Wales Needs You! Filling the Gaps at Creu Labs

I created Creu Labs to elevate Welsh technology. I wanted to use my product and engineering knowledge, along with the skilled network around me, to prove that Wales can build successful technology companies. We have great talent here, but Wales—like many other regions across the UK—struggles to access the same level of support when building technology companies.

So, why not become that support?

I’ve eased into Creu Labs slowly, intentionally starting with my own product ideas as a testbed to see how creating new tech products works in 2026. Sure, I have been a founder before and have experience as a tech executive, but there are many things that I’m still learning. Like any good engineer, my strengths lie in understanding complex problems and applying neat solutions to them. But when it comes to Go-to-Market (GTM), while I have a small amount of experience, it’s definitely not my forte. And it’s okay to admit that. No one can be an expert at everything, and if they claim to be, don’t listen to them.

I figured that by bootstrapping at the beginning, I would buy time to figure out my strengths and weaknesses and identify who could help bolster the team. It also provided an opportunity to discover valuable problems in the market and gauge the appetite from other founders to enter into a joint venture.

In the first two months, I received more than 10 pitches for potential collaborations or joint ventures. This gave me the chance to see where Creu Labs might be a strong fit and what gaps we can fill. Most of these collaborations didn't proceed for a range of reasons, often coming down to misalignment on terms or vision. In some cases, we’re just not a good fit. However, it is clear to me that there is definitely a need for a venture studio like Creu Labs, where people are looking for a skilled partner to help them execute. At this current moment, we are actually in discussions about a potential first joint venture. Exciting times ahead.

But what about the Creu Labs team?

I’ve also had plenty of interest from people who want to co-found Creu Labs with me, sharing the same mission to support Welsh tech, offering all kinds of knowledge and skills. This has really forced me to consider where some of the specific gaps are, early on.

My personal take is that we are rapidly moving towards a world of "vibe coding" (or "intent coding" if you know what you’re doing!), where software is generated through natural language prompts rather than writing raw syntax. While this lowers the barrier to entry, it means we need to focus intensely on getting the fundamentals right:

1. Infrastructure & Security: If code is being auto-generated or "vibe coded", we need to take security and reliability incredibly seriously. If you are building deeply technical products, you still need people with a profound understanding of infrastructure and technology to audit and architect what the AI produces.
2. Design & UX: If everyone is spinning up applications quickly, and customers have a whole range of potential competitor options to choose from, the winner will be the one with the best user experience. It has to feel great to use. In their Summer 2025 'Request for Startups’, Y Combinator specifically called for more design-focused founders for this exact reason.
3. Distribution: I’ve noted this in previous posts, but if creating software becomes commoditised, distribution also becomes a differentiator. Choosing the right partners and having the right GTM experience to market and distribute the product is critical.
4. Operations: If you’re going to help companies be successful and scale, you need robust operational and fundraising experience.
5. Industry Partners: A venture studio stands the best chance of success if it’s deeply integrated with industry. We need partners who can provide access to real-world problems, validation, funding, and talent. Innovation doesn't happen in a vacuum.

The good news is, Creu Labs has secured highly skilled partners to support points 1 and 2, and we are currently integrating them into the team. More on that later!

We are now actively looking for experts in GTM (3) and Operations (4), as well as Industry Partners (5) to complete the picture. If you are a highly skilled Go-to-Market or Operations expert looking to co-build in a venture studio environment, with a mission to put Wales on the map, please reach out.

Equally, if you represent an industry leader looking to innovate, whether you want us to build a specific solution or act as your external venture studio, let's talk. Help us support and elevate Welsh tech!