Meet the Team: Pete Keevill, EIR at SETsquared Bath

Who am I and what do I do here?

My name is Pete Keevill and I have the glorious job title of Entrepreneur in Residence at SETsquared Bath.

I usually describe the role as being a bit like a GP. Those of us who do this job know a bit of everything. We have a good understanding of how a company should work, how its parts fit together, and we can step back and take a view across the whole thing. I’m here to offer perspective, to challenge where it’s needed, and to help founders be the best they can be.

That might mean pointing out something that isn’t working or something they’ve completely missed. But it also means recognising where things are going well and encouraging people to build on that. Sometimes it’s strategic and technical. Sometimes it’s about motivation, resilience, and the dark nights of the soul. We deal with all of it.

What’s my background?

My qualification for being an EIR is a 25-year career in telecoms. I came up through R&D in a large American-owned telecom infrastructure company rising to become a Technical Director. During the Great Telecoms Crash I was made redundant and started doing consultancy, conferences, and a few other things. Around that time, I joined a former colleague and a friend of his to co-found a wireless comms startup company called Ubiquisys.

We started around a kitchen table and built that company into a global business with 150 employees, $100 million in cumulative revenues, and eventually sold it to Cisco in 2013. I then worked at Cisco for two years, which was an experience in itself - and then I was made redundant again. It wasn’t quite the triumphant exit you imagine when you think about a startup acquisition, but it gave me a very grounded perspective on the whole journey. I made a life-changing amount of money out of Ubiquisys, but after a couple of nice holidays I got bored and started wondering what to do next.

That’s when I saw an advert for an EIR role at SETsquared Bristol. I applied and started my journey there, but Bath is where I live (and where I came to university 44 years ago), and over time I was pulled back in. I’ve been an EIR here in Bath now for seven years.

Why does this role exist?

Because starting a business is hard. There’s a lot to think about and most of it is happening all at once. The role of an EIR is to support people through that journey, especially founders who are early in the process and working alone or in small teams.

We act as a health check, helping people see what they’re capable of and what their company could become. It’s not just about business planning. It’s also about helping with personal issues, motivation, knowing when to keep going or when to stop.

Founders benefit from honest feedback, but it has to be compassionate too. We’re not here to tell people what to do, but we do offer our view. It’s their company, not ours, but another set of eyes can make a real difference.

Sometimes that only means a few meetings a year. But if we’re the right people at the right moment, it can change everything.

Is there a typical support journey?

I wouldn’t say there’s a typical journey. I prefer to treat every founder and every company as unique. But there are some common steps.

A lot of people come in with an idea and manage to secure some grant funding. From there, we can help shape the business proposal, support them in winning their first customer, and begin building something real. Getting and holding on to customers is a massive milestone.

After that, the company often grows. When you go from one or two people to five or six, that’s a big shock to the system. Founders have to figure out how to manage and inspire people. Ideally, you want everyone in the business to think like a founder. That’s not easy to create if you’ve never led a team before.

Then you’re thinking about revenue, about investment, maybe multiple funding rounds. You’re persuading people to part with their money, and that takes clarity, confidence, and a strong story.

But all of that happens at different speeds for different people. Startups are very personal. So, although there’s a broad pattern, each journey is different, and we have to meet people where they are.

What do people get wrong about EIRs?

The most common one is the idea that we have a little black book of investors who will say yes as soon as we ask. That we’re here to unlock money instantly.

It’s true that I’ve invested in companies myself, but I’m not going to do that unless the business is truly ready. And that’s a process. We have to help founders figure out whether they’re ready, whether the story makes sense, whether they can stand behind their pitch.

I give people a 10-slide pitch deck as a starting point, but each of those slides represents 10 more behind it. The goal is to be concise and exciting, but also to be solid underneath. When someone can speak confidently to all of it, they’re probably ready.

That readiness is not a quick thing. It’s something that takes discipline and ongoing revision, because the market moves, and you have to keep adjusting. You need what I call "optimistic paranoia". A new startup company is a very fragile thing but can also change direction very fast - you have to stay alert to all the things that could kill the company, but optimistic that you’ll find a way through.

What do I enjoy most about this?

The people. It’s definitely a pastoral role in some ways.

I love seeing people grow into what they’re capable of. I can’t claim credit for anyone’s success, but I’ve been there for a few key conversations that helped someone take a step forward. Then six months later they come back with something that worked better than they imagined. That’s what keeps you going.

Being an entrepreneur is scary. It’s also life-enhancing. Helping people find their way through that and succeed on their terms is what I enjoy most.