Case Study: Supporting a London-Based Padel Start-up Through Its First Investor Raise

Written By: Darren Lunz

Date: 11 June 2025

Background

In the vibrant and fast-evolving landscape of sports and wellness ventures, a dynamic start-up based in London set out to launch a premium padel club operation. Recognising a strong market opportunity due to the sport’s rapid growth across Europe and the UK, the founders had a clear vision: introduce a high-end, community-centric padel experience within Greater London. But like many early-stage ventures, the challenge was not the idea – it was achieving investor readiness, finding the right venue, and articulating a compelling financial and strategic case in a highly competitive funding environment.

Malander Advisory was engaged as a trusted finance partner to support this critical milestone. With a deep understanding of the UK’s business advisory landscape, we provided them with a UK Fractional CFO to bring their investor proposition to life.

The Challenge

Raising capital for a new racquet sport like padel – which goes against the UK’s historical love of tennis – requires more than just passion. Investors are demanding. They want:

• Clear financial forecasts grounded in reality
• A scalable and operationally viable business model
• A concise narrative tying together the qualitative vision and the quantitative rationale
• Confidence in the management team’s financial competence

Additionally, operating within Greater London brought its own hurdles:

• High real estate and operational costs
• Complex local regulatory considerations
• Limited space and established early competitors
• An investor base with high expectations of return and clarity

Malander’s Solution

Our engagement was structured around three key pillars: Financial Modelling, Investor Presentation Development, and Decision-Support Advisory.

1. Financial Model.

We created a bespoke, fully integrated financial model, tailored to a service-based, fixed-asset-heavy startup. The model accounted for:

1. Multiple revenue streams (membership tiers, wellness, merchandise, bookings)
2. Variable vs. fixed costs (lease commitments, coaching staff, and marketing)
3. Sensitivity scenarios (ramp-up assumptions, real estate cost variability, seasonal attendance)

Our UK Fractional CFO designed a model with investor transparency in mind- clearly identifying how revenue growth was projected, where break-even would occur, and what funding runway was required.

“The financial model gave us the confidence to explain our vision in numbers – it was both sophisticated and understandable,” – Co-founder of the Padel start-up

2. Investor Presentation & Pitch Deck

We developed a highly professional investor deck that integrated both storytelling and strategic rationale. This included:

1. The market opportunity in the UK for padel
2. Competitive landscape benchmarking
3. Use of funds
4. Traction and early adoption insights
5. Founding team profiles and strategic partners
6. Financial highlights and ROI pathways

Our UK Fractional CFO worked closely with the founders to ensure the messaging resonated with investor priorities – clarity, opportunity, and confidence.

3. Qualitative and Quantitative Decision-Making Support

Investors make decisions based on both logic and perception. We helped the founders frame key intangible aspects such as:

1. Community engagement strategy
2. Sustainability initiatives
3. Brand positioning for affluent, health-conscious urbanites
4. Expansion roadmap and franchise potential

By tying these qualitative elements into the financial model – through cost assumptions, brand-building spend, and phased ROI – we supported a well-rounded investor pitch that spoke both to numbers and narrative.

Results

With Malander’s Fractional CFO support, the start-up successfully completed its first investor raise, securing early-stage capital from a UK-based angel investor. The business is now in fit-out phase, targeting a Q4 opening, with a structure that allows them to seek scale in the future with potential future sites.

Why Malander?

Malander brought not just tools, but insight. Through our fractional UK CFO services and business advisory expertise, we provided clarity through the ambiguity. Start-ups don’t need just accounting – they need partners who understand how to build financial credibility and investor confidence.

Final Thoughts

For early-stage businesses in the UK looking to scale, prepare for investment, or simply formalise their financial operations, Malander’s combination of high-quality finance staff, fractional CFO services, and tailored advisory solutions offers a strategic edge in a complex environment like London.

If you’re preparing to raise capital or professionalise your finance function, Malander can be your strategic finance partner – ensuring your numbers tell a story worth investing in.