still unlock capital at speed. Earlier this year, one of the entrepreneurs he advised secured £2 million in just 90 days. A result that stands out in a market where funding rounds have slowed and due diligence has intensified.
Haycox, founder of lending platform Funding Guru, has spent more than two decades helping UK businesses access finance. His background as an investor and turnaround specialist gives him a grounded perspective on what it takes to raise capital quickly and sustainably. ‘Speed isn’t about luck,’ he says. ‘It’s about structure. The better you prepare, the faster people trust you with money.’
A Funding Market Under Pressure
According to Crunchbase’s Global Venture Report for Q3 2025, worldwide venture deployment reached roughly $97 billion, up about 15% year on year, but deal counts fell nearly 30% as investors concentrated on fewer, more established companies. Meanwhile, a recent survey from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) found that 47% of UK SMEs listed cash-flow management as their biggest operational risk heading into 2026.
This environment made the 90-day raise especially notable. The founder, Haycox worked with, faced the same headwinds as many small businesses: tightening liquidity, slower payments and hesitant investors. Late-payment data from QuickBooks UK in mid-2025 showed that 62% of small businesses were waiting on overdue invoices, averaging £21,400 each. That kind of drag, Haycox says, can stall a funding round before it starts.
Step 1: Diagnose And De-Risk
Haycox began by stripping the business down to its fundamentals: clarifying margins, confirming recurring revenue and identifying operational inefficiencies. ‘If your model is leaking cash, adding more revenue won’t fix the hole,’ he says.
Once the financials were sound, he helped the founder craft what he calls a ‘funding-ready memo’: a concise, two-page plan backed by real numbers rather than projections. The goal was to replace the traditional 30-page pitch deck with something faster, sharper and built for scrutiny.
Step 2: Build Credibility Before Capital
With the financial groundwork set, Haycox’s next step was structured outreach. The founder prioritised warm introductions first, followed by targeted approaches to specialist investors and strategic partners. Weekly updates kept stakeholders informed, pairing performance metrics with brief commentary on market conditions.
According to Haycox, this steady rhythm builds confidence. ‘Investors don’t need constant hype. They need proof that you can execute under pressure,’ he explains. ‘When you communicate clearly and consistently, the conversation moves faster.’
Step 3: Negotiate From Strength, Not Survival
By the third month, the business had improved collections, signed new customer pre-payments and secured multiple investor offers. The final package combined equity investment with a short-term facility arranged via Funding Guru, giving the company operational breathing room during the next growth phase.
That hybrid model, balancing capital injection with cash-flow stability, mirrors broader trends in late 2025 funding. Research from The Venture City Benchmark Report shows average deal sizes rising while the number of rounds continues to decline. Evidence that disciplined, data-driven companies are outperforming those reliant on momentum alone.
Why This Strategy Matters For 2026
Heading into 2026, UK founders face a financial landscape marked by elevated interest rates and greater scrutiny from both lenders and investors. A Bibby Financial Services Confidence Tracker released in Q3 2025 revealed that 72% of SMEs had reduced or delayed investment plans because of cash-flow constraints.
Haycox believes that the environment favours businesses prepared to prove their fundamentals. ‘You don’t need a perfect business to raise money,’ he says. ‘You need a business that knows exactly where it stands.’
His own portfolio, spanning finance, hospitality and media, has arranged more than £1 billion in funding for UK companies. On Matt Haycox’s official website, he shares similar case studies highlighting how founders can restructure, stabilise and relaunch without waiting for market conditions to soften.
For entrepreneurs facing a more selective capital market, the lesson is clear: preparation beats panic. ‘Speed comes from structure,’ Haycox says. ‘If you do the hard work before you start asking for money, 90 days is more than enough time to get a deal done.’