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Day Jobs, Big Breaks & Maritime Moves
Quiet weeks mean real work is getting done, and the seas are stirring with innovation
Alex Leigh
June 29, 2025
The only newsletter trusted to bridge the gap between entrepreneurs and investors.
Welcome 🌟
Dear Reader,
Sometimes the quietest weeks are the most productive. Deals get closed, clarity returns, and the grind takes center stage. This week, we reflect on why the day job matters most, how breakthroughs emerge from surrender, and why maritime tech might just be the next venture wave. Let’s dive in.
Weekly Spotlight 📅
A quiet few weeks closing some and progressing others. That’s the day job. For VCs, and similarly for startups, who both need to close their VC round every 18 months and then customers as often as possible. The panels, socials, PR, networking are all secondary to this main activity.
From the outside, it all looks like glitz and glamour, but the reality is late nights, Excel formulas for days, endless due diligence and legal docs. No complaints though. Helping entrepreneurs change the world is always worth it.
What’s your why?
VC Perspective 🧺
Out of the basket thinking.
Feeling stuck? You’re not alone. Many have struggled recently.
This week, though, I saw breakthroughs. Entrepreneurs and asset managers found clarity in what had been confusion. The trick? They let go of fixed ideas, stepped back, and listened to what the world was telling them. The answers were there all along.
Stay curious. Stay humble. Your next big win depends on it.
It’s been a quieter week on socials. Team Space & Defence at UKI2S (Future Planet Capital) has been deep in deal mode. Because yes, the UK economy is still moving, and capital is flowing.
Have a great one this coming week and smash it out there! 💥
Read the full post here.
Entrepreneur Corner 💼
Get a co-founder so it’s an enjoyable and profitable journey to the Tippy Top.
Common Ground / Industry Trends 💢
VCs are taking the plunge into maritime tech. Here’s where they’re looking:
Investors are increasingly interested in defence applications of maritime technology as security becomes the topic du jour in Europe.
Read the full article on Sifted
Yours truly was featured in this Sifted piece, discussing why we backed Honuworx and Aquark. Our conviction lies in their ability to bring critical innovation to subsea robotics and remote underwater operations. A frontier ripe for transformation and with massive defence and commercial upside.
“Subsea tech isn’t just for defence — it’s the backbone of offshore wind, undersea cables, and environmental monitoring,” Leigh adds. “Investing here is a way to back both security and sustainability.”
Ask Alex 🧵
Q: “How do you get time to gym and do everything you do?”
My online coach Andy McTaggart in Dubai gave me a game-changing exercise:
“So if you had to prioritise where you spent your energy Monday to Friday. What would the order be for the following with 1 being highest: Work, Home, Gym, Recovery, Quiet time/relaxation/your time?”
Getting to the gym isn’t accidental. It’s my time to work on myself, to think, to create, to stay balanced, and to do something hard so the rest of the day feels easy.
What does your prioritisation list look like?
Want to see your question featured? Reply to this email or reach out on LinkedIn or TikTok!
Closing Thoughts 🌟
This week, we highlighted the real work behind the venture gloss, how clarity can come from letting go, and where the next frontier in tech may lie: underwater. As always, remember the value of self-care, collaboration, and staying open to the unexpected.
Here’s to reaching the Tippy Top, together!
Best,
Alex
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