Arron Shepherd / Entrepreneur. Investor. Founder's partner.
The investor I would have wanted beside me.
I co-founded and led The Goat Agency, raised venture capital and private equity, scaled a global business and navigated its sale to WPP. Today, I invest in founders and bring the experience, relationships and practical support I know can make a difference.
- Venture capital raised
- $40m+
- Additional private equity funding
- £40m+
- Exit to WPP
- Multiple 9-figures
Experience across venture capital, private equity and a full business sale.
Why founders talk to me
I understand the decisions behind the deck.
Raising money is only one part of building a company. Most of the hard work sits somewhere else entirely.
Hiring the right people before you can really afford them. Winning customers who have never heard of you. Watching cash and deciding what to stop doing. Changing direction when the evidence says the plan you presented six months ago is no longer the right one.
I've experienced that journey personally. I know the difference between advice that sounds good in a board meeting and help that moves a business forward.
That experience shapes how I invest: direct conversations, practical support and respect for the founder carrying the responsibility.
Background
From building a business to a multiple 9-figure exit.
As co-founder and former CEO of The Goat Agency, I helped build a global influencer marketing business serving a wide range of clients, sectors and markets.
Across my entrepreneurial journey, I have raised over $40 million in venture capital and an additional £40 million-plus in private equity secondaries.
The journey ended in a full sale to WPP PLC, a publicly listed company, at a multiple 9-figure value.
- 01Build
Co-founded The Goat Agency and grew it into a global influencer marketing business serving clients across many sectors and markets.
- 02Venture capital
Raised over $40 million in venture capital, experiencing the demands of institutional fundraising first-hand.
- 03Private equity
Raised an additional £40 million-plus in private equity funding, navigating the next stage of the entrepreneurial journey.
- 04Sale to WPP
Navigated a full sale of the business to WPP PLC, a publicly listed company, at a multiple 9-figure value.
How I help
Growth is where I can get deeply involved.
Working with a wide range of clients at Goat meant constant exposure to different audiences, business models and routes to market — and to what actually worked in each of them.
Positioning and customer proposition
Sharpening who the product is for, the problem it solves and the reason someone chooses it over the alternative.
Advertising and acquisition
Where to spend, what to measure and how to tell whether growth is being bought or built.
Creator partnerships
How to work with creators credibly, structure the relationship and judge whether it is doing commercial work.
Brand and creative effectiveness
Making the work distinctive enough to be remembered and consistent enough to compound.
Commercial and international growth
Pricing, channels and the practical realities of entering new markets without breaking the core business.
Internal teams and agency selection
What to build in-house, what to outsource, who to hire and how to brief and hold an agency to account.
Practical advice shaped by building Goat and working across a wide variety of clients, sectors and markets.
Portfolio
Companies I back.
Businesses I am invested in and involved with directly.
Axiom Math
AI research company building systems that reason over mathematics — testing and verifying proofs, extracting theorems and transforming them at scale.
- Location
- Palo Alto, United States
- Sector
- AI
- Stage
- Series A
- ASV involvement
- Personal investment.
Buttr
Home-buying platform that brings the mortgage offer, survey and legal work together in one place, without brokers.
- Location
- United Kingdom
- Sector
- Fintech / Proptech
- Stage
- Pre-seed
- ASV involvement
- Personal investment, with advisory input and ongoing support.
HUGO
AI marketing software that automates and optimises campaign creation and execution.
- Location
- Sweden
- Sector
- AI Marketing Software
- Stage
- Pre-seed
- ASV involvement
- Pre-seed investment with ongoing strategic support.
Mixtons
Ready-to-drink cocktail brand reworking the classics with unexpected flavour twists, sold through retail and festivals in the UK and France.
- Location
- United Kingdom
- Sector
- Consumer / Drinks
- Stage
- Seed
- ASV involvement
- Personal investment, with advisory input and ongoing support.
Onizion
- Location
- United Kingdom
- Sector
- Health & Wellbeing Tech
- Stage
- Seed
- ASV involvement
- Personal Seed investment alongside members of the core team. Board member and Chairman.
PassEntry
Digital wallet pass platform issuing Apple Wallet and Google Wallet passes for ticketing, access and membership.
- Location
- United Kingdom
- Sector
- Software / Digital wallets
- Stage
- Seed
- ASV involvement
- Investor with ongoing reporting and strategic support.
Prodigy Studios
Media and entertainment studio building original content and interactive formats.
- Location
- United Kingdom
- Sector
- Media & Entertainment
- Stage
- Seed
- ASV involvement
- Personal Seed investment alongside members of the core team. Board member and non-executive advisor.
Push that Button
Competition and prize-draw platform used by creators, football clubs, brands and charities to run and monetise campaigns.
- Location
- London, United Kingdom
- Sector
- Consumer platform / Entertainment
- Stage
- Seed
- ASV involvement
- Personal investment, with advisory input and ongoing support.
Turbalance
AI-infrastructure platform for simulating, orchestrating and optimising compute workloads.
- Location
- United States
- Sector
- AI Infrastructure
- Stage
- Series A
- ASV involvement
- Personal investment.
The investment platform
Arron Shepherd Ventures
Through Arron Shepherd Ventures, I bring together personal capital, experienced operators and a network of investors to support founders as their businesses grow.
Explore ASVTell me what you're building.
If you're building an ambitious business and want an investor who understands the founder's side of the table, I'd like to hear from you.