Jack EltonIndependent consultant
Commercial growth for businesses serving the built environment
I help investors and management teams increase revenue and margin from what a business already has: its clients, services, teams and data. I bring growth leadership from global real estate services and venture-backed technology businesses, and practical experience of B2B software and AI.
Venice Partners is my independent consulting practice, focused on real estate and built environment services and the software and data businesses that serve them.
How I help
My work starts with what a business already has: its clients, services, teams and information. I identify where revenue and margin can be improved, then help build the commercial organisation and systems to deliver it, with technology and AI applied where they strengthen the result.
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Commercial strategy and growth
Clarify where growth can come from and what it will take to capture it. I help sharpen propositions, assess markets and customer segments, develop routes to market and improve the way commercial teams pursue opportunities.
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Commercial organisation and operating systems
Build the structure behind a stronger commercial business. I help align team responsibilities, processes, CRM workflows and management information so that strategy can translate into consistent action.
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Technology, data and AI
Identify where better information and technology can improve performance. I help prioritise practical applications of data, automation and AI, define the business requirements and support adoption within the wider operating model.
Engagements can support investment assessment, priorities following acquisition or a business preparing for its next stage of growth.
My experience is particularly relevant to property and professional services, real estate technology and adjacent businesses serving the built environment.
Experience behind the advice
My experience spans senior leadership in a global organisation, building commercial functions from a standing start in venture-backed businesses, and venture capital. The examples below distinguish work in my previous roles from consulting undertaken through Venice.
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Previous role experience
Restructuring and building commercial capability at global scale
As Executive Director and Global Head of Business Development, I restructured the technology business development team and built a global solutions business development team from scratch. My responsibilities extended across team design, commercial processes, CRM and pipeline management, and the information needed to support senior decisions.
- More than 5×
- Growth in fee-revenue pipeline over two years, as the function expanded from a single technology product line to multiple service lines
- Mid-eight figures
- Annual closed fee revenue across both teams by 2025
- 2.4×
- Technology closed fee revenue in one year, after a restructure that reduced headcount and rebuilt opportunity qualification
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Previous role experience
Building commercial teams from scratch
At Hometree, a venture-backed business now majority-owned by Pollen Street Capital, I joined as employee number two and built a sales team of 23, with its sales process and CRM workflows. At Proda, a venture-backed real estate data business, I led EMEA go-to-market from a standing start.
- £0 to £300k
- Hometree monthly gross merchandise value, within six months
- £0 to £1m
- Proda annual recurring revenue in EMEA
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Advisory work through Venice Partners
Market entry for an AI business entering commercial real estate
Through Venice, I supported a venture-backed AI business with its strategy for entering the global commercial real estate market. The work covered market entry, go-to-market planning and facilitating relevant industry engagements.
How I work
You work directly with me. I start by understanding the business question, the information available and the decisions that need to be made. I then agree a focused scope and clear outputs with you, whether that is a commercial review, a growth strategy or the design of a team, process or system.
I can also support management as recommendations are put into practice. Technology and AI are considered where they can improve the commercial or organisational outcome.
Get in touch
If you are assessing an investment, strengthening a commercial business or preparing for its next stage of growth, I would welcome a conversation.
Tell me a little about the business and the question you are working through.