"The Connectd programme turned my interest in fractional work into a budding reality. J it's starting to move now, and it's quite exciting."
What made you want to transition into fractional advisory, and how did you find Connectd?
Yui Kamikawa, Advisor, Under & Beneath: I had been thinking for some time about transitioning to a portfolio career, being able to support and provide my knowledge and impact in various different ways rather than focusing it all on one corporate career. Connectd seemed to be the perfect starting point for exploring those opportunities.
The onboarding process was very easy and provided some meaningful content to get things started. Once that structure was set, it was really about how I could leverage my own experience, knowledge, and insights to help others. And I seem to have landed on a very good partnership with Under & Beneath.
How did the Academy help you prepare for your advisory role?
Yui Kamikawa: The structure of the programme was very well thought through. The Academy unfolded in phases: the first phase was onboarding, the second completing mandatory courses, the third being exposed to mentorship, and then being introduced to potential companies to advise. There was clear phasing, and within each phase a structured approach to defining the necessary content to absorb and be able to apply into any advisory role.
It gave a really useful insight into what advising a business actually entails and what it means to hold, for example, an NED role or an advisory role.
How did the Academy help you sharpen and communicate your value proposition?
Yui Kamikawa: My areas of expertise and experience are fairly well defined, so the challenge was really: how do I package that up in a way that is easily digestible to someone who is looking for an advisor to solve a problem? In that regard, the Connectd Academy was really helpful.
The platform was also undergoing constant improvement throughout my onboarding. New content was being uploaded and new tools and capabilities were being built. It was a process of discovery: here's another thing we can do, another way to be matched with startups. In that sense, the platform is very useful. There are lots of different ways to connect, gain insights, and maximise the potential to get connected to startups.
How did you find the platform to use day to day, and what features stood out to you?
The platform was undergoing constant improvement throughout my onboarding. New content was being uploaded and new tools and capabilities were being built as I went through the process. It was a process of discovery: here's another thing we can do, or another way we can be matched with startups. In that sense, the platform is very useful. I get notifications in my email on specific topics or posts that people make, and that's a setting I have control over, which helps me keep track of news and information. Overall there are lots of different ways to connect, gain insights, and maximise the potential to get connected to startups.
What was it about Under & Beneath that made you want to work with them?
Yui Kamikawa: There is an initial question mark in some people's heads when they hear the type of work Under & Beneath does and me advising them. But if you look a little more closely at their business and what they're trying to accomplish, it really is quite groundbreaking and exciting. If you set aside the description of the product target itself, they are building a technical supply chain innovation that is very closely integrated with circular economy and sustainability, driving innovation in the fashion sector using digital techniques. Regardless of who the end user is, there is real skill, capability, and understanding of that sector that can be brought to bear. That is why, for me, the focus is on the core innovation of the business.
What did you prioritise in the first 30 days to shape the MVP & what trade-offs did you help make early on?
Yui Kamikawa: With a complex business like theirs, it was first and foremost imperative that I fully understood their business, the complexity of what they were trying to accomplish, the things they had already tried, and the vision the two founders had for where they were going.
I spent quite a lot of time making sure that any advice I gave came from as full an understanding as possible of their business and the direction they were trying to go. That versus what deliverable I could provide them was the trade-off. We tried to be as clear as possible: here are the deliverables needed, here specifically is where support is required, and if it was simply a discussion they needed with a third party bringing fresh eyes, we would define it that way and make sure something came out of it.
What did the cadence look like in practice?
Yui Kamikawa: We started with regular biweekly calls. Once we got into a cadence, we defaulted more towards matching the frequency to the deliverables or the phase of business development they were in. It might spread out a little more, or it might become more frequent with back-and-forth exchanges on a specific piece of work. We tried to flex that way. But the baseline was biweekly calls, and we would discuss and define what to work on together during those sessions.
What are the most significant outcomes you have helped Under & Beneath achieve?
Yui Kamikawa: One of the core customer propositions they had was that sustainability and circular economy is central to their product offering. As we built things together, I wanted to ensure that not only was their business model sound in terms of circular economy and sustainability, but also that as a potential vendor to other businesses, they had the understanding and knowledge of what is required around compliance, reporting, and direction of travel.
We did quite a lot of work around that: building a digital product passport blueprint for them to share with consumers once the product is out, bringing clarity around the regulatory compliance regime for the supply chain they will be using, and helping build the back end so they can genuinely hold their head up high and say they are a sustainability and circular economy focused business. We built that together over the course of the partnership.
The other significant outcome is that as they transitioned into a fundraising round, I was able to introduce them to a couple of people in my network so they could get varied perspectives and continue to strengthen their proposition.
What advice would you give to someone considering a fractional advisory role through Connectd?
Yui Kamikawa: The first thing that comes to mind is: go for it. You might have strong knowledge of your own area of expertise, but you might have questions around how to behave as an advisor or how to show up in this role versus a corporate one. Those things clarify as you go. Don't let those hesitations pull you back or stop you from moving forward. Just jump in.
Yui Kamikawa, Sustainability Advisor, under+beneath
