Mentorship matters. Through our Meet the Mentor series, learn more about the mentors in our network and the role mentoring could play in your startup. In today’s feature, we will be spotlighting Dan Gardner, CFO, DT One.

Tell us about your background and your area of expertise

I have over 12 years' experience as CFO for 2 leading private equity backed fintechs operating across the US, APAC, and EMEA. 

I’ve led debt and equity fundraisings, M&A deals, spin outs, optimizing cash flows, and maximizing EBITDA performance.

Where does your interest in mentorship stem from?

I’ve had the good fortune of having very strong mentors during key parts of my career. Mentorship is a great way to continue to share, learn, and grow. 

What do you look at when assessing a startup?

I focus on the founding team’s background and how they came together to work on this specific startup. I also look into the founding team's vision for the company, how they define success, and what really drives them.

What do you think is the most important question a startup founder should ask any mentor on their first meeting?

What do you look for in startups and teams?

What are some tips you have for startups to nail their pitch?

Keep it punchy, grounded in reality, and directly relevant to your audience. When introducing complex ideas, please try to keep things to the level a fifth grader could understand.

If you could turn back time, what would be one piece of advice you would have given your younger self?

Take more risks. Be bolder.

Have a BIG startup idea but not sure how to get it off the ground? The Business Innovations Generator (BIG) is a four-month, equity-free, founder-centric incubation programme designed to help student founders and early-stage startups grow faster. Founders get to validate their startup at no cost through mentorship, dedicated resources, funding, and access to an investor network. Now accepting applications for the AUG’23 cohort. Apply by 30 June 2023.