What I'm looking for in partners: Alignment over everything

After building 11 production systems with zero external funding, I'm now exploring pre-seed partnerships.

Not because NovaHEART can't survive without investment—we've proven we can build with limited resources. But because the right investment would let us scale impact faster, serve more communities, and build out the team needed to execute on everything we've started.

The key word is "right." Here's what that means to me.

What I'm not looking for

Growth-at-all-costs mentality. If your primary question is "how fast can you scale?", we're probably not aligned. Safety-native systems take time to build right. Rushing compromises the mission.

Control. I've built NovaHEART with a specific philosophy about safety, accountability, and who we build for. I'm not looking for partners who want to redirect that philosophy toward more profitable markets.

Short-term thinking. We're building infrastructure. Infrastructure takes time. If you need exits in three years, we're not your investment.

Metrics-only evaluation. Some of the most important things we do—like preventing harm that didn't happen—don't show up in standard metrics. Partners need to understand the value of safety infrastructure even when it's hard to quantify.

What I am looking for

Mission alignment. Do you actually believe that vulnerable populations deserve better technology? Not as a nice-to-have or ESG checkbox, but as a genuine priority? I need partners who care about the same things I care about.

Patient capital. The AI governance market is growing at 35% annually. Civic technology is becoming essential infrastructure. But realising the value of what we're building takes time. I need partners who understand that.

Operational support. The areas where I most need help aren't financial. They're operational—sales, partnerships, team building, scaling processes. Money is useful, but expertise is more useful.

Network access. NovaHEART serves councils, charities, universities, and NHS trusts. Partners with relationships in these sectors can accelerate our growth far more than capital alone.

Respect for the mission. I need partners who will ask "does this fit your mission?" not "how can we pivot to something more profitable?"

The opportunity

For the right partner, NovaHEART is a category-defining opportunity:

11 production systems proving we can build. Not concepts. Not MVPs. Production-grade platforms serving real users.

Safety-native infrastructure that doesn't exist elsewhere. Phoenix, Trustline, Sacred Registry, Aegis—shared foundations that create compounding value across everything we build.

Market timing. AI governance is becoming mandatory. Civic technology is essential infrastructure. The regulations and buyer needs are emerging now, and we've already built what people are starting to require.

Zero debt, full IP ownership. There's no cap table complexity. No previous investors to satisfy. No technical debt from cutting corners to satisfy growth demands.

Founder commitment. I've built this alone because I believe in it deeply. That commitment isn't going away with investment—it's going to increase.

The terms matter less than the fit

I've seen founders get excited about valuation and then end up miserable with misaligned investors. I've seen others take lower valuations from aligned partners and build something extraordinary.

The terms matter, but fit matters more. I'd rather take less money from the right partner than more money from the wrong one.

How to start a conversation

If this resonates, I want to talk.

I'm not looking for a hard sell. I'm looking for a conversation about whether we see the world the same way.

Tell me what draws you to safety-native AI. Tell me why civic infrastructure matters to you. Tell me what you think NovaHEART could become.

And I'll tell you what I've learned building 11 systems, what I think the next five years look like, and whether I think we could build something extraordinary together.

The best partnerships start with alignment, not term sheets. Let's find out if we're aligned.

Interested? Get in touch through the contact page. I read every message personally.