The model
First cheque, assemble the round, build together
At pre-seed the scarce thing is not the money. It's what follows on the road to your first liquidity event. That is the work we do.
- 01First cheque capitalWe are usually the first external funder or non-founder on the cap table.
- 02We fill the rest of the round.We lead it, we price it, we assemble like-minded co-investors and work your raise, not just our line in it.
- 03We bring capital that standard equity investors cannot.Our sister company procures grant funding and builds corporate-sponsored deployment programmes.
- 04We have run the deployments.Not advised on them, run them. When we ask about your cost per unit deployed, it is because we have paid it.
- 05We get off the cap table early.Out at seed or first liquidity. Later investors inherit a clean cap table rather than a founding investor..
The numbers
Stated early, without a softening clause.
Capital sourced across the UK, US and South Africa. Portfolio companies are non-UK domiciled and geographically diverse, and capital is deployed where the problem is.
TermPosition
StagePre-seed, occasionally seed
Round assembled~$100k–$500k with co-investors
StakeMinority. No control, no board seat demanded
ExitSeed or first liquidity
FeesNo management fee. No blind pool. No LPs
GovernanceDouglas Day & The Salamander Co. Siblings, not parent and subsidiary.
Distinct entities, one shared partner, built to run in parallel.
Douglas Day makes the first investment and assembles the round.
Our sister company, The Salamander Co., works the portfolio: GTM, grant procurement, brand-driven and community-driven climate action programmes.
EntityOwnership and role
Douglas Day50/50 Andrew Douglas and Patrick Day. The capital side. Compounds the equity.
The Salamander Co.100% Andrew Douglas, with Patrick Day as unpaid NED Chair. The operating side. Earns the cash.
SharedOne partner and deal flow. No shared lockup, no shared colour, no endorsement line.