Atom Bank

User Research • Product Strategy • Investment Pitch

Securing a £10M funding round for a challenger bank

Context

Client: Atom Bank, a UK Challenger Bank

The challenge: Translate nascent product ideas into a compelling, evidence-based proposition to validate product-market fit and secure a crucial £10M funding round.

Our solution: Designed and executed a multi-faceted research programme, translating insights into clear user personas, jobs-to-be-done, and a prioritised feature set.

Key results

£M

In follow-on funding secured

User-centric

Product roadmap established

Validated

Product-market fit for investors

The challenge: proving value to investors

Atom Bank, a leading UK challenger bank, needed to validate its product-market fit and define a clear, data-driven product roadmap to secure its next crucial round of funding. The challenge was to translate nascent ideas into a compelling, evidence-based proposition for both users and investors.

Our approach: rigorous mixed-methods research

I designed and executed a multi-faceted research programme. This began with in-depth qualitative interviews with SME owners to uncover their core financial challenges and unmet needs. We then used quantitative analysis and market segmentation to validate these findings at scale. This mixed-methods approach ensured our insights were both deep and robust.

Visualising the approach

Selected artefacts from the research and strategy work, showing the journey from user insight to a successful investment pitch.

User personas showing goals and pain points of small business owners, developed from qualitative research. — Jobs-to-be-Done identified and mapped
Synthesising qualitative research into clear design concepts.

A slide from a stakeholder workshop showing market segmentation data used to validate qualitative findings. — Stakeholder workshop and roadmap
Aligning insights and defining the strategic roadmap.

Press release confirming Atom Bank secured £10 million in funding. — Press release confirming £10m secured
Allowing Atom Bank to acclerate their ambitious growth.

The solution: a strategic, evidence-based pitch

The research findings were synthesised into clear, actionable artefacts. This included detailed user personas, a Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) framework that clarified customer motivations, and a prioritised feature set based on user value and business objectives. These assets formed the narrative core of their investment pitch, demonstrating a deep understanding of the target market.

My impact on the project

As the product and research lead, I designed and executed the mixed-methods research program that provided the evidence and confidence needed to secure the £10M funding round.

Designed and executed a multi-faceted, mixed-methods research programme.
Conducted in-depth qualitative interviews to uncover core SME financial challenges.
Used quantitative analysis and market segmentation to validate findings at scale.
Developed clear user personas and a Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) framework.
Synthesised all research into a prioritised, evidence-based feature roadmap.
Provided the core narrative and data for the successful £10M investment pitch.

The results: funding secured

The research and resulting strategic recommendations were instrumental in Atom Bank successfully securing £10 million in funding from the highly competitive Banking Competition Remedies (BCR) fund.

The evidence-based roadmap provided investors with high confidence in the venture and gave the product team a clear mandate for development and market expansion.

£10M

Funding secured

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