Essa Saulat

About Me:

* The phrase that best describes me and my motivations is “Build things and help people”.
* Over 12 years experience in Entrepreneurship, Product Design and Growth Marketing.
* Currently working as a Product Design Consultant. Previously worked in C -level (or similar) roles and co-founded a few startups of my own.
* Worked with a wide range of companies at different stages, from early stage startups to corporates to multi-billion pound unicorns.
* Also work part-time as an ADHD Coach/Mentor for people in the tech industry.

Highlights:

* Worked with companies like Apple, Google, British Airways, HSBC, Adidas, BMW, Red Bull and Williams F1.
* Given talks and conducted workshops at organizations including the United Nations, IBM and Mastercard.
* Guest lecturer at Flatiron School, General Assembly and the University of Nottingham.
* Recipient of Exceptional Talent status in the field of Digital Technology by Tech Nation (on behalf of the United Kingdom government).

What I can help with:

Whether you’re an individual looking to advance your career or a startup founder, here’s what I can help with:

* General startup strategy/advice, plus feedback or constructive criticism relating to your business.
* How to avoid common startup pitfalls and overcome blockers due to knowledge gaps within the team.
* Leveraging automation and process optimisation to improve self efficacy and productivity for yourself or your company.
* In-depth review and suggestions on how to improve your CV, pitch deck or portfolio.
* Understanding how to leverage good design and copywriting to better brand yourself or your startup.
* Managing mental health through stressful times, plus how to improve work-life balance.
* Learning how to become a better public speaker or improve how you pitch your startup/ideas.
* Help address any Product Design questions. This includes UX & UI Design, Design Systems, Interaction Design, Usability Testing, etc.
* My help is not limited to just the calls. For all of the above, I provide hands-on help to create realistic and actionable plans to help you achieve your goals in the most efficient way possible.
* If needed, I can also provide accountability support.

Mentoring:

I see mentorship as an opportunity to help people in the same way my mentors helped me (something that continues to this day).

The best mentors I’ve had have understood that when it comes to advice, one size does not fit all. As a mentor, I first try to understand the person, their goals and their problems in detail, then provide help specific to that use case.

I’m relatively sector agnostic, as the majority of non-technical problems, risks and opportunities in early stage startups or career paths are often the same, regardless of the industry.

While I’ve worked as an independent mentor for almost a decade, over the past few years I’ve had the privilege of working as a Startup Mentor at software incubators run by the University of Oxford, Virgin Startups and the European Space Agency. As a result I’ve mentored a wide range of startups from around the world. Here are just a few:

* Magdrive - UK startup building a new form of electric propulsion for satellites. Went on to raise several million in funding from investors such as Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund.
* Routinery - South Korean startup using behavioural science to help people build consistent habits. The app has over a million downloads and has been featured on the Apple App Store multiple times.
* Bia Care - An award-winning clinic in the UK revolutionising menopause treatment with the help of leading medical experts.
* Tacit Mutes - Australian startup creating 3D printed accessories to help practice the violin at a lower volume.

Testimonials:

“Essa has a natural talent for summarizing complex topics simply and with excitement. His advice on the fundraising process, pitching techniques and investor mindset helped us get where we are today.” - Thomas Clayson, Founder and CTO of Magdrive

"When you’re too close to something, you can miss what might be obvious to others, which is why having Essa’s help was so valuable. Through his help we were able to get extremely useful insights to help make our value proposition clearer to our customers." - Fernanda Dobal, Founder at Bia Care

"Essa's guidance was invaluable in helping us better understand our target market and how to improve the UX/UI of our app. What’s great is that even though we have long since graduated from the ESA incubator programme, Essa still finds time to help us whenever we need it!" - Steve Owens, Founder and CEO at Huli Cycling

“Essa is incredibly generous with his time. Almost every week since we met, we have chatted for an hour or more, not just about my startup, but about our lives. I always leave our sessions feeling genuinely understood. There are not many people like Essa who will take the time to really get to know you, and it means a lot.” - Jason Chami, Founder at Tacit Mutes