Morning Innovators ⚡ In less than 5 minutes, we’ll cover…

🥳 The best funding opportunities, events and jobs in the Start-Up world this week
📰 This week’s biggest news stories in the Start-Up world
🥽 How this Start-Up is changing the future of AR + VR
🏃 How you can build a viral marketing campaign on New Year’s resolutions
🤖 A tool that allows you to build AI agents in plain english

✨ Last week’s most clicked link, was this link taking you through to Active Capital, who are looking to write $500k - $750k cheques into Pre-Seed companies.

🇺🇸 I’M IN SAN FRANCISCO 🇺🇸 - I’m currently out in SF and will be until the 22nd of Jan, I’m looking to speak to as many people out here as possible. If you’re out here, know anyone out here or know of any events to head to, please send your suggestions! Either respond to this email, email me direct at [email protected] or send it on LinkedIn 🦅 

Happy hustling,

Rich

🎤 Opportunities + Events

🍊 Passion Capital are looking to invest £400k - £500k cheques into Pre-Seed Fintech + Enterprise Risk Startups, saying they’ll invest pre-revenue and pre-product. Find out more here!

🏆 Stelios has launched his UK Young Entrepreneur competition, 1st place wins £150k, 2nd wins £100k and 3rd wins £50k - apply here!

💰 A16z have just raised $15 billion across multiple different early-stage funds, covering pretty much every industry - connect with the team here!

We now have a community of thousands of Start-Ups and Founders, here are the hottest Start-Up job opportunities from the Innovators Uncensored community on our very own Start-Ups Job Board!

💼 Start-Up Jobs

🧑‍💻 Fullstack Engineer, Tano
🧑‍🎨 Lead Product Designer, DevAlly
♟ Creative Strategist, Stocked

🏦 Revolut in talks to buy Turkish Neobank FUPS. Sifted

📍 App downloads declined in 2025 but consumer spending soared to nearly $156bn. TechCrunch

🚗 Discord IPO might happen in March. TechCrunch
 
📈 Record number of UK tech incorporations in 2025 UKTN

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Book your rental here!

Everyone knows that January is the time for New Year’s Resolutions and commitments, and Franco Manca really took advantage of that!

Their latest campaign, map your pizza, capitalises on all the people who have turned to running and getting fit for their New Year’s resolution.

How did they do it? They’ve said that if you do a run in a pizza shaped route (as seen in the image above), you’ll get £1 off your pizza for every KM you run - 10KM = £10 off your meal!

This was genius because people had to share their run publicly, which gives Franco Manca the networks of everyone posting, without lifting a finger themselves!

How can you capitalise on New Year’s resolutions with your business?

Each week we highlight our favourite tools - either something we’ve been using in our businesses, or tools that our Start-Up community have recommended.

Build AI agents by describing your task in plain English. Vellum turns it into a working agent you can run on a schedule, trigger via API, or use through a UI. No code, no setup; just automation you understand and control.

Virtus Tech: Changing the Future of AR + VR

Virtus Tech is on a mission to make VR and AR content creation accessible to everyone, not just developers with specialist skills. Much like WordPress democratised website creation, Virtus Tech’s no-code platform allows businesses to create, edit, and deploy immersive VR experiences quickly and without technical complexity.

Built for organisations across the UK and US, the platform is both industry-agnostic and device-agnostic, giving customers flexibility as hardware and use cases continue to evolve. Combined with AI-driven analytics that help teams continuously improve performance, Virtus Tech enables companies to use immersive technology not as a novelty, but as a measurable, goal-driven tool.

Behind the product are founders George and Robin, whose journey started long before VR and AR became mainstream business tools.

Landing the First Customer: Cold Outreach Done Right

Virtus Tech’s first customer didn’t come from inbound marketing, introductions, or a warm network - it came from good old-fashioned cold outreach.

The approach was simple but deliberate:
a cold email, followed by a cold call one week later.

That follow-up call served two purposes. First, it confirmed the email had actually been seen. Second, it shifted the dynamic - instead of waiting passively for a reply, George and Robin created a moment of engagement. While cold outreach can feel uncomfortable, especially early on, it worked. That first “yes” validated both the problem and the solution, and gave the Founders confidence that there was genuine demand for what they were building.

More importantly, it laid the groundwork for a repeatable early sales motion.

Growing Through Reputation, Not Hype

Once Virtus Tech had initial traction, the focus shifted from outbound sales to building credibility.

Rather than chasing fast growth, the team invested time in delivering real value to early customers and letting results speak for themselves. Word-of-mouth referrals from satisfied users began to play a bigger role, supported by a growing and consistent social media presence that showcased both the product and the thinking behind it.

This combination of customer advocacy and visible thought leadership helped Virtus Tech build trust in a space where many businesses were still unsure how VR and AR could deliver tangible ROI.

Bootstrapping from Day One

Virtus Tech’s journey has been deliberately capital-efficient.

Founded in 2018, the first two years were spent on deep market research and product refinement. Rather than rushing to sell, George and Robin focused on understanding where immersive technology genuinely solved problems - and where it didn’t.

In 2020, Virtus Tech made its first commercial sale, officially entering a new phase as a revenue-generating business. From that point on, growth was entirely self-funded. Profits were reinvested, spending was tightly controlled, and the company scaled at a pace it could sustain.

It wasn’t until 2022 that the Founders began exploring external funding, engaging with angel investors and venture capitalists through referrals and direct outreach. By then, Virtus Tech had a proven product, real customers, and a clear sense of direction.

Challenges, Lessons, and Growing Pains

Like many Founder-led companies, Virtus Tech’s toughest challenges weren’t purely technical.

Early on, cold outreach took an emotional toll. Rejection felt personal - until the Founders learned to detach emotionally and see each “no” as part of the process. That mindset shift became a turning point, building resilience that still shapes how the team operates today.

Another major challenge came from success itself. The platform matured faster than the company could hire the people needed to accelerate sales and revenue. This mismatch highlighted a critical lesson: technology growth and team growth must stay aligned. Without the right people in place, even the best product can struggle to reach its full potential.

From a Student House to the VR/AR Frontier

What started in a student house has grown into a serious player in the VR and AR space. For George and Robin, the journey has been as much about personal growth as it has been about building a business.

The path hasn’t been linear or easy, but each challenge has sharpened their thinking, strengthened their resilience, and shaped Virtus Tech into what it is today.

Advice for Other Founders

One of the biggest lessons George and Robbin share is simple but powerful:

Don’t compare your journey to anyone else’s.

Every Founder’s path looks different, and progress takes time. The myth of overnight success rarely holds up - even Rovio, the creators of Angry Birds, built over 51 games before finding their breakout hit.

Focus on your own trajectory, stay patient, and keep building. Success compounds when you give it time.

Next week I’ll be highlighting another awesome Start-Up, as well as sharing all the usuals including funding opportunities, Start-Up news, plus plenty of awesome tips, tricks and tools.

P.S. Connect with me on LinkedIn…