We first met Freddie Tilbrook when he was building a complex three-sided marketplace product that aimed to streamline the decarbonisation and energy efficiency of properties across the UK (long before Net Zero had entered the vernacular).
The project symbolised Freddie to a tee – strategic, conscientious and community-driven. So when Freddie approached us with his next venture we were all ears. Freddie’s insight was simple… “when you’re trying to change or learn something new, it’s people that make the real difference…”
Freddie was talking from experience. Whilst at University he suffered a stroke and his rehabilitation, and ability to complete his degree with honours, was down to the support of people around him “I learnt how powerful a small network of motivators was, and I want to bring that to as many people as possible…”
Enter SwattUp, a mentor matchmaking marketplace that enables employers to offer 1-to-1 mentoring across hundreds of subjects to their workforce so they can explore personal and professional development opportunities privately and securely.
In an age where knowledge-sharing and learning management platforms have become ubiquitous and pivotal in lifelong learning, Freddie feels like the personalised human touch has gotten lost.
“We live in a time where anyone can learn a new subject at the click of a button, however nothing can replace that magic moment between two people when they unlock a specific problem or a critical life decision from someone who’s been there and experienced it first hand. We want to facilitate those moments”
Freddie Tillbrook,
Founder, SwattUp
We agree. The path of personal development is seldom linear and often dotted with junctions that need informed decision-making. Freddie’s vision extends beyond transactional mentor-mentee relationships to fostering a holistic ecosystem where expertise and experience are freely exchanged.
As a result, we’ve decided to take a position in SwattUp as it emerges from its private beta.
With a planned launch in early 2024, we’re looking forward to supporting SwattUp on its journey to becoming the UK’s number-one mentor-matching platform.