New Dublin advisory firm to help start-ups pitch better

20 May 2022

Ex-CEO of OpenJaw and co-founder of Déjà Partners, Kieron Branagan. Image: Jason Clarke Photography

Founded by tech veterans Kieron Branagan and John Chapman, Déjà Partners aims to ‘translate the art of fundraising into science’.

Déjà Partners, an Irish advisory firm that helps start-up founders pitch to investors, has commenced operations in Ireland and Germany this week.

The ‘boutique’ advisory was founded by tech industry and venture capital experts Kieron Branagan and John Chapman last month. It is based in Blackrock Business Park, Dublin.

Before starting Déjà Partners, Branagan was the chief executive officer of Dublin travel tech firm OpenJaw, a role he left during the pandemic in early 2021. Meanwhile, Chapman is a former investment banker, venture capital partner and chief strategy officer at UK-based IGS Limited.

The two will, along with a team of partners, use their experience in leadership to advise founders of European tech start-ups, mostly in the seed and pre-Series A stages, on how they can pitch better and improve their chances of bagging funding from investors.

“All too often we have seen great ideas and teams go unfunded in the start-up community because the fundraising process is opaque for first-time entrepreneurs,” said Chapman.

“Our aim is to translate the art of fundraising into science. By sharing proven strategies and case studies that work, we are giving entrepreneurs the best chances of raising the capital they need.”

Déjà Partners has also made two major appointments as they venture out into the world of start-up advising.

David Tracey, an engineer and expert in large-scale distributed systems in the cloud, is joining the firm as a partner. Colin Lewis, a marketing expert and columnist for Marketing Week, is joining the Déjà Partners board.

“Today marks an exciting new addition to the European tech ecosystem,” said Branagan. “We are pleased to be able to offer our unique perspectives to entrepreneurs seeking growth capital by developing a tailored strategy for how they engage with institutional investors.”

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Vish Gain is a journalist with Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com