Katie Gilmartin

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Bio

Katie Gilmartin is an Investment Manager at Foresight Group, based in the Bristol office and focused on investing in and growing businesses through Foresight’s South West regional funds. She previously spent nearly a decade at EY across audit, transaction services and corporate finance, building deep experience in due diligence, financial modelling, and preparing businesses for investment or exit.

Katie’s strength is helping founders translate ambition into investor-ready materials - forecasts that are driven by real assumptions, business plans that stand up to scrutiny, and a clear view of what needs to be true for growth to happen without breaking cashflow. She is particularly interested in supporting female founders and founders in the South West, and is happy to engage early with businesses that may not be investable today but could become investable within the next few years.

Focus of 1-2-1 Session

Katie is a strong fit for founders who want an investor-style review of their business plan and numbers - especially those building traction and working towards being “institution-ready” over the next 12-36 months. While Foresight’s South West Fund typically looks for established businesses (often around £500k EBITDA as a guide), Katie is open to speaking with earlier-stage founders if the goal is to sense-check the plan and map what milestones would make the business investable.

A 1:1 with Katie is practical and document-led, typically covering:

  • Investor readiness - what will get questioned
    A clear view of the gaps investors will probe (market, traction, unit economics, team, risks) and what to tighten before you go out to raise.
  • Forecast review - drivers, not wishful thinking
    Pressure-testing the assumptions behind revenue growth, costs, and cash - including how costs scale, where operating leverage can exist, and whether the plan is internally consistent.
  • Business plan in a deck - clarity and credibility
    Making sure the story and the numbers match, and that the deck answers the “so what?” and “why you?” questions quickly.
  • One-pager and intro materials -Helping you sharpen the first impression - what to include, what to cut, and how to position traction and momentum.
  • Path to investable in 3 years -If you are earlier-stage, Katie can help you map the milestones (traction, profitability, reporting, operational proof points) that could make you a credible institutional opportunity.

 

To get the most from the session, Katie prefers to receive materials in advance - a one-pager plus your forecast and/or business plan deck (even if rough), and a short note on what you want feedback on.