Confidential leadership proposal
Petus has the vision and product. The next step: get capitalised to take the product to market. I can help.
I bring the experience and focus to get the materials live, investors engaged, and the round moving.
Thomas R. Weaver
Joining the team
Why I want to be part of Petus
This is the first compelling vision I have heard since exiting my own startup.
- Pets are core to human happiness. Extending their lives and healthspan would enrich humanity.
- 20% find losing a pet harder than losing a human and anyone who has owned a pet knows we would do anything to keep them well. This means this is a rare product with emotional value in our lives.
- Between Boris and Avi, you have an incredibly strong scientific and technical base.
- What I can add is focus and momentum: materials live, investors engaged, and a round that closes on schedule.
What I bring to the table
Founder credibility, capital experience, and a storyteller's edge.
Flyt: a category-defining platform
I founded Flyt, a universal API platform connecting consumer channels — Just Eat, Uber Eats, branded apps and voice assistants — directly to the tills and kitchens of bricks-and-mortar restaurants. We created the category, scaled it to 2,000+ sites with under 1% churn, and exited to a FTSE 100 company in 2018. Petus is the same shape of challenge: deep technical substance that wins when it is matched with a category-defining commercial story.
Successful exit
Negotiated a multi-million exit in 2018 while protecting founder interests and strategic optionality.
Venture capital raised
With a further £8M committed prior to exit.
Sites on platform
Connected consumers to thousands of restaurants, with under 1% customer churn.
Penguin novels
Author of two Penguin-published novels, including the #1 bestselling technothriller on Amazon.com. Storytelling is what makes an investment narrative land — I have done it for 25 years on the page and on stage.
On stage in Lyon with an Interpol investigations expert, discussing AI, 2026.
Communication advantage
Raising money is a clarity problem before it is a process problem.
The scientific ambition matters. So does knowing when the story is sharp enough, the proof is strong enough, and the ask is simple enough for investors to move.
I bring the impartial judgment to decide what is fundable, and the storytelling skill to make it land.
Option 1
Chairman, part time.
My role
Commercial and fundraising leadership around the round, then ongoing strategic support.
- Co-run fundraising with Boris
- Primary link with lawyers, funders, and accountants during the round
- Ongoing strategic advice post-round
- Mentorship and founder support
Terms: 5% equity, vesting over 3 years with a cliff tied to the round closing
Retainer: Modest monthly retainer, payable only once the round closes (figure to agree together)
Boris
CEO, with me supporting the commercial layer and external fundraising process.
This option keeps the current founder structure intact while adding board-level fundraising experience and investor-facing narrative discipline.
Option 2
CEO, full time.
My role
Own capitalisation, external positioning, operating cadence, and the commercial roadmap.
- Run the fundraising
- Keep the company continually capitalised
- Manage investors and metrics
- Own runway, burn, finances, PR, and marketing
- Build relationships for strategic partnerships and future exit or IPO
Terms: 20% equity plus salary, vesting over 3 years with a cliff tied to the round closing
Boris
Chief Scientific Officer and CTO, focused on the science, product substance, and technical execution.
This option gives Petus a dedicated commercial CEO while keeping the science at the centre of the company. Boris and Avi retain board control and full authority over scientific and product direction.
One standing commitment: I will continue to meet my publishing obligations at a reduced pace. In practice this works in Petus's favour — the audience, press access, and storytelling profile come with me.
The decision
Choose the level of operating leverage Petus needs now.
Chairman adds experienced fundraising support while keeping Boris as CEO. CEO gives Petus a dedicated commercial operator responsible for capital, investors, narrative, runway, partnerships, and eventual strategic outcomes.
What stays constant
- Serious belief in the mission
- Respect for the scientific team
- Founder-level judgment around fundraising readiness
- A clear story for investors, partners, and future acquirers
Next steps
June matters if we want momentum before Autumn.
- Send me whatever draft materials exist for the round and the company — raw, in whatever state they are in. No need to polish; they may well change anyway.
- I will then do a deep dive on product and product strategy. This only works if I have deep conviction in front of investors.
- Follow-up call to discuss with both Boris and Avi.
- Dinner at mine (invites extended to Boris, Avi and Antonia).
- Heads of Terms.
Summer is a difficult time for fundraising, but not impossible. If we move now, the timing works.
My suggestion: finalise materials in June, start initial meetings over the summer, and aim to close the full round in early September.