Podcast Summary: The Investor With Joel Palathinkal
Episode: James Sore: SuperSeed Ventures
Host: Dr. Joel Palathinkal
Guest: James Sore (SuperSeed Ventures)
Date: September 20, 2025
Episode Overview
This episode features James Sore from SuperSeed Ventures, a UK-based early-stage B2B software and deep tech VC fund. James shares his unconventional journey into venture capital, exploring lessons learned from engineering, consulting, entrepreneurship, and investing. The conversation dives deep into the skills and mindset needed for success in venture, why founder empathy is so critical, the realities of building businesses, and how SuperSeed supports founders—especially on sales and product-market fit. The tone is candid, insightful, and supportive, providing listeners with both inspiration and actionable wisdom.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. James Sore’s Background and Path into VC
[01:40 – 05:18]
- Grew up outside Cambridge UK, immersed in tech entrepreneurship via his father.
- Started as a mechanical/electronics engineer, then moved into consulting in Cambridge's “Silicon Fen.”
- Early exposure involved deep technical work, rapid learning, and adapting to new environments.
- Frustrated by lack of autonomy, he co-founded his own consultancy—a pivotal entrepreneurial leap.
Quote:
“With consulting you get chucked in at the deep end... meant to be sort of competent. So you learn very quickly...very broad, and then you build out a specialism.”
— James [03:23]
2. First Steps in Entrepreneurship & Consulting
[05:18 – 14:10]
- Founded a consultancy in 2010, leveraging R&D tax credits as a “Trojan horse” to open doors with clients.
- Emphasized aligning incentives and the value of striving for win-win arrangements.
- Grew the company rapidly but faced lessons about scaling, cash flow, and the challenge of dealing with clients.
Quote:
“Our model was to use research and development tax breaks as a Trojan horse...by understanding exactly what they needed to do...their tax claims got larger. So we had a specialist...and it was kind of an easier way to get the doors opened up into a business. Hey, would you like free money?”
— James [07:56]
3. Challenges & Lessons from Scaling a Business
[11:13 – 14:30]
- Consulting is high-stress, low comfort—scaling up staff does not guarantee better margins.
- Large clients can be both a blessing and a risk; one significant client ultimately bought their business.
- The exit was positive, but not as financially rewarding as hoped for the risk and effort.
Quote:
“We exited, but it was not great...made a bit of money, but nothing...definitely not worth all the risk and heartache.”
— James [14:30]
4. Psychology of Consulting and Handling Clients
[14:45 – 25:05]
- Delivering value is critical; clients’ expectations are high, especially for expensive consulting.
- Managing unhappy clients: honesty and communication are foundational, but there are always some you can’t please.
- Importance of deciding whether to keep working with difficult clients—sometimes, saying no is healthy.
Quote:
“It is kind of a relationship and I prefer to work with people I enjoy...I would prefer not to have six months of being shouted at even if I'm going to get paid a bit more...”
— James [24:15]
5. Team-Building, Delegation, and Honest Self-Assessment
[25:05 – 30:04]
- Early founder life means doing everything, but success lies in recognizing your strengths and outsourcing your weaknesses.
- Building teams with people who love their niches is vital for growth and retention.
- Leaders may feel existential insecurity as teams get stronger, but this is natural and part of healthy scaling.
Quote:
“Know what you're good at and where your gaps are, and hopefully fill the gaps with people that are lightning at it...because then they're not forced to do it, you're not forcing yourself to do it.”
— James [26:03]
6. Pathway from Consulting/Entrepreneurship into Investing
[30:56 – 46:59]
- Became involved in technical due diligence for an IP acquisition fund—this was the segue into investing.
- The thrill of VC/angel investing is in the variety and rapid learning, much like consulting, but less operationally grueling.
- Spoke about joining Syndicate Room, launching a passive early-stage investment fund (akin to an ETF), and investing in 230+ companies.
Quote:
“It's a lovely combination of technical, people, psychology, marketing analysis, and then pure play finance. So I just enjoyed that combination...”
— James [33:24]
7. SuperSeed: Thesis, Approach, and Hands-on Value
[46:59 – 53:34]
- SuperSeed focuses on early-stage B2B software and deep tech with a strong emphasis on sales and go-to-market—believing poor distribution is the #1 startup killer.
- Unique in that partners are entrepreneurs themselves (8 exits among them).
- Post-investment, SuperSeed actively helps with sales strategies, even conducting sales calls for/with portfolio companies.
Quote:
“We spend quite a lot of time with the founders and the sales teams...shadowing sales calls, finding new sales leads for them to convert...privately we'll do our own sales calls...unpicking is there good product market fit.”
— James [50:47]
8. What SuperSeed Looks for in Founders
[49:47 – 52:36]
- Technical moat and cleverness are necessary but not sufficient.
- Sales and go-to-market are critical gaps in most technical teams.
- Extreme founder honesty—e.g., bringing in a CEO early—is a positive sign.
9. Deep Tech Sector Excitement
[55:12 – 58:02]
- Highlighted investment in AI Build, which applies AI to 3D additive manufacturing—reducing errors and enabling first-time-right scalable manufacturing.
- The software is tech-agnostic and poised to become the “brain” of 3D additive manufacturing.
Quote:
“AI Build has developed software that takes all those parameters and gets you zeroed in...because it uses AI to analyze all those different data sets...so you can get something very, very, very, very quickly.”
— James [56:31]
10. Geographic Focus and Fund Structure
[58:28 – 60:21]
- Current SuperSeed fund is UK/EIS-focused, but plans a pan-European LP/GP fund.
- US market exposure is limited due to regulatory complexity.
11. Life & Career Advice
[60:23 – 62:30]
- Value your time—delegate when it makes sense and spend your time where you add most value.
- Define success in your own terms: life satisfaction, family, and happiness outweigh financial yardsticks.
Quote:
“If you're obsessed by money and you know that's what's going to make you feel successful, then really question does it? Because I've met lots of people...they're not happy at all. So make sure you're doing something you really enjoy because that will make you feel successful and make sure you value your time and...the people around you.”
— James [61:41]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On consulting’s reality:
“Consulting is tough because you're expensive, right? ... You're expected to over deliver all the time. So it's never a relaxed thing.”
— James [16:27] -
On building teams:
“If you don't like admin, you're not a details person...just get someone who's passionate about it, because that makes it so much easier.”
— James [26:03] -
On empathy in VC:
“I just think that it's useful to know firsthand what they're going through and what they're gonna go through. So that maybe you can have a bit more compassion.”
— James [48:46] -
On being a founder and letting go:
“You feel exposed...if you've built a team...who are great, you can sometimes begin to feel, what's my value?...Maybe step away from that business at that point...that’s an amazing achievement.”
— James [29:30]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- James’s career journey & Cambridge roots: [01:40 – 05:18]
- Entrepreneurship, consulting startup genesis: [05:18 – 14:10]
- Client management and hard lessons: [19:24 – 25:05]
- Delegation & honest self-awareness: [25:41 – 30:04]
- Transition into investment/angel investing: [30:56 – 46:59]
- SuperSeed’s sales-focused VC approach: [47:45 – 53:34]
- Founder attributes & red/green flags: [49:47 – 52:36]
- Deep tech (AI Build, additive manufacturing): [55:12 – 58:02]
- Geographic focus: [58:28 – 60:21]
- Life advice: [60:23 – 62:30]
Final Takeaways
- Hands-on support, especially around sales and product-market fit, is crucial for tech company success.
- Founder honesty and self-awareness are as important as product vision.
- Define success on your own terms and value your time and wellbeing over mere financial gain.
- The VC journey is as much about empathy, relationships, and fast learning as it is about capital and analysis.
For anyone interested in the real, unvarnished journey from engineering and consulting into the world of VC, or in building B2B deep tech startups with true support, this episode is not to be missed.