Nataša Williams is the co-founder and CEO of Cadro, a technology-driven wealth management firm.
The London-based company combines proprietary technology with traditional investment management. Individuals, for example, can book a meeting with investment experts to understand their risk appetite, and then manage their portfolio via the Cadro app.
Founded in 2022 by Williams and Jordan Buck, the wealth tech company is backed by Literacy Capital.
In this week’s Founder in Five Q&A, the Cadro chief weighs in on whether company leaders should be outspoken on social media, shares fundraising advice, and explains why she’s excited by nanobots.
1. What role was the most important early hire you made?
Nataša Williams: Our excellent chief investment officer, David Semmens. Formerly the chief investment officer at Aviva’s robo-investment platform Wealthify, David instantly understood and built on our vision to construct a stellar investment proposition from the ground up and link it with engaging content so investors can see exactly what they hold, where they hold it and why.
Now, a few years down the line, it’s been very gratifying to see David play a pivotal role in Cadro’s investment performance.
2. Should founders be outspoken on social media?
NW: Being visible online and promoting the great work your team is doing is part of a founder’s job, but I wonder sometimes about the extent to which some business owners choose to post.
Primarily I want to stay focused on running the company: our investment service, our technology and our staff.
It can be easy to get side-tracked, but leading a team means getting into the weeds and fixing things when needed, as much as shouting about your successes, or debating current trends on social media.
3. How do you prevent burnout?
NW: I love how fast-paced this role is, and some of the best parts of my day are the times when I get to meet clients and prospects and hear about their own businesses and investment journeys.
But it’s important to make sure each day has some ring-fenced time baked in to de-stress. Exercise is important to me, so I regularly run and walk and, where possible, limit the time I work at weekends.
Having space to think about other things is critical, and also helps get you prepared for the day-to-day hustle and bustle.
4. Which nascent technology holds the most promise?
NW: I was recently talking to our CTO Jun Seki about the use of nanobots in cancer treatment.
Early detection and diagnosis of cancers are notoriously difficult, and late-stage detection often leads to high mortality rates. Nanobots, as a key application of nanomedicine, are revolutionising this field by enabling more sensitive and effective diagnostic and therapeutic methods.
Advancements in nanotechnology effectively means that cancer patients may start seeing significant improvements to early-stage detection and therefore more effective treatments and lower mortality rates.
It’s extremely exciting, and the field of biotech is going to play an increasingly important role in the future of our global society.
5. What funding advice would you give to a first-time founder?
NW: Investment follows people, so work on building relationships early, and then work on keeping them solid.
People and relationships are actually more important than championing a great product. Investing time to build great relationships with future investors is critical; they need to believe in you and trust you.
It helps to keep in touch with old friends and colleagues. Those connections can make a key difference to your fundraising. Wishing you the best of luck!
Founder in Five – a UKTN Q&A series with the entrepreneurs behind the UK’s innovative tech startups, scaleups and unicorns – is published every Friday.
The post Cadro founder: Focus on people over championing a product when fundraising appeared first on UKTN.
