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Rob Connell

CEO, Nolwenture · Managing Partner, Bailey Partners

International business leader, entrepreneur and advisor with experience building and leading companies across Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific — from corporate leadership to early-stage startups, fundraising and exits.

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Rob Connell
International growth

Market entry, international expansion and building operations across Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific.

Go-to-market

Commercial strategy, product marketing, business development and building a practical route from product to repeatable sales.

Fundraising

Equity and debt financing, investor readiness, fundraising strategy and experience from both company and investor perspectives.

Board & leadership

Board work, strategic planning, interim leadership and navigating the organisational challenges that come with growth.

Mentoring

Mentoring for founders, CEOs and interim leaders, drawing on experience as a managing director, interim CEO and board member. Practical guidance through growth, investors, exits and the personal side of leading.

About Rob

Rob Connell is an experienced CEO, entrepreneur, board advisor and international business builder. His career spans major corporate leadership positions, technology companies, startups, venture financing and hands-on operational roles.

Earlier in his career, Rob served as Managing Director of a €300 million division of France Telecom. He has since worked across startups, scaleups and established technology businesses, helping companies commercialise products, raise capital, enter new markets and turn ambitious growth plans into practical execution.

Rob has served in multiple interim CEO roles as well as board, advisory and interim CFO positions. His experience includes both equity and debt fundraising, including work as a Venture Partner for a family office.

Rob is particularly useful when the question is not “what could we do?” but “what should we actually do next?”

Experience

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Former Managing Director of a €300 million division of France Telecom.

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Experience raising both equity and debt financing, including work as a Venture Partner for a family office.

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Multiple interim CEO roles, including helping a US Insurtech company raise $3.5 million.

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Experience in board, advisory, Chairperson, interim CEO and CFO roles.

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Has been involved in multiple company exits.

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Has set up and launched businesses across the UK, EMEA, the Americas and Asia-Pacific.

What should you talk to Rob about?

Mentoring works best when you bring a concrete problem, decision or assumption to challenge. These are some of the areas where Rob’s experience can be particularly useful.

01

International expansion

Which market should we enter first? What should we validate before investing heavily, and what normally goes wrong when companies expand too early?

02

Fundraising

How should we approach investors? Should we raise equity, debt or something else? What evidence and milestones need to be in place before fundraising?

03

Go-to-market

Who is really buying, how should the first commercial motion work and what is the most credible route from an early product to repeatable sales?

04

CEO & leadership challenges

How should a founder prioritise when everything feels urgent? What needs to change as the company grows and the organisation becomes more complex?

05

Boards & advisors

When does a startup actually benefit from a board or advisory structure, who should be involved and how should founders make better use of them?

06

Strategic focus

We have several possible products, markets and opportunities. Which assumptions matter most and what should we deliberately stop doing?

07

Scaling internationally

What needs to be built locally and what can remain centralised? How should sales, partnerships and operations evolve across different regions?

08

Investor readiness

Is our company actually ready to raise capital? Where are investors likely to challenge the story, team, numbers or market assumptions?

09

Founder & CEO mentoring

How do you deal with the personal side of leading a company through uncertainty, growth, investor pressure, difficult decisions and potential exits?

Experience from corporate leadership to startup execution

Rob’s background combines senior corporate management with hands-on startup and scaleup work. That allows mentoring discussions to cover both high-level strategic questions and the practical realities of execution.

Corporate leadership

Managing a €300m business

Former Managing Director of a €300 million division of France Telecom, bringing experience from operating at significant organisational scale.

Entrepreneurship

Startups, scaleups and exits

Experience working directly with technology-driven businesses through growth, financing, operational challenges and multiple exits.

Financing

Equity and debt fundraising

Experience from fundraising as a founder and executive as well as from the investor side through work as a Venture Partner for a family office.

Internationalisation

Building across multiple continents

Has established and launched businesses across the UK, EMEA, Americas and Asia-Pacific markets.

Interim management

CEO and CFO roles

Has stepped into interim executive positions when businesses required hands-on leadership, restructuring, financing or commercial acceleration.

Governance

Board and advisory experience

Experience as Chairperson, board member and advisor, helping companies connect strategy, governance and practical execution.

Want to talk with Rob?

Whether you are working through international expansion, fundraising, go-to-market, leadership, board questions or another business challenge, you can contact Rob directly to discuss how he may be able to help.

rob.connell@nolwenture.com
Email Rob

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