How to Scale a Software Business Insights from the most connected man in UK tech on scaling a software business, shaped by decades of industry experience.

For nearly four decades, Phill Robinson, CEO and co-founder of Boardwave, a mission-driven organisation dedicated to driving positive change in the European tech sector, has guided the software industry through its most transformative eras.

From the fledgling tech boom of Silicon Valley to the boardrooms of Europe, and now to fostering the UK's next generation of entrepreneurial leaders, his career is a masterclass in adaptation and foresight. In a landscape where the UK strives to cement its place as a global tech hub, Robinson's story is both a blueprint and an inspiration for today's ambitious founders.

Early beginnings: A fortune in timing
Looking back on his career beginnings, Robinson recalls, "I was lucky when I left school and decided to do a computer science degree." This pivotal choice led him to California in the mid-eighties, where he worked as a programmer for Oracle, at a time when the software industry was still in its infancy.

After spending some time in California, he returned to the UK to help US-based software companies establish a European presence, a journey that would continue to shape his career. "I helped a number of US software firms… there really wasn't a local European software industry back then."

As he worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, such as Salesforce, his passion for technology grew. "I ended up back in California as a Chief Marketing Officer(CMO)… and then back to Europe," he said, recounting his years as a CMO at Salesforce. But after two decades of working for American companies, Robinson had a realisation: it was time to branch out on his own.

The transition to entrepreneurship: Becoming a CEO
"It wasn't my plan," he admits when talking about his transition into entrepreneurship. "But after something like 20 years working for Americans, I just wanted to do my own thing." For the next 15 years, Robinson would take on the CEO role in three separate ventures, one was early stage venture backed and the last two were private equity (PE) backed businesses.

His early experiences were a blend of successes and setbacks, with one venture falling short of expectations. "The first was a venture-backed business, but it wasn't our biggest success," he shared candidly. However, his next ventures were more fruitful, as he helped build and sell businesses, including Iris in the UK, one of the largest software companies in the country. Later, he moved to the Netherlands to lead Exact, a 3,000-employee enterprise software company. However, as he navigated the complexities of corporate leadership, he faced personal struggles too. "At the same time as that, I got diagnosed with Parkinson's," he explained. Despite these challenges, his entrepreneurial drive remained undeterred. "I carried on… but eventually, I'd come home to the UK."

The birth of Boardwave: A social enterprise for software CEOs
Though officially retired, Robinson's entrepreneurial spirit didn't slow down. "I retired. My wife often reminds me I'm retired," he laughs. What was meant to be a simple transition into retirement turned into an entrepreneurial venture that would become a full-time pursuit: Boardwave.

"I had this idea at Boardwave, and it's turned into a full-time job," he said, explaining how the idea was originally conceived to include a few CEOs supporting one another. "I thought it would be a small programme for a relatively small number of CEOs to help each other," he noted. However, Boardwave quickly grew beyond Robinson's expectations. "And we've now got over 1,900 members across Europe… all of them are founders or CEOs of software companies."

What started as a niche initiative for executives in the software industry has blossomed into something much more significant. "It's been hugely more successful than we anticipated," Robinson reflected. With its rapidly expanding network, Boardwave aims to foster the development of a vibrant European software industry. "We are helping each other re-build the European software industry… European software 2.0," he said, echoing the vision for a new era of European software entrepreneurship.

Boardwave operates as a social enterprise, with a clear distinction from traditional for-profit ventures. "It's not about making money. It's entirely built for the benefit of its members." This ethical stance provides a unique advantage. "It gives it an interesting position because it means that you can have a moral authority and a level of independence that nobody else has," Robinson explains.

The autonomy of Boardwave has allowed it to avoid the pressures of profit maximization, which often compromises values in more traditional ventures. "We could have built this with a fund and become a VC… we didn't do that," he said, explaining the intentional choice to focus solely on helping CEOs. Rather than chasing profit, Boardwave partners with various organisations to support its initiatives. "We've got 90 organisations in our consortium now," Robinson shares. This diverse coalition includes VC firms, investors,bankers, lawyers, consultants, and other stakeholders, all contributing to the initiative's success.

Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs
Robinson's recent white paper "How the UK & Europe can lead the global software industry by 2034" offers critical insights for today's founders. When asked to outline the key lessons, he emphasises the importance of being mission-driven.

"At the very beginning… you have to be mission-driven," he said. He also warned that many founders fall short of their potential by selling too soon. "Someone comes along with a half-decent offer, they're scaling their business, and they sell it because it's a lot of money," he explained. "But actually, the potential of that business has now gone away to someone else." This premature exit often occurs during the critical scaling phase from start-up to scale-up, a vulnerable stage that is often exacerbated by a lack of support. "The start-up phase will get a lot of support from government, local initiatives and tax incentives, but once you get past that stage of £10m to £100m, there's not a lot of help and support," he reveals.

According to Robinson, it's crucial for founders to remain focused on their mission and long-term potential rather than short-term financial gain. For those starting a software business, he emphasised the importance of solving a universal problem, not just a local one. "Great software companies are not vitamins, they're painkillers," he said. "They have to solve a problem." He argues that many entrepreneurs fall into the trap of solving problems that are unique to their local markets, limiting their potential for growth. "If that's the case, it's never going to be more than a UK software company," he warns.

The challenges of scaling in Europe
Scaling a software business in Europe and the UK is notoriously slow compared to the US, and Robinson believes this is one of the key reasons why we haven't yet produced software giants like those in Silicon Valley. "It takes 10 years in the US to get to $100 million in revenue. In Europe, it takes 15," he points out.

The slower scaling process can be attributed to several key factors. Unlike the US, which functions as a unified market with a common language and culture, Europe presents a more complex environment, with diverse languages and cultures that create additional challenges. "We have to use technology to reduce the barriers to scaling European software companies across our continent, in a way similar to US companies rapidly growing in their own market." This acceleration couldn't come soon enough.

"We will never attract the same quality of investor… unless you can scale at the same rate as them," he said, noting the importance of accelerating growth to attract both European and US-based investors. Fortunately, he's optimistic about the changing landscape, as technologies like cloud and AI are leveling the playing field in Europe, allowing software companies to scale at a much faster pace.

Building a global software powerhouse
Despite the challenges, Robinson remains optimistic about the future of European software companies. "If UK companies can scale at the same rate as US companies, I think that they have a real opportunity to be a software superpower." His advice for entrepreneurs is clear: focus on the mission, solve global problems, and scale rapidly. By doing so, UK software companies can unlock the potential to compete on the global stage.

For entrepreneurs in the UK, scaling a software business is rarely a simple path, but Robinson's journey proves it's far from impossible. With a clear mission and a focus on tackling global challenges, there is a real opportunity to produce the next tech giant. The future of innovation knows no borders—it's driven by ambition, and the country is well-positioned to lead the way.