27 March 2024

Is Networking, Marketing? | MarketPulse Podcast - David B Horne | Episode 3 | #B2BMarketing #Podcast

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Key topicsThe Buyer's Shortcut: How Founders Grow 25x Through AcquisitionsMost founders try to grow by selling more, but that alone can keep a business small. What if your fastest route to growth is buying another business? David helped grow businesses from £1 million to nearly £28 million in three years, through funding and acquisitions. Before your next hiring round, look at which small company you could buy instead. Think like a buyer, and growth stops being slow.The funding gap female founders meet before the term sheetFemale founders still build companies in a funding market where access looks open but results stay uneven. Where does the gap really start, before a term sheet ever appears? Say a female founder and a male peer pitch the same idea; only the peer gets asked about growth. David, a keynote speaker and ally for female founders, shows that a single simple question can expose a funding gap. British Business Bank research found female founders received 0.9% of UK venture funding in 2017, despite submitting 5% of pitch decks. Credibility gets weighed early; pattern recognition then decides who looks like a safe bet. Close the gap at the first pitch, and talented founders get backed on merit.The Strategic Buyer: Why One Founder's £1 Million Became £28 Million in Three YearsConventional advice says a bigger company needs more sales, more staff and years of patience. Say a services firm buys a small rival that already has the clients it spent years chasing. Completing 33 acquisitions and exits teaches owners to spot trouble before the money moves. David, a CFO by background, shows that buying growth is a skill any founder can learn. Fund the balance sheet first, or even a closed purchase stays fragile. Name the skill your business keeps failing to hire for, then look for a firm that can supply it. Buy the capability you lack now, and your next stage of growth arrives years sooner.View all topics →

About David Horne

David Horne, podcast guest

Business Growth Strategist | M&A Expert | Author

40+ years International business experience£120M+ Growth funding raised30+ M&A transactions completed£2M–£20M Founder businesses advised by revenue range

David B Horne has spent nearly four decades helping ambitious founders build businesses that don't just grow, they multiply. A Chartered Accountant by background, David has raised more than £120 million in growth capital and completed 33 mergers, acquisitions and exits. He has helped companies scale from startup to market leader through strategic funding, acquisitions, and disciplined financial leadership. Today, as founder of ADD THEN MULTIPLY, he works with entrepreneurs turning over £2–20 million who want to accelerate growth, increase business value, and build companies that can ultimately thrive without them.

Throughout his career, David has served as CFO for listed companies, high-growth businesses, and entrepreneurial ventures, including Daniel Priestley's companies, giving him a front-row seat to what separates businesses that plateau from those that scale exponentially. His proven FACE methodology: Fund, Acquire, Consolidate, Exit shows founders how to move beyond the limits of organic growth and create transformational business value through strategic acquisitions and robust financial foundations.

David is also a passionate advocate for female founders. After being asked a simple question following a speaking engagement: why so little investment reaches women-led businesses, he began researching the issue and uncovered the systemic funding gap that continues to exist across venture capital.

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