Phil has that rare ability to flip between strategy and execution seamlessly. He helped us find clarity quickly and land some early wins that made a real impact.
Case Study
Unlocking £800M Annually Through SaaS & Automation
Public Sector SaaS / Brevio
The Opportunity
The UK charitable sector is vast and fragmented — with over 750,000 charities and social enterprises, and thousands of grant makers including government bodies, trusts, and philanthropists. Yet billions are lost each year in inefficiencies. Charities spend enormous time and resources applying for funding — often with little success. I was approached by a philanthropist-investor with a vision to tackle this, and invited to co-found a digital platform that could radically improve the process.
The Approach
We began with deep sector research. I analysed hundreds of grant application forms and led a major industry-wide survey — collecting thousands of responses through charity networks. We also interviewed major trusts and foundations to understand their processes and requirements.
The findings were stark: over £1.1BN was spent annually by charities on grant applications, with the majority ending in rejection. Forms varied wildly — from 20 to over 120 questions — but often covered the same ground in different language.
We explored a range of technologies including blockchain, RPA, and distributed ledgers. But ultimately, a SaaS marketplace with a standardised data model offered the speed, scalability, and robustness we needed.
The Solution
We built a centralised platform to standardise applications and automate matching. Charities filled out one set of questions — once — and were matched to relevant funders. I led the design and delivery of the platform, from MVP to national launch.
To scale, I built and managed a 30-person team — spanning product, engineering, UX, behavioural insights, marketing, legal, and support.
The Output
- Designed and delivered a national SaaS solution to tackle £1.1BN inefficiency
- Built and led a 30-person cross-functional team
- Secured multi-million-pound investment to scale
- Validated solution with major grant makers and charities
- Achieved sustained 35% month-on-month user growth in early roll-out
The Outcome
The platform received national media attention (including The Telegraph) and was formally endorsed in the UK government's Kruger Report to the Prime Minister.
Within my tenure, it was on track to unlock up to £800M annually for the sector through automation and better matching — reshaping how funders and charities approached grant-making, from repetitive admin to strategic enablement.